Christmas Travel Could Be Dicey Across Parts Of The US This Weekend. Here's A Sneak Peek

Who Could See A White Christmas This Year?

With more than 100 million of us traveling through the holiday season, arriving to our destination safely (and on time) will be key.

We know the weather can be a toss up this time of year, so here's a sneak peek at what the holiday weekend travel rush might bring.

Friday

Friday will bring unsettled weather to both coasts, with mostly quiet weather in between. Travel should be pretty easy on the roads across the mid-section of the country, but watch for mounting delays due to dicey weather in the Pacific Northwest and East Coast.

Pacific Northwest: This flood-weary region will still be dealing with rain and snow, from back-to-back atmospheric river events. Anywhere from central California to Washington state will be dealing with slick roads and possible airport delays. Watch out for mountain snow and conditions on the mountain passes, as several feet of snow are forecast this week. This also includes parts of the northern Rockies.

East: A cold front will be pushing across the eastern portion of the country on Friday, so lingering rain across the busy I-95 corridor could slow you down. Also, wintry precipitation will stick around for interior portions of the Northeast which could make for dangerous road conditions and airport delays. Lingering snow for some of the Great Lakes will make for dangerous travel for parts of Upstate New York, Pennsylvania and the northern Appalachians.

Airports to be impacted: Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Boston, Washington, D.C.

Saturday

Saturday will most likely be the best travel day of the weekend. The system in the East has moved out, and the only real trouble spots will be in the West. Rain and snow from an atmospheric river will keep the region unsettled.

West Coast, Rockies: Lingering precipitation will be possible from Washington to central California, however, not as intense as days prior. Mountain snow will impact the Cascades and portions of the Rockies as well. Make sure you check snow conditions before hitting the roads in this region.

Great Lakes: Some spots could still be dealing with snow around the Great Lakes, however, mostly limited to Michigan, northern Wisconsin and higher elevations in New York.

Airports to be impacted: Seattle, San Francisco, Salt Lake City

Sunday

There looks to be a resurgence of moisture on Sunday in the West unfortunately, with more rain and mountain snow possible. There could also be more rain and snow in the East, for extreme northern portions of the interior Northeast. Lastly, possible showers begin to pop up across the South, that could impact and/or slow your holiday travel plans.

West: While all the fine details are still a bit uncertain, models are suggesting another surge of moisture in the West by Sunday. This means more heavy rainfall for areas already hit hard by rain and flooding, and another round of mountain snow for the higher elevations and possible mountain passes.

While it doesn't look like a major system at this time, we will continue to monitor the forecast and update with any changes.

Airports to be impacted: Seattle, San Francisco, Boise, Nashville

Monday

Monday will basically be a rinse and repeat of Sunday. With rain and snow continuing in the West and rain for parts of the South. More snow starts to creep into the Upper Midwest as well.

West: As thte water-logged West continues to deal with rain, make sure you check ahead to see what the travel conditions will be like on the roads, as well as he airports. Plan on delays if you are traveling through Seattle or Portland. Also check conditions of the mountain passes, as days of snow could have an impact on trecherous travel in the higher elevations. Snow will still be falling for portions of the Cascades and northern Rockies.

South: Showers will stick around in the South on Monday, stretching from Houston to Lexington. Plan extra time if you are traveling I-55, I-65 or I-20 across the South.

Airports to be impacted: Seattle, Portland, Jackson, Nashville

This Weekend's Temperature Outlook

As you travel this weekend, keep in mind that there will be huge temperature swings across the country. And even huge swings day-by-day in certain cities this weekend.

The Southwest will stay warm, and it will even be pretty mild in places like Denver (although temperatures will be steadily dropping here). The South will stay warmer than we have been recently, with a gradual warmup through the weekend in Atlanta.

Temperatures are more interesting in the North. Highs in the Upper Midwest will stay in the teens and 20s through the weekend, but with an advancing cold front across the region, places like Chicago and New York City will be on a bit of a temperature roller coaster through the weekend.

Make sure you check back often since the forecast will likely change. We hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday season.

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.