Revelers traveling for July Fourth festivities may face delays due to stormy weather as the country braces for the busiest week of Independence Day air travel in 15 years.
On Wednesday, trouble spots for travel include Florida, due to showers and thunderstorms, and Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, due to lingering delays.
This comes after ground stops were issued up and down the Eastern Seaboard on Tuesday, creating chaos in airports in New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C., though skies have mostly cleared since then.
Travel has been a headache on the East Coast for the past several days. Video showed people sitting on the floor at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday due to storms.
A flood watch is also in place Wednesday for the Norfolk, Virginia, area after heavy rain moved through in the last 24 hours.
The good news is most of the nation will enjoy clear skies — prime for firework viewing — come July Fourth. The only potential trouble spots on Independence Day are the northern Plains with heavy thunderstorms and Florida with heavy rain.
The Federal Aviation Administration said this will be a particularly busy holiday with 300,000 flights throughout the week.
On Wednesday, there are 49,784 scheduled flights; on Thursday, 51,284; and on Friday, July 4, 35,066.
The number of daily flights is then expected to increase, after July Fourth, with 42,866 scheduled flights on Saturday, 47,966 on Sunday and 50,128 on Monday.
The Transportation Security Administration said it expects more than 18.5 million people to travel by air over the Fourth of July holiday and pass through the nation’s airport security checkpoints.
This year’s projection spans July 1 through July 7 with the highest passenger volume of 2.9 million expected on July 6.
“TSA continues to work closely with our industry partners and ensure our airport security checkpoints are fully staffed and prepared to handle the heavy rush of traffic,” TSA acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill said.
United Airlines said it expects to fly more than 6 million passengers from June 27 to July 7 — about 500,000 more than last year. Of those days, June 27 and July 3 are forecast to be the busiest travel days, with United projecting about 580,000 passengers each day.
The American Automobile Association said a record 72.2 million Americans are expected to travel domestically this week from June 28 to July 6 — an increase in 1.7 million travelers compared with last year and 7 million more than in 2019.
Of those travelers, AAA projects 61.6 million people will travel by car, 5.84 million by air and 4.78 million by bus, train or cruise.
AAA said top holiday destinations — drawing crowds with beaches, fireworks or both — include the Florida cities of Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Orlando; Seattle; New York; Anchorage, Alaska; and Hawaii.
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