Gusty winds could cause delays to Thanksgiving travel

News 12 meteorologists say showers and gusty winds early in the week could cause some traffic and air travel delay.

News 12 Staff

Nov 20, 2021, 2:05 AM

Updated 1,032 days ago

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Holiday travelers are eager to share Thanksgiving dinner with their relatives out of town, but the weather is trying to put a stop to that.
News 12 meteorologists say showers and gusty winds early in the week could cause some traffic and air travel delay.
AAA says 4 million people are expected to fly over the Thanksgiving holiday, which is up 80% from 2020.
"We still use radar-based air traffic control system, and when weather is bad, planes have to be spaced out," says AAA spokesperson Robert Sinclair Jr. "Instead of 2 to 3 miles apart, 25 or 50 miles apart and we see air traffic control delays just cascade across the entire country."
Sinclair says the roads will be a lot more crowded then the skies with 90% of holidays travelers driving.
"We're seeing traffic jams unlike any we've seen before," Sinclair says.
He says the eastbound Long Island Expressway from Borden Avenue to New Hyde Park Road will see 482% more traffic the day before Thanksgiving between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
The increase is driving is expected despite gasoline prices being over $1 per gallon more expensive than in 2020.