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Wild Mix of Weather Coming to Town for Christmas

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ARLINGTON, Va. – Here comes Christmas, this year with a real mixed weather bag for the United States.

With gas below $2 a gallon countrywide and warmer-than-usual temperatures across half the nation, it's easy to understand why many are choosing to hit the road this holiday season.

AAA says a record high of 100 million or more Americans will be out there driving.

Not only will most drivers not have to contend with icy roads and snow, they'll likely have more cash in their pockets. Lower gas prices have saved each driver around $550 this year.

"One year ago, I had to put in around $50. Now, with $36 or $38, I fill up my car," Florida motorist Hugo Ballesteros said as he filled up his tank in a Miami suburb.

And it's just going to get better.

"Crude oil futures are pointing to even lower prices as we go forward in the next month or so," AAA Media Relations Manager Robert Sinclair Jr. said. "So we could see prices drop another 25 or 30 cents in the next month."

But lower fuel costs and higher temperatures on the East Coast doesn't mean all the holiday news is positive. The weather's been messy in much of the West and elsewhere.

Three drivers were killed in a 10-car pileup on a foggy road in Arkansas. Dangerous storms with threats of tornados are hitting the Midwest.

Cpl. Benjamin Seibert, with the Mississippi Highway Patrol, advises drivers to buckle up, regardless of where you're driving.

"During the Thanksgiving holiday period, we worked four fatality accidents and they were all basically the same wreck," he said. "One vehicle goes off the roadway, rolls over, driver not wearing a seatbelt, driver gets ejected."

Out West, large amounts of snow have buried parts of Washington State. Drenching rain is hitting many other places.

In California, 80-mph winds toppled trucks around the Mojave Desert region and brought down so many trees in the state, utility workers can't keep up.

Nationwide, 38 million people will be flying to their destinations this holiday season. Some could face delays because of those Midwest storms and southern downpours.

Senior Meteorologist Mark Mancuso at AccuWeather warned of "heavy rains in the southeast around Atlanta and the potential for severe weather later in the day. Chicago will be looking at wind, rain."

Meanwhile along the East Coast, there will be widespread rain, meaning slippery roads. And with so many more people traveling, there may be heavy traffic to deal with as well.

Finally, warmer temperatures will mean a vast majority of Americans will miss out on the delight of a white Christmas. In northern Virginia and the rest of the Washington, D.C., area, temperatures will hit the 70s on Christmas Eve and remain in the 60s on Christmas Day.

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About The Author

Paul
Strand

As senior correspondent in CBN's Washington bureau, Paul Strand has covered a variety of political and social issues, with an emphasis on defense, justice, and Congress. Strand began his tenure at CBN News in 1985 as an evening assignment editor in Washington, D.C. After a year, he worked with CBN Radio News for three years, returning to the television newsroom to accept a position as editor in 1990. After five years in Virginia Beach, Strand moved back to the nation's capital, where he has been a correspondent since 1995. Before joining CBN News, Strand served as the newspaper editor for