Planes, trains and automobiles: Holiday Tahoe travel rush is on

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The holiday getaway is on! Dreams of a white Christmas have many Bay Area travelers packing up and heading for Tahoe.

Others will be headed to the airport. But a winter storm may throw a Grinch to those plans.

Savannah Rae and Jovanny Avila from Oakland are headed to Tahoe for Christmas. They're packing up the skis and boots.

RELATED: Commute Challenge: Here's the fastest way from Bay Area to Lake Tahoe

But they may need more, a storm is moving in Sunday, the same day they plan to leave.

"I've got good all season snow tires, my car is all-wheel drive, we should be ok. And I'm taking snow tires just in case," said Avila.

Caltrans cameras showed smooth sailing over Donner Summit Saturday afternoon. Thousands of Bay Area residents are likely hitting the road early, trying to beat the storm that's expected to bring 4-12 inches of snow to Sierra.

RELATED: Here's what it's like to fly from the Bay Area to Lake Tahoe

Eric Angel at Sports Basement in Berkeley says the ski rental department has been slammed this week.

"With the storm coming in bringing nicer snow, everyone's trying to get up and beat the weather and make sure they're up there," said Angel.

At SFO, an estimated of 250,000 travelers are expected to pass through between Saturday and Christmas Eve.

The storm could bring flight delays, so call your airline before heading to the airport.