Travelers who are hitting the road for Thanksgiving probably won't have to deal with hazardous roads, but they may be in for some chilly temperatures.

"(We're) not really expecting any precipitation to hamper travel," said National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Calderon.

Calderon said snow will occur early in the week, but not enough to hamper holiday travelers.

Snow is not expected to fall significantly on the eastern side of the state, either, so travelers heading east shouldn't have bad road conditions, he said.

But that doesn't mean the weather won't be wintry during the holiday weekend.

Calderon said temperatures will dip significantly in the Black Hills today, with highs reaching only the 20-degree mark.

Those temperatures will persist Wednesday, before things warm up slightly Thursday and Friday, when highs are expected to reach the 30s.

Calderon said the snow showers were expected to fall overnight and throughout the morning today in the Black Hills.

The showers are expected to produce about an inch of accumulation in the Rapid City area and will amount to between 2 and 5 inches in the Northern Black Hills, specifically Lawrence County.

Calderon said a snow advisory for Lawrence County will be in effect through today.

A light snowfall will also occur in the Black Hills area Wednesday, he said.

But the snow probably won't accumulate enough to cause a hazard for holiday travelers.

Despite higher gas prices, those holiday travelers will be heading out in larger numbers than last year.

According to a news release from AAA, the number of South Dakotans traveling to a Thanksgiving destination by car this year is expected to amount to 95,439, a boost of 0.3 percent.

Currently, regular gasoline at most Rapid City stations is selling for $2.999 per gallon for regular and $2.949 for 10-percent ethanol-blend fuel.

That's a big jump from last Thanksgiving, when unleaded gas was selling for $2.079 per gallon. Gas prices during Thanksgiving 2006 were at their lowest levels locally since 2004, when gas was $1.999 per gallon.

The price has doubled since 2001, when gasoline in November was selling for less than $1.50 per gallon. But the prices apparently aren't stopping travelers.

Gov. Mike Rounds and the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management are urging travelers who are heading out on the road to be careful.

"It's easy to get caught up in the holiday season, but we can't lose sight of responsible driving," Rounds said in a news release. "It's more important to get to Thanksgiving dinner safely than to get to Thanksgiving dinner quickly."

Kristi Turman, director of the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management, said travelers need to bring more than just the basics on their road trip.

"People think that a full tank of gas and a cell phone equal safety," she said. "Although I agree it's best to travel with both, you shouldn't rely on them to save you if you get stranded during a winter storm."

Contact Ryan Woodard at 394-8412 or ryan.woodard@rapidcityjournal.com

Winter driving

Kristi Turman, director of the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management, said travelers should make sure to load a winter survival kit into the car when traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday.

The kit should include:

* Water

* Blankets

* Nonperishable foods

* A flashlight with fully charged batteries

* A distress flag

* A shovel