Good Tuesday morning to you!
Today is one of the busiest travel days of the year, with millions hitting the road for their Thanksgiving destinations. We’ll take a closer look at what drivers need to know.
Also ahead: An Imperial Beach mom who survived a kitchen explosion is home from the hospital, grateful for the outpouring of support from her community.
And in a holiday fraud alert you need to know about, the Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about charity-related scams targeting generous givers this season.
Here’s what’s making headlines in the Nov. 25 Streamline newsletter:
THE STREAMLINE:
ABC 10News brings you The Streamline for Tuesday, Nov. 25 -- everything you need to know in under 10 minutes:
TOP STORY:
The Thanksgiving holiday travel rush is expected to kick into high gear Tuesday, with about 6.78 million Southern California residents expected to hit the roads or airways.
According to the Auto Club of Southern California -- which defines the holiday travel period as Tuesday, Nov. 25 through Monday, Dec. 1 -- the number of projected travelers is about 7% higher than the pre-pandemic level in 2019.
The projected number of travelers is a 2.8% increase from last year.
The vast majority of travelers -- 5.88 million -- are expected to travel by car, while 704,000 will fly and 196,000 will take other forms of travel such as train, bus or cruise ship.
Nationally, 81.8 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday, also a record number that tops last year's figure by 1.6 million, according to the Auto Club.
"Thanksgiving travel has always been popular but has grown into an even greater priority in recent years after the pandemic limited those opportunities to connect with family and friends," Auto Club spokesman Doug Shupe said in a statement. "Southern Californians go the distance to spend time with family and friends. This holiday is one of the busiest -- and most meaningful -- times to travel each year."
USEFUL RESOURCES: LATEST TRAFFIC CONDITIONS | FIND CHEAP GAS NEAR YOU | CHECK FLIGHT STATUS
The Auto Club noted that Southern California travelers will be paying some of the highest gas prices of the year, with a gallon of gas averaging about $4.66. Top travel destinations include San Diego, Las Vegas, Disneyland and the Bay Area.
However, gas prices in San Diego County have been dropping over the past two weeks. As of Tuesday morning, the average price in the county is $4.78 per gallon. The average price has plummeted nearly 16 cents per gallon in the past 15 days, according to AAA and the Oil
Price Information Service.
According to the transportation analytics firm INRIX, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons before Thanksgiving are expected to be the most congested times on area roadways, while Sunday after Thanksgiving will see the heaviest return traffic.
The busiest road in San Diego is expected to be northbound Interstate 15 towards Palm Springs. AAA expects drive times to more than double -- taking five hours to get to the city instead of the average 2-3 hours.
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS:
Coasts
Inland
Mountains
Deserts
BREAKING OVERNIGHT:
Russia launched a wave of attacks on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, overnight, with at least seven people killed in strikes that hit city buildings and energy infrastructure. A Ukrainian attack on southern Russia killed three people and damaged homes, authorities said.
The attacks came during a renewed U.S. push to end the war that has raged for nearly four years and talks about a U.S. peace plan. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met with Russian officials for several hours in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.
CONSUMER:
Some disaster relief charities are preying on the kindness of San Diegans during the giving season.
WATCH — Joe Ducey with the Better Business Bureau shows what scammers are doing to get people to open their hearts and wallets:
WE FOLLOW THROUGH:
An Imperial Beach mother who suffered severe burns in a kitchen explosion that destroyed her apartment is now out of the hospital and expressing overwhelming gratitude for the community support that has poured in since her story aired.
In early November, Diana Hernandez was preparing breakfast for her family when her stove exploded. Hernandez sustained second and third-degree burns on her face, head, and chest. She also suffered heart complications, including two heart attacks.
WATCH — Reporter Michael Chen follows through with more on Hernandez's recovery and her feelings on the help she is getting from strangers:
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