How will weather impact your holiday travel plans?
The holidays are quickly approaching --
Winter Solstice: 1 day!
Hanukkah: 2 days!
Christmas: 5 days!
Kwanzaa: 6 days!
For the thousands traveling in and out of the Coachella Valley in the next week, the weather could play a big role in getting to your destination.
We've already received a taste of the cold, but the First Alert Weather Team is tracking another cooldown that will bring rain and snow to the Southland next week.
Stay up-to-date on our local weather. Download the First Alert Weather App on the Apple Store or Google Play today
The first sign of rain will move into Southern California on Sunday, December 22nd with better chances for accumulation in
the Coachella Valley on Monday, December 23rd.
Accumulation for the first round of wet weather will be less than a quarter of an inch for the valley floor.
Unsettled weather will stay in our forecast through the Christmas holiday.
Check the local forecast for where you may be traveling for specific impacts. Social media offers a great supply of information when looking at credible sources.
For example, the National Weather Service office of your destination...
Staying in the desert? Stick with the First Alert Weather Team on-air and online!
In addition to weather issues, roads will be jam-packed with plenty of travelers. According to AAA, this holiday season is projected to have the most travelers since 2000.
AAA projects 115.6 million Americans will travel this holiday season from Saturday, Dec. 21 through Wednesday, Jan. 1. More than 104 million holiday travelers will drive to their destination.
INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, expects delays to be the worst on Thursday, Dec. 26. Afternoon delays are expected to reach nearly double congestion-free drive times in major U.S. cities. In Los Angeles, delays are expected to nearly double on that day.
Even though you may be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for a good portion of your trip, there may be stretches where you are driving on open roadways in the rain and/or snow. CHP provides a few tips for drivers to remember when encountering these conditions.
For up-to-the-minute updates on closures along California's highways. Use the Caltrans Quickmap. It can show you how traffic is flowing, whether CHP is investigating any incidents, and if there's a major highway shutdown. For those traveling up and down mountains, Quickmap also notifies you if you're going to need chains.
Happy holidays, and safe travels! Stay tuned, as our First Alert Weather Team continues to monitor weather conditions ahead of this holiday season.
