Travel forecasters are looking for a busy Labor Day weekend - unless Hurricane Earl spoils the fun.
Folks at the AAA Carolinas motor club predicted Wednesday that 930,000 North Carolinians will make holiday trips over the long weekend, about 70,000 more than last year. But AAA was keeping an eye on stormy weather that could change travel plans for beachgoers.
Earl is expected to make things wet and windy along the coast today and Friday. Skies should clear late Friday as the hurricane moves up the Atlantic seaboard.
If the storm stays well out to sea as it passes the Outer Banks, its impact should be too fleeting to spoil a perfect Labor Day beach weekend.
But if Earl moves closer to shore and leaves heavy rain, wind and wave damage in its wake, the last big weekend of summer could turn into a bummer. AAA travel agents reported that some customers were inquiring about canceling reservations, but most were not ready to change their plans.
"It seems like the entire traveling state is in a wait-and-see mode," said Brendan Byrne, spokesman for AAA Carolinas in Charlotte. "If Earl does serious damage, you'll have people cancel their beach weekend plans entirely. And that could be enough to negate any increase in what we would have hadover last year's travel numbers."
Gas prices fell by a few pennies during August, but Wednesday, Triangle drivers were pumping regular for an average $2.595 a gallon - about 8cents more than a year ago.
The Highway Patrol will have extra troopers patrolling major highways to catch speeding and aggressive drivers. During the 2009 Labor Day weekend, troopers investigated 1,026 crashes that caused seven deaths and injured 456 people.
Most road work across the state will be suspended from 4p.m. Friday to 9a.m. Tuesday.
But in Raleigh, Glenwood Avenue will remain one lane each way between Five Points and Wade Avenue. Some lanes also will be closed on U.S. 17 Business at the New River bridge in Jacksonville, and on U.S. 17 at the Cashie River bridge in Windsor.
Travelers in Eastern North Carolina should pay extra attention to Hurricane Earl and to changes in the weather forecast and updates on road conditions.
