A record number of tourists will descend on Las Vegas this weekend, a majority of them driving from Southern California.
For those making the drive, it probably won't be fun; Interstate 15 will be jammed with cars.
If there's a silver lining, this is it: don't expect gas prices to go way up, as they are expected to in other parts of the country due to Hurricane Harvey.
Mike Blasky, spokesman for AAA-Nevada, said that because Nevada's fuel comes largely from refineries based in California, and to some extent in Utah, he doesn't expect supplies to be affected.
“I would anticipate that the prices will go up for the Labor Day travel demand but then in mid-September, they should fall," Blasky said, "Nevada definitely should not see the types of price increases that we’re going to see in Florida, the Gulf and the Mid-Atlantic where they source a lot of their oil from these Houston refineries.”
He said the hurricane's impact on global gas prices won't be understood until the water recedes in the Houston area and damage to the refineries is assessed.
At the same time, AAA expects a record number of visitors to Las Vegas, following a trend seen during Memorial Day and the July 4th weekends earlier this year.
In fact, Las Vegas is the second most popular road trip destination, according to Triple A's survey of travelers. The top spot goes to Orlando.
Blasky said it is going to be a very busy weekend for Las Vegas.
Mike Blasky, spokesperson, AAA-Nevada
