What to Know If You’re Hitting the Roads in the Days After Christmas

Cailey Rizzo

There’s no place like home for the holidays. But in the days after Christmas, getting back from where you left could prove difficult as unpleasant weather and traffic is underway.

If you are driving on Thursday or Friday, do your best to avoid the highways in the late afternoon and early evening (from about 4 to 6:30 p.m.), when traffic will likely be at its worst around major metropolitan areas, as the American Automobile Association,. AAA predicts a record 104 million travelers will be driving to and from their holiday destinations from Saturday, Dec. 21 through Wednesday, Jan 1, reported by ABC News.

Not only will Thursday or Friday likely be the worst day of the week to battle traffic, travelers will also have to battle rain, snow and wind, depending on where they’re headed.

The west coast will likely feel the brunt of this storm. Parts of California in higher elevations could receive up to three feet of snow by the end of the week. The Interstate 5 Freeway just 80 miles north of Los Angeles closed on Wednesday night due to heavy snowfall, according to local news outlet KTLA.

"Travel will be very difficult to impossible, The Weather Channel said in a statement of the San Bernardino area. "Tree branches could fall as well. Additional snow accumulations of of 6 to 12 inches below 4000 feet, 14 to 20 inches between 4500 and 6500 feet, and exceeding 2 feet above 7000 feet, are expected."

Areas from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara is expected to receive two to three inches of rain by Friday. Areas that have been burned by wildfires could see minor debris flows due to the rain.

The Weather Channel also reported that the storm will move across the country through the end of the week and is expected to intensify as it passes over the Plains region over the weekend. Northern New England should also expect snowy conditions.

While metropolitan areas like Chicago and New York City experienced spring-like conditions on Christmas Day, rain is predicted for both areas heading into the weekend.