Hudson Valley Christmas 2018: Traffic, Weather Here And Away

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The worst day to travel for the upcoming holidays will be Thursday, according to AAA. Now, that's right about when a big storm is due over the Hudson Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

The record number of Americans (112.5 million) heading out by car, plane and train is the most since AAA has been tracking holiday travel.

“’Tis the season for holiday travel, and more Americans than ever will journey to spend time with friends and family or choose to take a vacation,” said Bryan Shilling, managing director, AAA Travel products and services. “With a record-breaking one-third of the country choosing to travel this holiday, roadways and airports are sure to be busy.”

The absolute worst traffic around New York City will be after 9 p.m. Thursday, AAA predicted.

Starting right about that time, Thursday night into Friday, the Hudson Valley could get half- to three-quarters of an inch of rain.

The storm will be coming from the Southwest. That could bring airline delays in the East due to episodes of fog and a low cloud ceiling, said Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist. Plus, the rain could turn to snow or a wintry mix moving from the Midwest Thursday night into western Pennsylvania Friday night.

Taking an early look at the possible weather for Christmas, AccuWeather predicts two more smaller storm systems. One could bring a wintry mix from the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley to parts of the Northeast on Monday, with rain farther south. A second storm could bring some snow to the Midwest.

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