These are the worst days to drive in NYC during the holidays

Gridlock alert day in NYC

The holidays bring swarms of people to New York City, and swarms of people means gridlocked traffic. FOX 5 NY's Kendall Green has more.

NEW YORK - If you are driving in New York City on Wednesday, you might notice the traffic is particularly slow. Wednesday marks the first of more than a dozen "Gridlock Alert Days" ahead of this year's holiday season.

Gridlock Alert Days

What we know:

Every year, the New York City Department of Transportation puts out a list of Gridlock Alert Days, days officials believe will have the worst traffic of the year.

Traffic gets so bad these days that NYC DOT recommends commuters do pretty much anything but drive in the city.

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In September, officials designated several Gridlock Alerts during the UN General Assembly. 

NYC DOT has designated 15 Gridlock Alert days between Wednesday and the new year. They are:

• Wednesday, Nov. 19
• Thursday, Nov. 20
• Tuesday, Nov. 25
• Wednesday, Dec. 3
• Thursday, Dec. 4
• Friday, Dec. 5
• Monday, Dec. 8
• Tuesday, Dec. 9
• Wednesday, Dec. 10
• Thursday, Dec. 11
• Friday, Dec. 12
• Monday, Dec. 15
• Tuesday, Dec. 16
• Wednesday, Dec. 17
• Thursday, Dec. 18

Dig deeper:

The city uses traffic data from previous years to determine which days will be designated Gridlock Alert Days. 

Thanksgiving is the busiest travel holiday of the year, according to the American Automobile Association. Across the U.S. this year, AAA predicts a record 82 million people will be traveling around Thanksgiving, and New York City is one of their 10 top domestic travel destinations.