The mashed potatoes may not be the only piles of white fluffy stuff seen on Turkey Day.
The first wintry nor’easter of the season is bearing down on New England, and that means Thanksgiving travel could become even more nightmarish than usual on Wednesday. Some officials are urging travelers to leave on Tuesday if possible to avoid traffic snarls and hazardous driving conditions.
“Most importantly, I want to tell motorists that they’re going to be joining many, many, many of their friends out on the highways,” Frank DePaola, secretary and chief executive of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation told reporters. “The highways will be more congested than normal.”
One million people from Massachusetts are expected to travel between Wednesday and this weekend, the highest number of travelers from the Bay State since 2005, said Mary Maguire, a spokeswoman for AAA New England. She attributed the rise in travelers partially to gas prices, which have fallen to their lowest point in four years.
Anticipating the onslaught, State Police spokesman David Procopio encouraged travelers to avoid driving Wednesday if possible.
“People should, if at all possible, get their travel done tomorrow,” Procopio said. “If not, then be prepared on Wednesday to leave a little bit of extra time, to take care on the roads.”
With the first snowfall each year, he added, there is “an increase in weather-related crashes as drivers reassimilate” to wintry weather conditions. Procopio recommended that drivers leave extra space between vehicles, carry a charged cellphone, and be mindful of their speed.
Officials said they believe motorists will heed that advice. Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Verseckes said he expects many drivers to leave a day early to beat the storm, creating traffic that is worse than usual on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. The department is considering removing all nonemergency road workers and equipment from state highways on Tuesday, one day earlier than planned.
Because the weather could impede travel, people traveling by air should check in with their airline or the Massachusetts Port Authority’s website before they head to the airport to ensure their flight has not been delayed or canceled, said Jennifer Mehigan, a Massport spokeswoman, and plan ahead for difficult travel conditions.
In anticipation of hazardous driving conditions, the Department of Transportation will be pretreating the roads to avoid icing. The state is also prepared for snowfall amounts that may require plowing in Western Massachusetts, DePaola said.
“I can assure you that MassDOT will have our full complement of snow equipment and contractors out on the road,” he said. “Working to our advantage is that the pavement temperatures are not really cold, so we don’t expect to have significant icing conditions.”
DePaola said he could not remember a time when a major snowstorm and a holiday coincided, but he said the transportation department is accustomed to heavy snow coming at rush hour and would be able to handle the roads this week. Extra emergency personnel will be on the roadways to clear any accidents or other incidents as quickly as possible, he said.
Drivers will be able to get real-time traffic updates on message boards on major highways, on the Department of Transportation smartphone app Ride Wise, and by phone by dialing 511.
He suggested that people leave early in the morning or after 8 p.m. to avoid traffic jams.
DePaola said the heaviest congestion is usually on the Massachusetts Turnpike at junctions with major highways, such as exits 9 (Interstate 84), 11A (Interstate 495), and 14/15 (Route 128/Interstate 95).
Kiera Blessing can be reached at kiera.blessing@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @kierablessing.