ALBANY — Weather trouble in the southwestern U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico could mean problems for the Capital Region and rest of the mid-Atlantic states during Thanksgiving week.

The National Weather Service is analyzing paths of two storms, one that is dropping snow in mountainous areas in the Southwest and another that is forming in the Gulf.

The two storms could form a nor'easter that could move its way up the coast early next week. Meteorologists are scrutinizing two weather models. One shows the storm sliding up the coast. The other shows it heading out into the Atlantic Ocean.

"We're hoping that it doesn't give us problems but we'll keep an eye on it," said meteorologist Neil Stuart of the National Weather Service in Albany.

The storm could hit between Tuesday and Thanksgiving.

Stuart said the weather service has "model guidance showing the potential for a storm in that time frame."

But he said the true path of the storm is impossible to predict now.

The storm could bring snow if it follows an eastern trajectory up the coast but if the storm is more inland, Stuart said it was more likely to bring a mix of precipitation to the Capital Region.

"We certainly want people to do what they have to do safely for their Thanksgiving celebrations. We will definitely keep an eye on it," Stuart said.

A coastal nor'easter during the week of Thanksgiving could cause a travel disaster.

The storm would have the most impact if it struck on the day before Thanksgiving, when most flights are booked at or near capacity. Passengers on canceled flights likely wouldn't be able to be rebooked quickly; many would likely end up having to travel on Thanksgiving, when more seats would be available.

Even if the storm didn't hit Albany, it could cause problems for travelers catching connecting flights at such East Coast hubs as Newark, N.J., and Washington Dulles (United), Philadelphia, Washington National and Charlotte (US Airways), Baltimore (Southwest), and possibly even Atlanta (Delta).

Amtrak said its busiest travel days will be Wednesday and Sunday, although only two of the dozen southbound trains on Wednesday were sold out as of Friday afternoon.

As for highway travel, a massive snowstorm likely would make that difficult, and intercity buses also would be affected.

Travelers will want to keep an eye on the weather early next week and consider changing their plans, perhaps traveling Tuesday, if possible.