Labor Day 2025 travel forecast: What to expect for weather, traffic, flights in WA

Nationwide, close to 140 million people are expected to travel during the Labor Day holiday weekend, according to AAA. Approximately 90% will travel by car, with the remainder opting to fly or take Amtrak. More than 17 million are anticipated to fly on about 36,500 flights during the holiday weekend period.

Here is what you need to know before you go.

Weather

Overall, for Western Washington, the Labor Day holiday weekend is expected to have seasonable temperatures, much cooler than a week ago. There will be a mix of clouds and sunshine with highs climbing into the 70s to lower 80s in the interior, including the Puget Sound region. Any threat of showers should remain in the mountains, including a risk of late-day thunderstorms on Friday and Saturday.

For the outer coast, that region will also have a mix of clouds and sun with high temperatures ranging from the mid-60s to the 70s.

If heading east of the Cascades, the forecast calls for a chance of showers and afternoon thunderstorms on Friday into Saturday, followed by clearing skies into Monday. High temperatures will be quite warm, reaching into the 80s and 90s.

Given the ongoing very dry conditions, wildfire danger will remain quite high across the state. All precautions to prevent wildfires must be taken, including ensuring campfires are completely extinguished before leaving, avoiding tossing burning materials out of vehicles, and ensuring tow chains are tight to prevent sparks from hitting the pavement.

If you’re planning to spend time on Western Washington waterways, winds are expected to remain relatively light. Be sure to wear a lifejacket, though. Puget Sound water temperatures remain only in the 50s. For area lakes, surface temperatures may be around 70 degrees, but just a few feet down, temperatures drop into the 50s. Area river temperatures also remain quite chilly.

Driving

According to the Washington State Department of Transportation (SDOT), Labor Day holiday weekend travel charts compiled over years of traffic data, the heaviest travel days eastbound on Stevens Pass will be on Friday and Saturday. Thursday and Sunday will have far lighter traffic volumes. Returning westbound across Stevens Pass, the heaviest travel day is typically Monday. The peak times in both directions range from about 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Going over Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 reflects the same trends throughout the holiday weekend, just more cars on the road. One bright spot on I-90 is that all lanes will be open across the Vantage Bridge, as that road work will be paused during the weekend travel period.

If you are heading south toward Portland or even heading north from Portland, the time period from roughly 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. has by far the heaviest traffic from Thursday through Labor Day in both directions. Driving early in the morning or late in the evening typically offers lower traffic volumes.

There are no travel charts heading north toward Bellingham, but expect similar higher traffic volumes to those heading toward Portland during the holiday weekend. Expect slowdowns between the Arlington and Stanwood exits, with traffic in both directions limited to two lanes, due to the ongoing fish culvert construction.

Bottom line — if you wish to avoid delays and frustration in traffic, plan to travel before or after these peak times.

If you plan to use Washington State Ferries, they say, “People boarding a state ferry by vehicle should prepare for long waits.” Peak travel times on most routes are expected to be westbound from Thursday through Saturday, August 28-30, and eastbound or off-island from Sunday through Tuesday, Aug. 31 through Sept. 2. Customers can also bypass vehicle lines by traveling as a walk-on passenger. Visit the ferry system website for the latest schedules and plan ahead.

Gas Prices

The price of gas remains elevated in Washington. The average price of regular gas is $4.30 a gallon, up from $4.17 last year. The national average is $3.21 per gallon.

East of the Cascades, prices tend to be lower. Some fuel stations in Yakima, Benton, Franklin, Spokane, Ferry, and Stevens counties are selling fuel at or below $4 per gallon.

Air Travel

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is again going to be a busy place through the holiday weekend. The airport is anticipating about 180,000 passengers moving through the airport each day from Thursday to Monday, a 9% increase from last year during the Labor Day Weekend. Authorities ask passengers to arrive two hours ahead of their flight times, and preferably three hours in advance.

The SEA Spot Saver program can help you move through security lines at the airport more quickly. In addition, there is a new security checkpoint at the south end of the lower baggage claim level that is often not as busy.

Snohomish County’s Paine Field is a different story. The Paine Field passenger terminal will be busier than normal, but will have far less congestion than that at SEA. Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Kenmore Air, and San Juan Airlines have a total of 24 daily flights out of Paine Field, including to many Western U.S. destinations and flights to the San Juan Islands.

Amtrak

Amtrak rail service to and from Western Washington will also be busy, but it has enough capacity. Amtrak said the busiest travel days are Thursday and Friday, and Sunday and Monday for return trips.

Wherever you travel this holiday weekend, plan ahead and do so safely. Enjoy this final weekend of summer!

Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. You can read more of Ted’s stories here and follow him on X