I know. You can't get there from here. But she needs to.

January 17, 2007 5:53 PM

My girlfriend is driving from Detroit to Los Angeles and can leave anytime starting tomorrow. But she's nervous about bad weather and ice storms. When should she leave? Help me plot out a sunny route to sunny california.

So my girlfriend is coming from Detroit. The plan is to drive down through indiana to St Louis. Then through Tulsa and Amarillio. Through Albequerque and Flagstaff and end up in Los Angeles.

The stops will be Tulsa, Albequerque and possibly Phoenix if she doesn't think she can power through to LA.

She just called and says the weatherman reports there's another ice storm moving through the midwest and southwest. She wants to know when to best leave to avoid said storm and miss the window for the next.

if you have any National Weather Service mojo, I'd love your help.

posted by rileyray3000 to travel & transportation (14 comments total)

I used to drive several times every winter from the Minneapolis area to Detroit. When you get into the Chicago through around South Bend area life is very often Hell, albeit a snowy Hell: glare ice, snow, white outs. I stopped driving it in the winter after being stuck in a white out for hours. I wanted to pull over but the trucks were still driving. They were using the rumble strips on the side of the road to determine their position. Unfortunately that's where I'd have pulled over. For that reason I'd recommend going south through Ohio first. Just take I-75 to Cincinnati, then I-74 to Indianapolis then I-70.

Basically, go south first, then west. Not west first, then south. This winter has been a bit screwy from talking to a bunch of people who were stranded in Florida. St. Louis is apparently usually fairly mild but they were recently hammered.

From St. Louis take I-44 west to Oklahoma City and then pick up I-40.

As for when to leave I can't be really helpful and I would be worried about misinforming you. I was pretty good at usually avoiding bad weather by out-driving it from Eau Claire WI to Detroit MI but I drive fast. I've never done it going east though and weather has just been weird as well.
posted by substrate at 6:09 PM on January 17, 2007

I agree, south first. Even if it means more miles, it will mean more safety, and maybe less time.
posted by The Deej at 6:12 PM on January 17, 2007

NWS Mojo

She may be better off going south to I80, then taking I80 West to the Bay Area, then I5 south to LA.

1. Tell her to bring snow chains, and know which end of the car they go on (front for front wheel drive, rear for rear, two sets for AWD). A small tarp or sheet of plastic to kneel on can helpa lot, as well as close fitting gloves, not ski gloves.

2. Tell her NOT to leave the freeway system, except for food and sleep. The local highways will get less plowing attention and may be much more dangerous.

3. Tell her to keep her speed down on snow and ice, but NEVER slam on the brakes. Abrupt use of brakes on snow and ice at freeway speeds will lead quickly to spins. This is the voice of experience.

4. Have her bring a case of drinking water, and keep it in the passenger-side footwell. Also bring a warm blanket, some power bars, an ice scraper, and a cigarette-lighter chrarger for her cell phone. Keep all the emergency supplies in the passenger-side footwell. If she gets stuck under snow (as happened a few weeks ago to a dozen or so people), she can just reach over for a blanket, water, and a snack while she waits for rescue.

5. Do everything you can to convince her not to drive more than 8-10 hours per day. Under dry conditions, an experienced long distance driver can do 12-14 hours in reasonable safety. Snow and ice can be incredibly stressful, but you often don't realize how tired you are until after you step out of your car. I can drive from Portland to LA in one sitting (14-16 hours) in the dry. When snow hit Seattle last week, three hours of snow and ice driving effectively wiped me out.
6. Unless she absolutely needs the car in LA, suggest that she fly out instead. Flying is almost always cheaper for one person than driving.

I agree, south first. Even if it means more miles, it will mean more safety, and maybe less time.

The NWS map suggests that the weather south is worse than the weather north. Has anyone driven I80 lately?
posted by b1tr0t at 6:14 PM on January 17, 2007

FYI, I-44 isn't in the best shape right now. At least from Springfield to Tulsa, the whole area is still reeling from the ice storm that hit a few days ago. Power has been out in some spots going on days now. As is, temperatures will barely rise over freezing tomorrow for the first time.

Carrying supplies would also be a very wise idea, as noted in number 4 above.
posted by Atreides at 6:19 PM on January 17, 2007

According to CNN Texas and Oklahoma are both in bad shape. Probably best to stay north of them.
posted by b1tr0t at 6:31 PM on January 17, 2007

I drove from Detroit to Chicago on Monday during the storm and it sucked. Hard. I'm an experienced midwest winter driver, but I'd been in the southwest for six years. The five+ hours it took me were incredibly stressful and I witnessed several accidents along the way.

If it's even remotely possible for her to fly (or heck, taking a train would even be better) I would highly recommend it. Last minute fares are expensive, but so much better than a tragedy. Perhaps she can find a Southwest Rapid Rewards voucher on CL or something. I generally fetch $300 or so for mine - so it can be a deal in situations like these. Just be sure that there are seats available for the days/flights she might need.
posted by FlamingBore at 6:53 PM on January 17, 2007

The Interstates are fine in Oklahoma, at least (the turnpike authority plows quickly), but there's a chance of more wintry precipitation this weekend. Thus far, it looks like snow...

Quite a lot of ice, though, it's reminds me of the snowstorm in NYC over Christmas a few years back, only with ice.

I suggest waiting until next week or not coming south.
posted by wierdo at 7:30 PM on January 17, 2007

I second the I-80 recommendation. This winter has been screwy, but farther south (I-70 vicinity) has had ice when 80's had snow.

The car charger for her cell phone is critical too. If she doesn't have a cell, have her get a prepaid phone & car charger. If she's driving in weather that's not dangerous, just shitty, being able to give you or a friend a call can be a real sanity-saver. And we all know it can save a life in a bad situation.

Having the right clothing can also mean the difference between inconvenience and danger.
posted by altcountryman at 8:07 PM on January 17, 2007

I had a pain-free drive on the I-80 last winter. I was considering a more southern route, which would have added significantly to my trip time, but ruled it out because the weather was worse in the south. I watched the national weather service page like a hawk in the week leading up, especially the National Maps page, and the 2 day precipation outlook and 5 day fronts on that page. High pressure is good (no precipitation), low pressure is bad, and a bunch of lines close together is really bad. Maybe if there are any real meteorologists here they can give a real forecast.

You should not count on any prediction more than two days, which is a problem because it takes several days to do the drive, so you need a window of several days of good weather. It's clear right now that texas and oklahoma are about to get hammered, while wyoming and nebraska (I-80 country) appear to be in the clear. If she really wants to go south, she should definitely wait a few days until the long-term outlook is more favorable.

Also I feel compelled to say this is a long drive to do by oneself and while it would be fine if the weather holds, it would be hairy in a storm and I would not want to be alone in such conditions.
posted by PercussivePaul at 10:36 PM on January 17, 2007

Also I feel compelled to say this is a long drive to do by oneself and while it would be fine if the weather holds, it would be hairy in a storm and I would not want to be alone in such conditions.

I second this, strongly. I drove by myself from Chicago to L.A. 6-1/2 years ago in perfect weather, and unless I had literally no choice, there is absolutely no way I'd do this by myself with the weather lately -- and I say this as someone with a fair amount of experience in both long distance solo driving and winter driving.

Having said that and assuming she really can't delay her trip or fly, I agree that right now, it appears the I-80 route is the route that's likely to be clearer. And I second everything b1tr0t says about safety provisions. (Make sure she has flares, too.)
posted by scody at 11:25 PM on January 17, 2007

Hmmmmm, I am backing off my own "south first" advice, which normally would be true. A friend called from near Houston, Texas last night, and she said there were ice storms. So go figure. Must be global warming.

Whatever route she uses, safety first. The advice above about having copious amounts of water and other supplies in the passenger area is great.

Good luck.
posted by The Deej at 5:08 AM on January 18, 2007

There's snow and ice all across the west right now. Your girlfriend's best bet is to be flexible. She can plan the best route for tomorrow, take it, find a hotel, and watch the weather. Then she can decide, based on what's going on in the region, what to do the next day. If she has a laptop, she can look it up. If not, she can call you and you can look it up.

I second the advice about sticking to major roads. Any time she leaves a major road, she should check in and let you know where she's going.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 6:53 AM on January 18, 2007

Or maybe she should just wait: "A bone-rattling blast of sleet and snow kept Texas and Oklahoma residents shivering in its icy grip, while a blizzard north of Los Angeles, California, caused 18-wheelers to jackknife." and more is to come, according to CNN.com.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 6:55 AM on January 18, 2007

Hey, I just drove from Ann Arbor to LA over Thanksgiving break, and would be happy to give you the route we took (though we went through Kansas City, which adds about four or five hours, as I understand it).
Get ahold of me through email, as my girlfriend's out there now and can give more advice.
posted by klangklangston at 12:14 PM on January 18, 2007