(NewsNation) — A record number of people are set to travel on Memorial Day, with approaching storms impacting travelers.
A slow-moving system moving across the central and southern United States will impact the expected record number of travelers on Memorial Day.
There are set to be over 45 million travelers this year who will travel at least 50 miles from home, 3.1% higher than last year. The AAA forecast is for May 22 to May 26. Previously, the record number of travelers on Memorial Day was set in 2005, with 44 million people.
Most people will travel by car Memorial Day weekend: AAA
According to AAA, 39.4 million people are set to travel to their destinations by car this Memorial Day weekend. This is up from 38.2 million people in 2024.
Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel, said, “Memorial Day weekend getaways don’t have to be extravagant and costly. While some travelers embark on dream vacations and fly hundreds of miles across the country, many families just pack up the car and drive to the beach or take a road trip to visit friends.”
AAA also said that travelers will see cheaper gas prices compared to last year’s national average of $3.59 per gallon. This is due to lower crude oil prices, but gas prices typically peak in the summer and start going back down in the fall.
18M people to be screened for Memorial Day travel: TSA
According to the Transportation Security Administration, there are expected to be 18 million crew and passengers screened during Memorial Day this year.
As of Monday afternoon, Texas is dealing with the most flight delays, according to the FlightAware Misery Map. The slow-moving storms could increase delays in other parts of the country later in the day.