Photo by Brian Allen

Are you planning to travel out of the town this afternoon? Congratulations, you chose the worst time to do so, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

In 2011—the last time Christmas fell on a Sunday—the day before Christmas Eve was the biggest travel and departure date in the region. Using this historical pattern as a guide, AAA says that local drivers can “expect absolute gridlock on area roadways” beginning at 4 p.m. This will come from a combination of people leaving town and others, who are staying home for the holidays, leaving work early.

This news comes after AAA predicted that 2016 will be the D.C. region’s biggest travel year on record, with about 2,595,300 area residents traveling 50 miles or more. And about 2,356,000 of those people will flee by car.

“Visiting family and friends is the single biggest reason Americans travel” during the Christmas season, according to AAA, which points out that less than half of District residents were actually born and raised in the city.

Christmas Eve will be “a busy time and heavy travel day too” for people traveling between 50 to 99 miles away, the company predicts.

Meanwhile for people flying out, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority warns of heavy traffic at National “associated with record volumes of travelers flying at the airport.” The agency advises taking Metro to the airport, using the second airport exit from the George Washington Memorial Parkway coming south from D.C., and arriving with plenty of time before flights.