Charles Crane/MDN The setting sun reflects off the air traffic control tower at the Minot airport Thursday. Millions of Americans, including many traveling to and from Minot, are expected to fly to their destinations over the Christmas holiday.

Millions of Americans are expected to drive and fly this Christmas holiday weekend, with travelers buoyed by cheaper gas and an encouraging Thanksgiving that saw limited delays and canceled flights.

AAA credited the expected historic travel surge to cheaper ticket prices over the Christmas and New Year travel period, with 7.5 million air travelers eclipsing the previous record of 7.3 million from 2019. One destination seeing an uptick of flights is Orlando, Florida, including new flights out of Minot with Allegiant that started over Thanksgiving.

Gas prices in the United States have declined for 13 straight weeks, with the average price for a gallon of regular gas in North Dakota dropping well below the national average of $3.12 down to $2.89. With prices as low as $2.79 at some stations in Minot, AAA expects more than 100 million drivers to take to the roads.

All of this driving will be accompanied by minimal impacts to driving conditions by weather, though there will be some fog and freezing rain in the forecast for some areas in the state. While the immediate Minot area is unlikely to experience a delivery of some fresh white stuff, the central and southeastern parts of the state likely will get a glancing dusting from a storm system that will be working its way through the central plains beginning Christmas Eve.

The skies should be mostly sunny heading into Christmas Eve, with a high of 40 on Saturday. Temperatures will dip down to a high of 32 and lows around 15 through Christmas Day.

National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hamilton noted that travelers in North Dakota could experience icy conditions caused by brief freezing rain but said that any impacts likely will be minimal in the state. Hamilton said travelers should account for the storm if their travel plans take them through South Dakota or Minnesota over the holiday weekend.