Weather looks to be a Grinch for Christmas

UPDATE: The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch running from Wednesday morning through Friday afternoon, as a large storm system approaches the Midwest.

Although holiday travelers have their pick of worries, the hands-down winner is weather.

Light precipitation - snow, sleet or rain – is expected to begin Wednesday night, with 1 to 4 inches of snow possible. Another 4 to 8 inches of snow is possible on Thursday.

The National Weather Service said the system also could bring a significant ice storm, one-quarter to one-third an inch of ice, in a band 25 to 40 miles on either side of I-80.

“Regardless what does fall out of the sky, travel will be pretty difficult from late Wednesday into Friday,” said KCRG-TV9 meteorologist Justin Gehrts.

MORE WEATHER INFORMATION:

• The latest forecast from KCRG-TV9
• Current watches, warnings and advisories
• Cancellations
• Road conditions for Iowa and surrounding states

The Iowa Department of Transportation strongly advises Iowans to consider whether they need to travel.

Still, AAA projects 4.4 percent more Americans will be driving on trips of at least 50 miles this holiday season, while air travel will be up a more modest 2.9 percent. Overall travel will be up 3.8 percent.

Iowans and other travelers in AAA's West North Central region are expected to be the most active holiday drivers. The group estimates that driving holiday trips will be up 15.3 percent in the region and said 31.5 percent of Midwesterners will go on driving trips compared with 25 percent of Americans overall.

Even though the increase is better than last year's decrease in holiday travel, it'll be nothing for the record books, AAA spokesman Geoff Sundstrom said.

“It's not anywhere near the numbers that were traveling in 2007, but we've seen massive deterioration in the economy and household balance sheets,” Sundstrom said.

Some of the other challenges travelers will face are higher gas prices (up an average 50 cents per gallon from last year) and more congested airlines.

The Eastern Iowa Airport director Dan Mann recommends that air travelers check the airport's Web site or call the airline's toll-free number frequently for flight cancellations. Ticketholders who call to make alternative flight arrangements after a cancellation will have the best chance of finding available seats.

“Airlines are at capacity,” Mann said. “Seats are going to be limited and run out.”

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