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Traveling for the holidays can be tough due to the weather, but it doesn’t have to be.
PEOPLE spoke with Dr. James Belanger, Vice President of Meteorology at The Weather Company, and with Sara Tonks, meteorologist at The Weather Channel app and weather.com, about the best tips for handling holiday travel and which parts of the United States travelers may face unexpected weather events.
One of Belanger’s biggest tips, he shares, is to “check the weather.” Although it may seem obvious, understanding what to expect weather-wise makes people better prepared.
“We know that for some travelers, particularly during the holiday season, often weather might be the last thing they’re thinking about. They’re focused on trying to get to their destination,” he explains. “What we’re encouraging is, let that weather be a part of the planning experience because it can help reduce some of the anxiety that you might be feeling.”
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Understanding what might be in the forecast can help travelers decide whether to delay their travel by hours or days, or even begin their journey earlier.
“The first step is if the person is proactive enough that he or she understands that they’re likely gonna have weather-related impacts, that person’s in a much stronger position than someone who’s having to react to the weather,” he adds. “It’s important to keep an eye on the Weather Channel app to stay updated there.”
Some insights people can get include predicted snowfall over various time periods for drivers and hourly weather updates. For those planning to fly, people can get up-to-date information on expected turbulence, in addition to the usual weather insights, including current and destination forecasts.
“This, then, can inform their travel decisions, whether someone wants to fly or drive, when they would want to leave, and what to expect during the trip,” Belanger says.
For instance, Tonks tells PEOPLE that there are a few places in the country where travelers should prepare for potential weather events.
“The West Coast (and especially the Pacific Northwest) is looking the worst for travel in the next week thanks to atmospheric river events and a few coastal storms sweeping through with rain and high elevation snow,” Tonks, who often shares her weather expertise on social media, says.
“The Northeast is a little more back and forth, with unsettled weather Friday of this week and Tuesday,” she adds.
This, she explains, is getting down to the “wire for pre-Christmas travel” but “might be ideal for post-Hannukkah travelers.”
Having information about possible snowfall and winter conditions can be “really helpful in understanding whether or not to delay my travel by a day or start it a day earlier,” Belanger notes.
“One place that I would start is thinking about whether I am traveling by plane or driving, and if I have the flexibility to adjust either the day before or the day after,” he says. “I can use the travel experience on the Weather Channel mobile app to understand, am I gonna have a bumpy ride if I decide to go that route because of unexpected turbulence and rough air, or am I gonna be better suited taking a longer route because the experience is just gonna be better driving?”
What it comes back to, for Belanger, is always “keeping an eye on the weather.”
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Belanger also says that if someone does find out that their flight is delayed, they should still have “patience with the staff” as it is “always key to making it a better experience for all.”
“They are under higher stress due to how busy their jobs become due to the weather.”
Tonks also teases which states and cities may experience a white Christmas.
“A white Christmas is looking likely for the Northern Tier and Interior Northeast, along with high elevations in the Cascades and Rocky Mountains,” she shares. “But it’s not out of the question for some of the major hubs in the Northeast, like New York, Boston and Philadelphia!”
