Temperatures in the Southwest are broiling. Sharks have attacked swimmers in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tires are exploding, gas prices are steep and the airlines are packed and backed up.
The American Automobile Association estimates 33.7 million people will travel over the three-day weekend, up 5 percent from last year. Most are traveling by car even though gasoline prices are up an average of 23 cents per gallon of regular unleaded since last Sept. 1, statistics show. Even though Midwesterners have been hit hardest by the rise in gas prices, they will be the second-largest group of Americans vacationing this weekend, said AAA spokeswoman Janie Graziani. Westerners will be the top travelers. But with the economy being as strong as it is, when people decide they want to go somewhere for the long holiday weekend they go regardless of what it costs them.