We got there early, expecting long lines, delays.

So far so good.

Americans in record numbers are taking to the highways and the skyways for Christmas.

In the West, they'll be facing wind and rain.

In the Northeast, it could mean dashing through the snow.

Also tonight, high drama.

We lost pressurization. An emergency aboard an aircraft, and for the first time, a high-tech system kicks in, landing the plane safely.

At the cold, a health scare forces Barry Manilow to postpone his January concerts.

He'll be recovering from lung cancer surgery.

And rediscovering the lost art of caroling.

The music connects you with your past.

And if we can take them there, we've done our job, and it's a wonderful feeling.

One more so long in the city. From CBS News headquarters in New York, this is the CBS

evening news. Good evening, everyone. Thanks for joining us. I'm Jerika Duncan. We begin with the annual Christmas Week Challenge, getting where you're going to celebrate the holiday with record crowds at the airports, record traffic on the roads. This year, some nasty weather on both coasts. Travelers in the West could be dealing with rainy, windy conditions. And in the northeast, you've guessed it, snow.

Meteorologist Rob Marciano will have the forecast.

But first, let's go to Andres Gutierrez at Los Angeles International Airport.

Andres.

Good evening, Jerica.

It is going to be a wet Christmas here, and there are concerns about mud flows in areas affected by the wildfires earlier this year.

Mandatory evacuation warnings are in effect. LAPD officers will go door to door at high-risk homes, all because of a storm that has already hit other parts of the state.

In northern California, unrelenting rain has unleashed dangerous conditions.

One driver died trapped in his car during the flooding.

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