The exceptionally calm weather system gave Arizonans little to worry about over Thanksgiving weekend, but travelers can expect an increase in traffic before the weekend officially ends.
The Arizona Department of Transportation reminded drivers that Sunday was traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Despite the calm weather, here’s how to avoid Sunday traffic problems and maintain your sanity.
The weather in the Phoenix area is expected to be calm and cool
A “stagnant” and dry weather system would dominate the climate in the Phoenix area starting Sunday, according to Chris Kuhlman, meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Phoenix office.
Phoenix was expected to see a high of 78 degrees and a low of 51 degrees on Sunday, according to the weather forecast.
Sunny skies were expected across the valley with calm winds and mostly calm conditions.
Conditions would remain the same when Arizonans returned to a normal work week on Monday, “which would result in a near persistent forecast through mid-December,” Kuhlman said.
Calm weather statewide to end the holiday weekend
According to the weather service, a high of 54 degrees was expected in Flagstaff on Sunday, along with mostly sunny skies, followed by an overnight low of 14 degrees.
A high near 80 degrees was expected alongside sunny skies in Tucson, with an overnight low near 40 degrees expected across much of southern Arizona.
Busy end expected for Thanksgiving weekend travel
Traffic was expected to increase on Sunday, with many people moving in and out of the state as the Thanksgiving holiday nears its end.
AAA predicted that nearly 80 million people would travel at least 50 miles this Thanksgiving, which would be the busiest travel time of the year.
The Arizona Department of Transportation said no major highway construction or maintenance projects are planned until the morning of Monday, Dec. 2, in hopes of easing traffic problems across the state.
ADOT noted that heavier traffic was expected on Interstate 17 and State Route 87 in the Phoenix area, along with most of Interstate 10 between Tucson and Phoenix and west into California.
Crashes across the state delayed travelers Saturday
Crashes on Saturday delayed travelers across Arizona, and could be an indication of more to come.
A multi-vehicle crash was reported Saturday evening on eastbound Interstate 10 near Quartzsite, which ADOT said was expected to cause delays.
An accident on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson affected both directions in the afternoon.
Air travel tips for those going in or out of Arizona
At Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Saturday, 172 flights were delayed and only one was canceled, according to data from FlightAware around 6:30 p.m.
Nationally there were 5,123 delayed flights and 70 cancellations. Worldwide there were 17,035 delayed flights and 421 cancellations.
AAA predicted that 5.8 million people would fly domestically during the holidays, a 2% increase from last year.
Sky Harbor officials advised travelers to drop off at the 24th Street or 44th Street PHX Sky Train stations at either end of the airport.
People picking up recently arrived passengers should avoid circling the terminals and using cell phone parking lots east of Terminal 4, west of the West Economy Garage and at the 44th Street PHX Sky Train station, according to an airport news release .
Travelers entering or leaving Arizona should stay aware of possible weather conditions across the country and beyond.
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This article originally appeared in Arizona Republic: AZ’s Thanksgiving weekend to see calm weather and more traffic on Sunday
