Rain, wind hit LI amid holiday commute

Long Islanders heading to work or out of town Wednesday faced a soggy trip, with rain complicating commutes and getaways.
 
About 1 ¾ inches of rain had fallen in Montauk Point as of 5:14 a.m., the National Weather Service said on its website. About an inch had fallen at Islip Airport as of 5:02 a.m., the agency said. The weather is thanks to a low-pressure system from the Ohio River Valley that is parked over the East Coast.
 
The rain was likely to taper off by 9 a.m., with skies remaining cloudy and the temperature falling to around 49 degrees by 5 p.m. North winds were expected of between 9 and 15 mph.
 
At Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, general arrival and departure delays were averaging 15 minutes or less. Flights to Philadelphia International Airport were being held for departure until 10 a.m. or later.
 
Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, the skies are expected to be clear with temperatures in the 50s. North winds will be between 6 and 8 mph.
 
Travel forecasters say more people will be on the road this year. The AAA anticipates 42.5 million people will travel at least 50 miles from Wednesday through Sunday. That's up 4 percent from Thanksgiving last year. Automobile travel will account for 90 percent of it.
 
The average gasoline price is up 63 cents from over last year. However, despite higher gasoline prices, there is "pent-up demand" for travel. Travel during other holidays this year has been flat, mostly because of slow recovery from the 2008 economic recession, foresters said.
 
More than 1.3 million passengers are expected to pass through Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International and Stewart International airports, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
 
Long Island MacArthur Airport had no projections for the weekend available.
 
An audit by the U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general in 2010 found that more than half of all delays at New York City area airports were caused by the weather.
 
Air travelers should allow extra time when going to the airport during the holiday weekend, the Port Authority said.
 
Distracted drivers could pay a price this holiday weekend on Long Island and across the state. That's because New York State Police will cruise state highways looking for drivers chatting on cellphones or sending text messages when they should be focusing on the road, officials said.
Added patrols will be on the road Wednesday in Suffolk and on Sunday in Nassau, a police spokesman said.
 
"It's very dangerous," the spokesman, Trooper Frank Bandiero, said of driving while distracted.
 
For train riders looking to avoid traffic jams, the Long Island Rail Road is adding train service Wednesday and Thursday. Also, off-peak fares will be in effect for the four-day weekend.
 
For Black Friday, the railroad will have a full weekday schedule even with off-peak fares. There will also be a special Family Fare discount, which allows as many as four children, ages 5 to 11, to ride all day for the advance purchase price of $1 each way with a parent or guardian.
 
With Keith Herbert and Gary Dymski