If you 're heading to the Northeast for Thanksgiving , you might want to get an early start . A nor'easter is expected to pour heavy rain or snow on that part of the United States late Tuesday and cause problems on Wednesday , traditionally the busiest travel day of the year , CNN meteorologists say . `` All of the major metro areas in the Northeast will be impacted by either heavy rain or heavy snow , along with high winds , '' said CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen . He said it 's too early to predict which metro areas will be hit hardest , but airport delays are predicted Wednesday in New York City , Philadelphia , Boston and Washington , D.C. `` The I-95 corridor may end up being the dividing line between heavy snow and heavy rain , '' Hennen said . `` Either way travel in the Northeast will become dangerous , especially interior sections of the Northeast with heavy snow . '' Buffalo braves for 'toxic brew ' of flooding . American Airlines is waiving rebooking charges for holiday travelers using 18 airports in the Northeast . In a press release , the airline said : . `` Customers ticketed on American Airlines , American Eagle or US Airways or US Airways Express flights on November 26 to , from , or through ( the 18 airports ) may change flights without penalty , have the ticket-reissue charge waived for one ticket change , and begin travel as early as November 25 or as late as November 27 under American 's current travel waiver . '' AAA is expecting 46 million Americans to travel 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving weekend . That would be the most travelers since 2007 , AAA said in a press release . On the bright side , people traveling by car will probably pay lower gas prices than in recent years , AAA says . The current average price of gasoline in the United States is $ 2.85 per gallon , 43 cents per gallon lower than the average price for Thanksgiving in 2013 . CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said a European computer model calls for a foot of snow in Connecticut and Massachusetts , whereas an American computer model does n't predict as much snow . `` This is going to be a rainmaker more than a snowmaker , '' he said . `` It is n't quite cold enough to make that big snow event . You 'll see snow in the Poconos and the Alleghenies and in Vermont , but along the I-95 corridor ( expect ) rain-snow mix . '' 10 ways to survive holiday travel .
Rain or snow expected to cause travel problems in the Northeast Tuesday , Wednesday . The storm is forecast to move into New England on Thursday and Friday with heavy rain and snow. American Airlines is waiving rebooking charges for travelers using 18 Northeastern airports . AAA expects 46 million people to travel over Thanksgiving , most since 2007 .