Rainy and windy weather expected to arrive in New Jersey by the end of the week could impact Christmas travel plans.

Heavy rain and strong winds are expected by Friday morning, just as millions are hitting the road ahead of the holiday.

AAA says that almost 2.5 million people in New Jersey are expected to be on the move for Christmas and New Year’s. This is up nearly 2% from last year. Most are driving, but about 80,000 will be on trains, buses and cruises – a 30% jump. Experts say this is because people are comfortable traveling again post-pandemic.

But the focus for this weekend will be on the roads due to the weather threat.

“Anything that’s going to impact traffic certainly has the potential to be a little bit daunting as we come into the holiday weekend,” says Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Traffic fatalities seem to be increasing around the state in recent months. Two people were killed just this weekend on the Garden State Parkway.

Statistics show that traffic deaths are up from last year, but overall crashes are down. But the numbers are high, even compared to pre-pandemic times. When it comes to the holidays, travel is almost at pre-covid levels, but not quite there.

“It’s really not surprising since the numbers in 2019 were so much higher than all of the previous years,” says Noble.

The worst of the weather will be Friday going into Saturday morning.