Winter Weather Wreaking Havoc Along I-80

NYACK (CBS13) -- A series of winter storms is making mountain and foothill travel tricky, but many are determined to make it home for the holidays after COVID-19 canceled Christmas plans last year.

People are anxious to celebrate the holiday with family and friends this year, but some have already hit a few snags on the highway.

It's a rush on the road to get home for the holidays, whether through snow or pouring rain. But for Jose Calderon, when it rains, it pours. He and his girlfriend sat in their overheated van, stuck in Nyack.

"Well it got overheated because they had an accident. So we were stuck in traffic for what, almost six hours," said Calderon.

A real life nightmare before Christmas, but apparently it's worth the risk. AAA predicts nearly 110 million people will hit the road between now and January 2. That's almost 34% more than last year.

Joe Deaser has a holiday mission on the highway getting his 8-year-old grandson Josh back to Reno from Sacramento.

"That's why I'm on tonight because it will be really bad tomorrow and I've got to get him home for Christmas," said Deaser.

Steve McCrary urges drivers to stay put, especially since he's the one changing tires on the side of the highway.

"I'm up here putting tires on semis and they're running over chains blowing out tires left and right. And I'm stuck in the traffic half the time, and it gets to be a mess," said McCrary.

It's a mess with a mission. Calderon knows that all too well after an accident added six hours to his road trip. But getting home for the holiday, makes it all worth it.

"So I hope we're good so I can make it back for Christmas. I'm almost there. I mean, I'll make it. Little by little, but I'll make it," said Calderon.

A series of winter storms is expected to drop several feet of snow through Tuesday.