Travel news today: Holiday rush picks up in Chicago area as weather hits East, West Coasts as Midway airport sees busiest day
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The Transportation Security Administration is forecasting that 2025 will once again break records for holiday travel, highlighting an expected surge in passenger numbers.

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As travelers make their way back home before the start of the new year, the holiday rush is kicking into high gear.

Saturday is anticipated to be particularly hectic, with both highways and airports nationwide experiencing high traffic volumes.

Chicago’s Midway Airport is preparing for its busiest day, with an estimated 48,000 passengers passing through its terminals on Saturday.

For more information, read our guide on what Americans need to know about traveling to Mexico during the winter, given the current increased caution advisory.

Passenger volume is estimated to be up at least 6% in Chicago from last year, the TSA said.

At O’Hare airport, the projected busiest travel day already happened last week.

On Friday, there were some cancellations at O’Hare and Midway, mostly due to weather as storms moved through the west and east coasts.

For those driving to their destinations, traffic on the roads is also expected to be busiest from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the weekend.

Winter weather hits Northeast as new storm system moves across country

The New York City area accumulated just short of 3 inches of snow as difficult travel conditions are expected through Saturday morning while crews work to clean up this wintry mess.

Meanwhile, low temperatures across the Northeast from Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh to the North and East will be near or below freezing on Saturday night, allowing for refreezing of any slush or snow that’s still on the ground.

Another system will move through the region late Sunday into Monday but will be mostly rain, though some wintry mix will be possible into higher elevations.

On Saturday, the Rocky Mountains will get snow from Idaho and Montana through Wyoming and Colorado. On Sunday, some snow may linger in the Colorado Rockies and into northern New Mexico.

Next week is expected to start off wet for the East on Monday and will bring mostly rain to the East Coast, with some snow and wintry mix possible for the Great Lakes.

Most of the country should see dry and quiet weather leading up to New Year’s Eve, with the West seasonably warm and the East seasonably cooler.

After New Year’s, a new weather pattern will stick around for the start of 2026 as warmer temperatures should stick around for most of the West and reach down into parts of the South.

ABC News contributed to this report.

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