July 4th Travel In Georgia: Crowded Roadways Ahead

ATLANTA, GA — If you're planning to hit the road this Fourth of July, you'd best plan on having plenty of company.

About 1.3 million Georgians are expected to take to the roads, skies, rails and waterways this Independence Day — an increase of 52,000 travelers from last year — according to AAA.

The Georgia numbers are expected to contribute to a record number of holiday travelers throughout the United States this year. In all, a record-breaking 44.2 million Americans are likely to travel this year, the motor club predicts.

"This Independence Day will be historic," said Vicky Evans, an assistant vice president with AAA. "Traveler numbers are up and prices are down, adding to what has already been a bustling summer travel season."

The Independence Day holiday travel period is defined as Friday, June 30 to Tuesday, July 4.

AAA says July 4th is the most-traveled summer holiday, besting Memorial Day and Labor Day, because it falls in the middle of the summer, when school is out.

Of those 1.3 million Georgia travelers, the vast majority — 1.1 million — are expected to drive. About 94,000 will fly and 69,000 will take other modes of transportation, AAA says.

While motorists may have to deal with some headache-inducing traffic jams on the way to their holiday gatherings this year, there is some good news. Gas prices shouldn't be all that bad.

AAA says current gas prices are slightly below last year's levels — another reason folks may be deciding to climb behind the wheel. In Georgia, the average price for a gallon of gas on Wednesday was $2.10. That's down from $2.22 a month ago and $2.16 this time last year.

The national average on Wednesday was $2.24, down from last year's $2.30.

As far as weather goes, there's a chance that Georgians traveling around Independence Day will have to do at least some of it in the rain.

This weekend, Friday will bring a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in metro Atlanta, followed by a 40 percent chance on Friday night.

There's another 50-50 chance of rain on Saturday, followed by the same chance on Saturday night. On Sunday, the chance of rain drops to 30 percent during both the day and night.

That same 30 percent chance of precipitation is forecast for next Monday and, on July 4th itself, there's a 60 percent chance of a thunderstorm in metro Atlanta — most likely in the afternoon. Otherwise, skies should be mostly clear with a high temperature around 89 degrees.

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