Sacramento fog, high gas prices + best time to drive: Your guide to Thanksgiving travel

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, but getting to the holiday dinner may take some pricey gas and patience.

Roughly 53.4 million people in the U.S are predicted to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, up 13% from 2020 — making it the highest single-year increase in Thanksgiving travel since 2005, according to the American Automobile Association.

With more people traveling this year compared to last year, roads are expected to be crowded.

Here’s what you need to know about gas prices, Sacramento weather, traffic conditions (whether you’re coming or going) and the best/worst times to hit the road:

Gas prices

As of Monday, the national average for regular gas is $3.40. California’s average price for gas is $4.70 — the highest recorded average. Sacramento sits at $4.72, according to AAA.

To check gas prices in your city before hitting the road, visit the official AAA California gas page.

Traffic conditions

As California average gas prices hit record highs, Thanksgiving travel is expected to surpass last year — bringing it within 5% of pre-pandemic levels.

Of the more than 53 million people expected to travel within the next week, 90% are predicted to travel by car, an 8% increase since last year, according to the AAA travel report.

In California, about 7.1 million people are expected to travel — a 14% increase over last year — but still slightly below Thanksgiving 2019.

And roughly 6.1 million of those travelers are predicted to drive, according to a AAA news release.

Here are the best and worst times to travel, including the worst U.S. corridors and times to travel on them, according to the AAA.

When to travel

Best times to travel

Wednesday - After 9 p.m.

Thursday - before 11 a.m.

Friday - before 11 a.m.

Saturday - before noon

Sunday -before noon

Worst times to travel

Wednesday - Noon to 8 p.m.

Thursday - Noon to 3 p.m.

Friday - 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday - 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Sunday - 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Worst corridors and travel times

Atlanta

I-85, Claremont Road to MLK Drive

1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday

San Francisco

I-80 , I-580 to San Pablo Dam Road

4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday

Los Angeles

I-5 Colorado Street to Florence Avenue

3:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., Wednesday

Boston

I-93 N, Quincy Market to MA-28

1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday

New York

I-495, Borden Avenue to little Neck Parkway

2:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., Wednesday

Seattle

I-5 S, WA-18 to WA-7

4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday

Washington D.C.

I-95 S, I-395 to VA-123

2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday

Houston

I-10 W, Sjolander Road to TX-330

3:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., Wednesday

Chicago

I-290 W, Morgan State to Wolfe Road

2:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., Wednesday

Detroit

I-96 W, 6 Mile Road to Walled Lake

2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday

Sacramento weather forecast

Wednesday | High of 61 degrees

Sunny with North Northwest winds up to 13 mph.

Wednesday night | Low of 38 degrees

Partly cloudy

Thursday | High of 60 degrees

Mostly sunny.

Thursday night | Low of 40 degrees

Mostly cloudy.

Friday | High of 62 degrees

Mostly sunny.

Friday night | low of 41 degrees

Patchy fog after 4 a.m. Otherwise, partly cloudy.

Saturday | high of 62 degrees

Areas of fog. Otherwise, mostly sunny.

Saturday night | low of 43 degrees

Patchy fog. Otherwise, partly cloudy.

Sunday | high near 62 degrees

Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly sunny.

To keep up with Sacramento’s weather conditions, visit the office National Weather Service’s Sacramento office website.

This story was originally published November 23, 2021 at 5:15 AM.