East Coast storm threatens Thanksgiving travel

By Laila Kearney NEW YORK (Reuters) - A blast of rain and snow along the East Coast is threatening to snarl traffic and disrupt flights for millions of Americans at the start of the long Thanksgiving weekend, traditionally the busiest time of the year for U.S. travel. The nor'easter that formed over the Gulf of Mexico is expected to bring rain to cities including New York and Boston, while higher elevations of New England will see about a foot of snow, National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Orrison said on Wednesday. "Either way, travel is not going to be in a good state," Orrison said. Both rain and snow, which can cause slick roads, and air turbulence would likely slow travel, he said. More than 650 flights into and around the United States were canceled on Wednesday and more than 3,200 were delayed, according to tracking website FlightAware.com. "I'm very anxious," Amber Fernandez, 19, said at New York's LaGuardia Airport, where she waited to board a flight to Detroit that had been delayed about two hours. "I just hope I can get on the plane." The Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest travel times in the United States, with more than 46 million Americans expected to make trips between Wednesday and Sunday, travel group AAA said. More than 89 percent will travel by car, it said. In New York, where a snow storm last week killed at least 13 people, Governor Andrew Cuomo urged travelers to drive with caution. The state has reserved snow plows to respond to emergencies and has more than 130,000 tons of road salt to use between New York City and Albany. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it would increase staffing at its airports and toll collection booths at its tunnels and bridges to accommodate an uptick in holiday travelers. Across Pennsylvania, stormy weather caused accidents that brought traffic to a halt on multiple major roadways, the state's Department of Transportation said. To cut down on potential accidents, the speed limit on a stretch of the Massachusetts Turnpike from the New York line to the town of Ludlow was reduced to 40 miles per hour from 65 mph, state police said. A region spanning from Florida to Maine will be hit by rain from the storm, while heavy snowfall is anticipated from the central Appalachians to the inland Northeast, the National Weather Service said. (Additional reporting by Sebastien Malo; Editing by Bill Trott and Mohammad Zargham)