More than 1 million Michigan residents expected to travel for Memorial Day, AAA says

More than a million Michigan residents are expected to travel for the unofficial start of summer, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, AAA officials announced Monday.

The auto club predicts it will be the second highest travel forecast for Memorial Day for the state and nationally since the club began tracking in 2000, the group said in a statement.

AAA forecasts nearly 1.3 million Michiganders will travel 50 miles or more, which is 12,827 more holiday travelers than 2019.

Nationally, about 43.8 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more during the holiday travel period from May 23-27. That's 1.7 million more travelers than last year, or a 4% increase, yet slightly behind 2005’s record of 44 million, officials said.

“Memorial Day will be the start to a very busy summer of travel,” said Debbie Haas, AAA's vice president of travel, in a Monday release. “American travelers are forecast to surpass pre-pandemic levels, making this the busiest Memorial Day holiday weekend in nearly two decades. The main driver of the projection is strong consumer interest in traveling both domestically and abroad. Interest in traveling internationally is at the highest level in recent years.”

Road trips are expected to set a record nationwide, with nearly 1.5 million more Americans on the road than last year. AAA projects nearly 38.4 million will travel by car over Memorial Day weekend, the highest number for that holiday since AAA began tracking in 2000. The national number of drivers this year is up 4% compared to last year and 1.9% higher than in 2019.

“Traveling by car is appealing for many people because of the convenience and flexibility it provides,” said Adrienne Woodland, AAA's spokeswoman, in a statement. “However, Memorial Day drivers may have to pay more at the gas pump.”

During last year’s holiday weekend, Michigan's gas prices averaged $3.60 per gallon. The current state average is 4 cents higher, at $3.64. 

“Drivers should expect continued volatility at the pump as the summer driving season gets underway,” Woodland said. “The wildcard remains the cost of oil, and unlike last year, there are now two wars – in the Middle East and Ukraine – that could roil the oil market.”

"Prices rose as the EIA reported that crude oil inventories had decreased by 1.4 million barrels from the previous week. At 459.5 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 3% below the five-year average for this time of year," the release stated.

Motorists are paying an average of $54 for a full 15-gallon tank of regular unleaded gasoline.

The most expensivegas price averages are in Jackson ($3.73), Lansing ($3.72) and Saginaw ($3.71).

The least expensivegas price averages are in Marquette ($3.57), Metro Detroit ($3.59) and Benton Harbor ($3.65).

Average gasoline prices in Detroit have climbed 2 cents since last week, at $3.59, according to GasBuddy's survey of 1,734 stations in Detroit. Prices in Detroit are 5 cents lower than a month ago and stand 26 cents higher than a year ago.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Detroit was priced at $2.55 Sunday while the most expensive was $4.89, a difference of $2.34.

The national average price of gasoline has fallen 3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.58. The national average is down 3 cents from a month ago and stands 6 cents higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

The national average price of diesel has fallen 4 cents in the last week and stands at $3.90 per gallon.

In Ann Arbor the gas price average is $3.66; In Flint, prices rose 8 cents since last week, at $3.68; In Toledo, prices increased 16 cents since last week, at $3.34.

"While pump prices haven't exactly plummeted, we've seen the average price of gasoline drop in a majority of states over the last week as refineries finish maintenance and ramp up output of products like gasoline," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, in an email to The Detroit News.

"With gas prices now nearing a 10-cent drop to the high we saw a few weeks ago, the future looks good as we get closer to Memorial Day; price drops could potentially accelerate after last week's jobs data shows the economy continues to cool off," he said. "While gas prices stand slightly above where they were last year, I expect most Americans will see prices fall before the holiday weekend, and I'm optimistic the trend could extend into June and beyond. I'm excited to say it does appear that for now, the worst is behind us."

mjohnson@detroitnews.com

@_myeshajohnson