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Travelers hit the road for turkey Monday Nov 20, 2017 at 4:49 PM Nov 20, 2017 at 5:30 PM Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune @RyanPfeil About 647,000 Oregon residents are projected to travel at least 50 miles during the five-day period that includes Thanksgiving Day, with 86 percent of them — an estimated 556,600 people — traveling by motor vehicle, according to data from AAA. The numbers are up about 9 percent from last year, when 592,000 hit the road for turkey. About 86 percent of 2016 travelers also went by car. "Car travel is by far and away the dominant mode," said Marie Dodds, AAA Oregon/Idaho public affairs director. "(But) everything is up across the board." Motorists can expect light rain during parts of the holiday period in southwestern Oregon. Heavier rainfall is expected farther north and on the Oregon Coast, the National Weather Service said. Snow levels are expected to be around 8,000 feet over the weekend, then plunge to about 4,000 feet Monday. "People will want to finish their travel by Sunday before the next system comes Monday," said meteorologist Brad Schaaf. Motorists can use www.tripcheck.com for up-to-date road conditions. About 8.5 million travelers are expected in AAA's Pacific Region, which includes Oregon, Washington, California, Alaska and Hawaii, a bump of 3.7 percent from 2016. Nearly 51 million people across the country are expected to travel 50 miles or more, "the highest Thanksgiving travel volume since 2005," AAA said in a news release. Close to 46 million people nationwide are expected to drive, with 8 percent taking to the skies, and the remainder using alternate forms of transportation such as trains and buses. If the estimates hold, it'll be the ninth consecutive year that traveler numbers have increased. Gas prices are also up this year, with the highest Thanksgiving prices since 2014. Oregonians are paying an average of $2.87 for a gallon of gas. "We're still under $3," Dodds added. Oregon gas prices between 2011 and 2014 were above $3 during the Thanksgiving travel period. Air travelers are seeing the lowest average prices on domestic flights in five years, Dodds said. — Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil.