Snow predicted to fall through today locally could make for sloppy and hazardous holiday driving, said a local travel official.

Two to four inches of snow were expected in the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania and the Southern Tier of New York by this afternoon, said meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Binghamton.

Oneonta AAA President Mike Butler said the prediction could create a hazard for those traveling on what is traditionally considered the busiest holiday in terms of traffic volume.

"People should definitely take it easy and plan for extra time," Butler said. "They should also try to get as much driving done in the daylight as they can."

A total of 35.9 million travelers will drive or fly at least 50 miles from home for the holidays, a 1.7 percent increase over last year's numbers, Butler said.

Just more than 30 million travelers will head to their destinations by car, he said, representing a 1 percent increase over last year.

Although many people began their holiday traveling earlier this week, the nation's roads are busiest today and Sunday, Butler said.

The number of people expected to fly this year for the holidays has also increased, from 4.8 million in 2001 to 5.1 million this year.

New York State troopers will also continue to monitor the highways for holiday travelers who aren't wearing seat belts. Aggressive enforcement will take place between today and Dec. 1, said state police officials.

Last year, troopers said, eight people were killed in crashes in New York over Thanksgiving weekend. State police also made 198 driving while intoxicated arrests, an average of nearly two an hour.