Millions of holiday travelers expected

By Larry Copeland and Donna Leinwand, USA TODAYHoliday travelers can expect clogged roads, high gas prices and some bad weather this weekend.As millions of people get on the road to visit friends and family, average gas prices on Christmas Day could hit $3 a gallon for regular unleaded — 40 cents more than last year and up $1.35 over 2008, said Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service.

That would be a record. "We've never had a Christmas with $3 a gallon gas," Kloza said.

Despite the high cost of car travel, auto club AAA still expects huge numbers of drivers on the road.

AAA predicts more people will travel this year compared with 2008 and 2009. AAA surveys show about 92.3 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the holidays. Most of them — 93% — will travel by car.

Gas prices won't alter travel plans for most people because prices have inched up over time, giving drivers a chance to adjust their budgets, said Glen MacDonell, director of AAA travel services. "If gas rises a few cents, people may spend a little bit more at the pump and a little bit less on eggnog," he said.

Air travelers should see more airport security than last holiday season, although it's unclear what effect new measures will have on travel. On Christmas Day 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, allegedly tried to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. As a result, the Department of Homeland Security intensified searches of passengers.

Weather in much of the USA will be cold and dry Friday, with snow in Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana and parts of Kentucky, said Bruce Terry of the National Weather Service.

By Christmas Day, snow is likely over Tennessee and Kentucky, while many regions of Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia will see rain changing to snow, said meteorologist Tom Moore of The Weather Channel. Forecasts are mixed for Sunday. Terry says a major winter storm could hit the East Coast.

Contributing: Doyle Rice

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