It looks like people traveling to and from the Detroit area this Christmas will have to contend with more congested roads than bad weather.
AAA expects 119.3 million people in the U.S. will travel 50 miles or more from home between December 21 and New Year’s Day. This is an increase of about 3 million compared to last year and will exceed the record set in 2019 by 64,000.
Of the total, about 107 million people will travel by car, according to AAA Projects. Motorists in the Detroit area may experience some flurries on Christmas Eve morning, but they should be gone by 10 a.m. and there is no snow in the National Weather Service forecast for the following week. Some snow (and ice) fell in other parts of Michigan Monday evening, but it is expected to stop by Tuesday morning.
DOT officials were monitoring conditions during the busy holiday season, said Jeff Cranson, communications director for the Michigan Department of Transportation.
“MDOT’s state and district maintenance coordinators stay in close contact with their plow drivers…and the county road commissions, which plow about 75 percent of the state’s roads under contract with MDOT,” Cranson said in an email to The Detroit News.
Bad news for area motorists: Gas prices in Michigan have risen 10 cents since last week, to an average of $3.04 for a gallon of regular unleaded, AAA announced Monday. The price is about 5 cents higher than it was one year ago.
Air travel is more expensive this year as well, according to AAA. Booking data shows that flight prices are 4% higher this holiday season than last year.
However, a record number of travelers are expected to take to the skies. AAA estimates that about 7.85 million passengers will travel by plane for the holidays this year, surpassing the 7.5 million passengers during the same time frame last year.
Detroit Metro Airport expects to follow this trend. Throughout the entire holiday season (between November 22, 2024 and January 5, 2025), the airport expects to serve more than 4 million passengers, an increase of 6% over the 2023-24 season.
This total includes about 1.7 million passengers from December 18 to January 5.
As of Monday evening, the airport was not expecting the weather in the Detroit area to have a significant impact on flights, though conditions in other parts of the country could impact flights at the airport, said Wayne County Airport Authority spokeswoman Erica Donerson. Detroit.
“This is one reason we encourage customers to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport, especially this time of year,” Donerson said in an email to The News. “As airlines determine whether flights will be delayed or cancelled, they will be the best source for information about the potential impact of the weather.”
As of 9pm on Monday, the airport’s website did not list any canceled flights, but several delays for both arrivals and departures.
Air travel at major hubs including New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport was moving at a roughly normal rate Monday evening, online flight tracking company Flightview reported, although about 40% of flights departing from John F. Kennedy was leaving late.
Weather forecast
Snow may have affected some drivers’ commutes Monday evening in southern Michigan, but conditions are expected to improve by early morning on Christmas Eve.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Genesee, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland and St. Clair counties, where snow and sleet up to 2 inches are possible, as well as ice accumulations.
The advisory was issued at 3:16pm on Monday and was due to end at 1am on Tuesday.
In Detroit, the weather service is calling for scattered showers before 10 a.m. Tuesday, while the rest of Christmas Eve will be mostly cloudy with a high near 36 degrees and light winds from the northwest.
There may also be a few scattered flurries after 1 a.m. early Christmas morning. The rest of Christmas Day will be mostly cloudy with highs once again reaching 36.
Up to 3 inches of accumulation was possible from Monday night into Tuesday morning in the Thumb and central portion of the Lower Peninsula, specifically, Bay, Huron, Saginaw, Sanilac and Tuscola counties, according to the NWS weather advisory ending at 1 a.m. Tuesday. .
Warnings have also been issued for the west-central part of the Lower Peninsula, including Clare, Gratiot, Isabella, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo, Oceana and Osceola counties, where up to 2 inches of snow and icing are possible. ; and Clinton and Iona counties, where an inch or less of snow is expected, in addition to ice. Those warnings expired at 11 p.m
Up to two inches of snow is also expected in the northern part of the gauntlet, with the warning ending at 10pm in 19 counties.
Washtenaw County motorists have been advised that an inch or less of snow and sleet could fall before 10 p.m. Monday.
MDOT reminded motorists that when snow accumulates, drivers must maintain a distance of 200 feet — or about 13 car lengths — between their vehicle and snow plows, according to a new law signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in July. Violators face a fine of up to $100.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
