When is the best/worst time to leave if you are traveling for Thanksgiving? Here’s what Google says

Thanksgiving - By the Numbers

If you are traveling this holiday weekend you have probably already mapped out your route, but do you know the best time to leave so you can avoid the Thanksgiving rush?

With Thanksgiving being the most traveled holiday of the year, at times it can feel like everyone who is traveling is in front of you as you sit in slow-moving traffic.
So, when is the best time to leave to get a jump on traffic in your area? Google's here to help. The search engine has designed a chart based on travel data collected during last year's Thanksgiving holiday. It used the information to determine the best times to leave certain metropolitan areas to avoid the heaviest traffic.

This is expected to be the busiest Thanksgiving travel season since 2005, according to AAA. (Joe Mahoney, AP)

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Here are the best and the worst times to travel from major U.S. cities for Thanksgiving.

  • Atlanta – Best: 4 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 3 p.m. Wednesday
  • Boston – Best: 3 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 3 p.m. Wednesday
  • Charlotte – Best: 4 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Chicago – Best: 3 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Cleveland – Best: 4 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Dallas – Best: 3 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 3 p.m. Wednesday
  • Denver – Best: 3 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 3 p.m. Wednesday
  • Detroit – Best: 3 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Houston – Best: 3 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 3 p.m. Wednesday
  • Los Angeles – Best: 4 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Miami – Best: 4 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Minneapolis – Best: 5 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • New York – Best: 4 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Orlando – Best: 4 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Philadelphia – Best: 4 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Phoenix – Best: 3 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 3 p.m. Wednesday
  • Pittsburgh – Best: 5 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Portland – Best: 3 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Raleigh – Best: 4 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Sacramento – Best: 3 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • San Francisco – Best: 3 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Seattle – Best: 4 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • St. Louis – Best: 5 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Tampa – Best: 4 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 4 p.m. Wednesday
  • Washington DC – Best: 3 a.m. Wednesday; Worst: 3 p.m. Wednesday