FL Holiday Travel: Weather Forecast For Christmas Weekend

FLORIDA — As Florida travelers prepare to head to their destinations for the Christmas holiday, meteorologists are keeping a watchful eye on weather forecasts for later this week in Florida and across the United States.

On Thursday and Friday, conditions will be fairly good in Florida because of high pressure creating tranquil weather across most of the East Coast, according to AccuWeather forecasters.

Key travel hubs along the East Coast, including Washington, D.C., New York City, Boston and Atlanta, aren’t expected to face many weather-related delays or cancellations.

Those flying into Southern California, the Pacific Northwest and the southern Plains later this week, though, could encounter some wet weather and “bumpy travel conditions,” thanks to a few developing storms, forecasters said.

In the Tampa Bay area, no rain is expected through the morning of Christmas Eve, according to the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office. That night, there’s a 20 percent chance of showers, with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms on Christmas.

Though Tuesday will see temperatures drop to the low 40s at night with a high of 60 during the day, the area will see highs in the mid-70s during most days leading up to Christmas with lows in the 50s, NWS said.

This holiday season is expected to be the second busiest for travel since AAA began tracking it in 2000.

More than 115 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the 10-day year-end holiday travel period between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1, AAA forecasters said.

This includes 103.6 million people traveling by car and another 7.51 million traveling by plane, making it the busiest holiday season ever for air travel. The record number of airline travelers was set in 2019 with 7.3 million flyers.

More than 4 million people will take other modes of transportation this season, including train, bus and cruise, AAA said.

Drivers can expect to pay about the same at the pump or less than they did during the 2022 holiday season when the national average for gas prices was $3.10 and $3.20 on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, respectively, according to AAA.

Average airfare prices are also slightly lower than last year. The average price for a roundtrip ticket to Orlando this season is $613, down from $735 last year, booking data shows, while a roundtrip ticket to Las Vegas is $508 now compared to $705 last year.

“It depends on your desired route and destination. There are last-minute deals to be found, but if your preference is a nonstop flight with seat selection, AAA recommends booking well in advance and protecting your investment with travel insurance,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said.