Fourth of July travel may hit record numbers this weekend
Early is the word as the Fourth of July weekend rolls in, with a record setting 50.7 million Americans expected to travel 50 miles or more over the next couple of days, according to AAA.
Domestic travel over the long weekend is predicted to increase by 2.1 million people compared to 2022, as this year’s projection surpasses the previous July Fourth weekend record, set in 2019, of 49 million travelers.
“We’ve never projected travel numbers this high for Independence Day weekend,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “What this tells us is that despite inventory being limited and some prices 50% higher, consumers are not cutting back on travel this summer. Many of them heeded our advice and booked early, another sign of strong travel demand.”
Spokesperson Jim Garrity said AAA is projecting 1.7 million Pennsylvanians will travel between June 30 through July 4, with the busiest travel days expected to take place June 29 and 30.
About 1.4 million Pennsylvanians will travel by car, with around 175,000 expected to travel by plane.
Nationwide, AAA expects 43.2 million Americans will drive to their destinations this coming weekend, an increase of 2.4% over 2022 and 4% higher than 2019.
This is due in part to lower gas prices compared to this time last year, Garrity said.
"Prices usually go up in and around the holidays,“ Garrity said. ”Consumers are less likely to see prices where they were this time last year. In Pennsylvania, prices were about $1.30 more expensive this time last year. That's because this time last year crude oil prices were higher — in the $100 range.
"The majority of what you spend at the pump is based on what the price of crude oil is."
As of June 29, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline came in at $3.54, while the average price in Pennsylvania came in at $3.63 and Butler County at $3.61.
Air travel also is expected to set a new record, according to AAA, which projects 4.17 million Americans will fly to their destinations over the Independence Day weekend, an increase of 11.2% over 2022 and 6.6% over 2019.
"Holidays like this mostly include drives to see family and friends,“ Garrity said. ”When it's situated the way it is this year, people might take a long holiday. A lot of folks will be going to local beaches in Maryland, Delaware and down to the Myrtle Beach area. The No. 1 flight destination we will see from our region is Orlando, with Las Vegas in second."
Flight cancellations and delays can be expected over the weekend, Garrity said.
In order to stay on top of these travel alterations, Garrity recommends downloading an airline’s mobile app and punching in the flight information in order to get the most up-to-date information.
“One word you have to keep in mind is early,” Garrity said. “It’s recommenced if you are flying domestic to be at the airport two hours before your flight, but I would recommend maybe getting there three hours earlier.”
Mary Beth Rock, of Butler, said with everyone traveling this coming weekend, she will be staying in the Butler area to spend time working for her small business.
“I own a pet sitting service,” Rock said. “I don't think there will be much traffic due to the fact that everyone will be traveling."
Rock said she expects to be busier than normal, as she will be watching over the pets of those who will be going out of town this weekend.
John McFarland, of Butler, also will be staying home over the weekend to spend time with his wife, but he did explain how higher gas prices have been affecting him.
"Everything has gone up except the wages,“ McFarland said. ”The price of gas has gone up, and it affects things you do for fun and makes going to work more expensive. It makes things like traveling to Erie for a long weekend much tougher.“
Those people sticking it out in Butler County this holiday weekend could experience some brief rain showers on and off, along with some consistent temperatures.
According to John Darnley, observation program leader at the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, brief showers throughout the weekend and into July 4 itself could pop up, but he expects the toughest rain showers to bring at most a quarter inch of rain.
"There is rain in the forecast, but keep in mind when you look at a forecast like this, the probability is fairly low,“ Darnley said. ”There could be a couple light rain events. Some people are going to have no rain, and some people are going to get a shower."
Darnley said people should continue to monitor forecasts as the weekend progresses, but he feels confident some areas of Butler County will get hit with rain showers at some point during the holiday weekend.
“I wouldn't cancel your plans, but I would bring an umbrella,” Darnley said.
June 30 through July 4 should see consistent temperatures with highs in the low 80s and lows in the mid 60s.
