MARQUETTE, Mich. (WJMN) – Thanksgiving is a time for families and friends to get together and give thanks. It’s also one of the busiest travel times of the year.

“It’s definitely a busy time of year for road travel,” said Dan Weingarten, the Communications Representative for U.P. MDOT. “We don’t have official estimates, but we do follow the travel predictions that the automotive club, AAA, makes. They estimate that about a million and a half people from Michigan will take a road trip over the Thanksgiving holiday this year. That ‘s about 10,000 more than last year.”

Since Thanksgiving happens during a transition season, the Upper Peninsula could expect anything from snow to rain. So, what is the weather going to be like for holiday traveling this year?

“So, right now we have a weak system moving through the area tomorrow, which may kick off a little bit of snow showers, and we do have some ongoing light lake effect snow going on right now mainly in the eastern half of the U.P. near Lake Superior,” said Joe Phillips, a Meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Marquette. “But, after that we’re entering a prolonged period of dry weather. Right now a lot of the guidance is suggesting it could be dry through Thanksgiving with our next chance being late Thanksgiving and Friday. That’s not just for the U.P. that’s also for other areas in the Upper Great Lakes, like Wisconsin, the lower peninsula, and parts of Minnesota as well.”

Thankfully, the weather shouldn’t cause too much of a problem. Since it will be dry and a little warmer, traveling to your gatherings should be easier. However, since we’ve had so much snow recently, what can we expect the roads to be like?

“Since we’re entering a relatively dry period, travel conditions over the next couple of days are going to be pretty good,” said Phillips. “Especially with roads being pretty clear at this point, especially in the Western U.P. where snow crews have had time to get out and maintain the roads. But, elsewhere in the U.P., there’s not really that much snow on the ground, and we’re also entering a warming period. So, as we warm up, any snow that’s left on the roads should start dissipating and diminishing.”

Its always a good idea to check out your local forecast before you travel. You can find our weather page here with updated local forecasts and our Local 3 Weather Livestream.

You can also find a map of road closures and conditions on MDOT’s website here. They also have a series of traffic cameras you can view before you travel. Also, when snow plows are active, you can watch their dash cameras.

Another resource for winter driving is located here. This will give you tips and tricks on how to stay safe and drive safely on the roads while there is winter weather.