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According to AAA, nearly 9 million travelers from Southern California are expected to take to the roads this holiday season, a 3.5% increase from last year and approaching 7% more than pre-pandemic levels. The demand for travel is primarily influenced by the Christmas holiday landing on a Wednesday, prompting families to take advantage of extended weekends for road trips.

Traffic analysts have already identified peak times for heavy congestion. The worst time for holiday travel is projected to be tonight from 3 to 8 PM, while the best time to hit the roads is early in the morning before noon. Drivers in the Los Angeles to Palm Springs corridor should be particularly cautious, as it's expected that travel around 7:45 PM could take nearly three hours, a daunting wait for eager travelers.