Christmas Travel Weather Outlook In PA

PENNSYLVANIA — The holiday season is heating up, and millions will soon hit the roads and the skies as they travel to Pennsylvania and other parts of the region.

About 115.2 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the 10-day year-end holiday travel period with the most congested day on the road on Saturday, Dec. 23, AAA projects.

This is a 2.2 percent increase over last year.

For those heading out, what does the weather forecast look like on travel days?

Travel conditions both on the ground and air seem favorable in eastern Pennsylvania through Christmas Day.

"Conditions will be fairly good due to high pressure promoting tranquil weather across most of the East Coast and interior West. Key travel hubs in the East, such as Washington, D.C., New York City, Boston and Atlanta, may face limited weather-related delays or cancellations," according to AccuWeather.

The Pittsburgh area, meanwhile, could see some rain on Saturday, Dec. 23, which could complicate holiday travel.

And on the West Coast, there are a few developing storms that could impact travel.

"A round of wet weather will cross the southern Plains from Thursday into Friday, bringing the potential for heavy rain to cities such as Oklahoma City, Dallas and Houston by the end of the week" AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Heather Zehr explained. "After a short break, another round of potentially travel-disrupting rains can move through over the weekend. This rain may linger into Christmas Day in some places."

For those planning on flying on Saturday, there are two separate storms that are moving into the Northwest and Southwest coasts possibly bringing snow in the mountains and rain showers creating poor travel conditions in parts of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona, according to AccuWeather.

Ending the week on Sunday, there is a possibility for rain and showers to develop in the center of the U.S. and could even bring a wintry mix or snow. While it is still too early to tell, more details on the storm will arise as it moves eastward.

Here is a look at the upcoming forecast, according to the National Weather Service:

Philadelphia area

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Tuesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 28. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 45. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 44. North wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 25.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 40.

Friday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43.

Saturday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 47.

Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.

Christmas Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 50.

Pittsburgh area

Tuesday: Scattered snow showers, mainly before 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. West wind 10 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tuesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 42. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.

Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. Light south wind.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 42. Light and variable wind.

Thursday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28.

Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45.

Friday night: A chance of rain after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday: A chance of rain before 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 52.

Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35.

Christmas Day: Partly sunny, with a high near 55.