WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The rain coming Tuesday will likely mean a messy drive for families heading out early for Thanksgiving.
AAA says more than 1.3 million people in the D.C. area will travel 50 or more miles this holiday weekend.
The number one thing you need to account for is extra time to get where you’re going this week.
Tuesday and Wednesday are the busiest days for air travel and Wednesday is typically the busiest for cars on the road.
Thanksgiving may not be until Thursday but travel has already begun.
For some, that means visitors flying to D.C., including James Moran’s parents.
“It was important to them to avoid the hectic day. So they flew in today and they’re going to stay until next Wednesday,” Moran said.
An estimated 1.25 million people in the D.C. area will hit the roads.
Ragina Cooper Ali with AAA says drivers should be thankful for gas prices this year.
“They have been trending downward for the last few weeks and are about $0.30 less than they were this time last year,” Ali said.
“I’m hoping they’re going to go down more,” said traveler Darryl Carson.
If you’re planning to head to your destination on Tuesday, be aware of potentially heavy rain.
“Not only will the roads possibly be impacted, congestion may obviously be worsened, but we can also sometimes see delays in air travel as well,” Ali said.
Ali says AAA is expecting to help 350,000 stranded drivers nationwide.
“You want to check things like your belts, your hoses, your fluids, your tires, particularly and your batteries,” Ali said.
No matter what mode of transportation you take, there’s going to be heavy traffic. According to AAA the worst travel time is Wednesday from 2-6 p.m. The best travel time is before 11 a.m.
On Thursday, AAA says the worst travel time is between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The best travel time is before 10 a.m. or after 5 p.m.