The numbers are in, and AAA estimates air travel over the Labor Day holiday weekend is up this year, but extreme weather could delay millions of Americans hoping to get out of town for the last weekend of summer.
NEW YORK – Well, that went by fast. The unofficial end to summer is just days away, and millions of people across the U.S. are preparing to pack up and get out of town this Labor Day holiday weekend. But will extreme weather put the brakes on those end-of-season travel plans?
The numbers are in, and data from AAA shows there is an increase in domestic travel over the Labor Day holiday weekend.
“I feel like this is the same story every year,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari said. “It continues to go up and up.”
So who is most likely to see stress-free beach time, and who should prepare backup travel plans, just in case?
FOX Weather has you covered.
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Generally, the weather forecast for the Labor Day holiday weekend seems to be OK – for now. That can change as we close out the workweek and get ready for the long weekend.
Hot and dry conditions can be expected across the western U.S., while cool and dry conditions are expected across portions of the Midwest, Great Lakes region and even portions of the Northeast.
Some issues could pop up across the southern U.S. from Texas to the Southeast, as well as along the Interstate 95 corridor on the East Coast up to New England.
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Many major cities across the U.S. will experience pleasant temperatures this weekend, which is a welcome change after brutal late-summer heat and humidity that helped to fire up powerful thunderstorms on Monday in the Midwest.
Temperatures are expected to remain in the lower 80s in the West, including Seattle and Los Angeles, while cities like Denver and Atlanta could get into the lower 90s.
Plenty of sunshine is also expected for many in the U.S., but a chance for precipitation and severe weather could slow travel in the southern and eastern areas of the country.
If you’re among the millions hitting the road, you’ll want to keep your speed slow on wet roadways.
And if you’re heading to major airports in those locations, like Houston, Miami and New York City, rain and possible thunderstorms could lead to delayed or canceled flights.
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More travel issues could arise from areas of the Southwest to the Northeast on Sunday, but the FOX Forecast Center doesn’t expect major storm systems to be impacting those regions.
“When it comes down to the precipitation, again, these are not huge storm systems with nonstop rain moving through the country,” Sarsalari said. “We’re going to have a lot of on-and-off showers and thunderstorms.”
Either way, airports from the Midwest to the Northeast could be impacted by those pop-up showers and thunderstorms, which could lead to more issues.
And remember, if you’re at an airport where the sky is clear and temperatures are warm, extreme weather hundreds of miles away can still impact your travel plans.
“The crazy thing about Atlanta is that the airport is so big, that when they get delays there, it will affect almost the entire country, especially the East Coast,” Sarsalari continued.
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And what about the dreaded trip back home to reality? There will be more chances for delays on the roads or in the sky thanks to additional rain and thunderstorms impacting the southern and northern areas of the U.S.
Rain seems likely in the southern Plains and Texas, as well as areas of the Mississippi Valley.
Rain could impact the beaches in Florida, and for those of you in the Northeast maybe heading to a local lake or pond to swim, bring an umbrella just in case a shower or two passes by.