Hot Springs, Arkansas to Redding, California

Ryan Henning Leave a comment

Let’s head west! Our drive is a little bit longer than the previous one, with this one coverinf three time zones, 4 days and 2,088 miles. We will be able to enjoy the luxuries of highway travel throughout much of the journey, which will afford a pace of 65.25mph, and 522 miles a day. Will we finally see some warm weather?

DAY ONE (Thursday)

Hot Springs, Arkansas

With high pressure beginning to drift out of hte central US, the cold air is alleviating. This, unfrotunately, also means that access to the Gulf is opening again, and some surface moisture is expected to get into the western parts of Arkansas, particularly the valleys, in the morning. This may manifest as a bit of light rain between Hot Springs and the Oklahoma border, but more likely, it will be seen as fog and low clouds. Low pressure is emerging in the northern Plains by tomorrow, and a cold front is going to emerge along our route. No concerns for developing showers or storms, but behind it, there will be a brisk northwest wind. Clear skies are expected after Henryetta, and winds should start to taper off around El Reno. The day will end in Groom, Texas, which is just east of Amarillo.

DAY TWO (Friday)
Another wave is going to ripple through the Rockies into the High Plains. What will this mean for us? Not much, save for more blustery winds between Amarillo and Santa Rosa, New Mexico. We will enjoy a bit more tranquil conditions though the high terrain of western New Mexico, and make it to the Painted Desert National Park in Arizona.

DAY THREE (Saturday)
The weather is really going ot be churning in the northwestern US, however there isn’t a whole lot to tlk about in the southwest. It won’t be hot in the desert, as we may be accustomed to thinking, which is good news, because our day will end at Edwards Air Force Base.

DAY FOUR (Sunday)
It’s probably the best to take highway 99 north through California on a Sunday, right? Or is most of the traffic hanging out on 5? Or does anyone even drive in the Central Valley? Nevertheless, we will be doing it on Sunday, as another system moves into the Pacific Northwest. In the Valley, we will see a smattering of light rain, while the hills and mountains east of us will contend with some significant snow fall, once again. The rain for us will come into the picture around Kingsburg, and in points northward. Sad to say, it may be a bit drizzly in northern California by the time we arrive in Redding on Sunday afternoon.

Redding, California

Sherman, Texas to Hot Springs, Arkansas

Ryan Henning Leave a comment

It’s a short trip today, but really, a four hour trip between a couple of towns that avoids much population anywhere along the way is pretty exciting. This means that we haven’t really been able to talk about a trip through places like Paris, Texas, or Broken Bow, Oklahoma or De Queen, Arkansas. not that the post will include them after this, but still! It’s a 239 mile journey that will last just shy of 4 1/2 hours, covering only 54.5. At that pace, maybe we will lament driving through Paris, Broken Bow and De Queen.

Sherman, Texas

If you have been following along here at Victoria-Weather, or if you have been outside east of the Rockies lately, you know that it is pretty chilly. A warm up is coming, however, as high pressure that has been keeping it so cold is shuffling eastward. This won’t disrupt the day at all, as it often can when one air mass leaves town. The tail of the surface high is sinking into hte northern Gulf, which will prevent moisture from infiltrating our route. It should be a fine day for driving, in about perfect conditions for keeping the windows rolled up, but without needing the heat or AC.

Hot Springs, Arkansas

La Crosse, Wisconsin to Tucson, Arizona

Ryan Henning Leave a comment

Back in the saddle again, as we take a trip from southern Wisconsin to southern Arizona. Surely, as we reach the middle of December, this is a voyage a lot of locals wouldn’t mind taking. The drive is going to take us three days and cover 1,666 miles, which means that if weather holds, we will cover 533 miles a day at abouy 66.7mph. The final day of the trip, as often is the case, will be our longest.

DAY ONE (Thursday)

La Crosse, Wisconsin
Credit: Wikideas1 – Own work

It’s been a busy time for the northern Plains. The cold seen across the Eastern US is being fed by a steady band of Clipper systems moving along the back end of the thermal trough. Another one is staged to move through on Thursday, particularly impacting Iowa in the afternoon. It will take us a couple of hours to get to Des Moines, and naturally, that should be the point of the trip where snow starts to infiltrate. I would say the chance for flakes will start around Ames and pick up. We will nearly be out of the woods by the time we reach Osceola, and at that point, it may mix with some rain. Fortunately, the rain and precipitation will cut off with warmer air as we cross into Missouri. Kansas City will offer fewer navigational headaches than Des Moines, and we will end the night in Topeka, before the Kansas Turnpike offers fewer and fewer exit opportunities.

DAY TWO (Friday)
We are certainly taking a more adventurous route than we are accustomed to. We will not be haded south from Wichita, but rather west through southwest Kansas, and on some smaller roads through the various Panhandles of the region. Fortunately, the weather should be accomodating along a route that can be otherwise inhospitable. About 20 minutes before we reach Tucumcari, New Mexico from the northeast, we will end our day in Logan, New Mexico.

DAY THREE (Saturday)
I think we will be happy we went south and then west. While a nother bracing shot of cold air and snow moves through the Upper Midwest and High Plains, we will be driving through the sunshine and seasonably warm air of New Mexico. The Land of Enchantment, indeed. It will be quite comfortable for our arrival in Tucson.

Santa Cruz, California to Provo, Utah

Ryan Henning Leave a comment

I don’t have many examples of a road trip that starts in California that doesn’t take four or five days. We found one! It is only an 836 mile jaunt from Monterrey Bay to Provo, and will take us a day and a half. After we get to the free way, we will move pretty quickly, with an average speed of 65.8mph for the entire route. That means day one will target 526.6 miles, wherever that may lead.

DAY ONE (Saturday)

Santa Cruz, California

Wouldn’t you know it, but the one area of the country with significant weather tomorrow is the West Coast. A pretty significant slug of rain is going to arrive in the Central Coast tomorrow morning. Heavy rain and California roadways are not a match made in heaven, and it will be torrential at times from Santa Cruz to Sacramento. Mudslides in this hilly terrain might be a concern. The angle that this disturbance will come on shore will also circumvent the highest of the Sierras. Sure, there will be some flakes around Truckee pass, but there still may be a few showers in northern Nevada. Fortunately, the terrain, while still prone to flash flooding and mudslides, is more forgiving and gives I-80 a wide birth. Most importantly, the rain will be a lot lighter in the Silver State. We will reach Primeaux, which is east of Winnemucca, as our waypoint.

DAY TWO (Saturday)
Our little feature from central California is going to merge with a larger waves coming out of the Gulf of Alaska. Showers are probably less likely in eastern Nevada, but as we approach the Wasatch, they become more likely again. Just for fun, it might be a bit snowy in the higher terrain of this particular range as well, though we will be driving at a lower elevation through Salt Lake City and south into Provo. Just a bit rainy, is all.

Provo, Utah

Portland, Oregon to Dover, Delaware

Ryan Henning Leave a comment

Confirmed: It is a long way from Portland to Dover. 2892 miles, in fact, and that distance will take us 5 days to cover, and that last day will be an 11 hour grind. The pace will be 67.2 mph, which translates to 538 miles a day. This is a long one, folks.

DAY ONE (Saturday)

Portland, Oregon

Low pressure will have moved inland from the Pacific Northwest as we depart tomorrow morning. Moisture will be able to clear the Cascades, but will begin to squeeze out moisture again as this instability reaches the Rockies. Rain will be tapering, but still possible in Portland to the Dalles, and we will be dry in the Columbia River Gorge. We will pop out again and head southeast towards Boise, where we will encounter a few more showers between Pendleton and Baker City. The higher terrain of Idaho is both well to the north of our route and well to the east. We will reach Wendell, between Mountain Home and Twin Falls, without fear of rain.

DAY TWO (Sunday)
Precipitation in the mountains always looks messy, but there is expected to be organization in the lee of the Rockies, which will clear the skies along our route. No worries crossing the Wasatch, except for running out of gas. Not many places to stop, and we will end the night in Table Rock, Wyoming, which might not be a real place.

DAY THREE (Monday)
This is going to be a weird point to refer to, but back in the Gulf of California, an old tropical feature will be making landfall, kicking some moisture from the south up into the Rockies. Some of this moisture is expected to bleed into the Plains, where it will intercept the tail of a cold front extending from Hudson Bay, and it may bring a light shower to south central Nebraska. That is a worst case scenario, though, and I don’t believe it likely. I think instead we will get some windswept prairie and a chilly time parking in Gibbon, for our stop on Monday night.

DAY FOUR (Tuesday)
This wasn’t on my bingo board, but yes, on this trip we will be dealing with some tropical moisture in Nebraska on Tuesday. Rain should be starting overnight in Gibbon, which is near Kearney, if you were wondering, and may be steady at times, all the way to Omaha, which will be the largest city we will have seen in days. The rain will lighten, and we will dry out around Bondurant, shortly after passing Des Moines. Cedar Rapids and the Quad Cities will be dry, and we will make it about a third of the way through Illinois, stopping in Spring Valley for the night.

DAY FIVE (Wednesday)
Because of the way this works we will touch parts of 7 states in 11 long hours. Fortunately, we should have unobstructed views of all those welcome signs, because high pressure will be building in the Great Lakes, pushing towards the mid-Atlantic. Temperatures will be comfortable for the season, and we will be exhausted upon arriving in Dover.

Dover, Delaware

Gulfport, Mississippi to Portland, Oregon

Ryan Henning Leave a comment

This drive will take 5 days, headed cross country over 2,567miles at a pace of about 67.5mph, and a target of 540 miles a day. If you are like me, perhaps you are wondering “how long would it take to travel from these two ports by sea?” According to my research: Over a month. Let’s take the car!

DAY ONE (Thursday)

Gulfport, Mississippi

Pressure is high across most of the country, which long time readers know, of course, means weather is pretty ok! The first drive of this trip will start with some low clouds, maybe some drizzle in Gulfport, but just a short jaunt inland will bring much cooler temperatures and clearer skies. we’ll make it to Forney on the east side of Dallas after what should be a pretty nice day in the car.

DAY TWO (Friday)
We will continue on our northwesterly voyage through what will probably be our driest and dustiest day. The route will carry us through west Texas and the Panhandles, before coming to an end in Campo, in far southeaster Colorado.

DAY THREE (Saturday)
Westerly flow throughout the Rockies is going to start inducing some surface low pressure on the lee. Jet structure is going to amplify the development of low pressure, and moisture in the southwest will draw into the Rockies. There is definitely a shot at precipitation on Saturday, and I would say it will increase around Fort Collins, and be the most likely at the end of the day, as we unload in Wamsutter, Wyoming.

DAY FOUR (Sunday)
Low pressure will work to consolidate overnight in Canada, and our route will dry out considerably. The precipitation on the west side of Wyoming may briefly be wet snow, so if you want to see that, get going early. Northern Utah and southern Idaho are going to be idyllic. We’ll stop in Meridien on the western side of Boise to conclude our drive.

DAY FIVE (Monday)
Low pressure will be scooting down the Pacific Coast into the Pacific Northwest as we wrap up our last day of travel. The low will bring the rain and low clouds that the Pacific Northwest is famous for, but it will be confined primarily to the area on the west side of the Cascades. The first remote chance of rain will be around Willow Lake, but the first real chances will be in The Dalles. Expect it to be a bit gloomy in Portland on our arrival.

Portland, Oregon

Pueblo, Colorado to Davenport, Iowa

Ryan Henning Leave a comment

Wow. I’m not sure you could find a longer, flatter stretch of west to east driving in the country. We will see a great deal of prairie over the day and a half drive. We’ll cover 953 miles, which will be traversed over at a pace of 70.1mph, which might be the highest I’ve seen. That means day one will be through after 561 miles, or so.

DAY ONE (Sunday)

Pueblo, Colorado

There isn’t much to say for the day on Sunday. High pressure in the center of the country will keep things dry in the Plains, and unseasonably warm. There is going to be a bit of zonal flow across the Rockies, producing showers and overcast for the first stretch along the Front Range, but clear skies the rest of the way, where we will stop in Odessa, Nebraska, near Kearney, for the layover.

DAY TWO (Monday)
It’s going to be a warm day for a late September drive, but otherwise uneventful, aside from maybe traffic and construction in Omaha and Des Moines. The directions should be pretty easy too. I-80 to the destination, and there it is.

Davenport, Iowa

Asheville, North Carolina to Richmond, Virginia

Ryan Henning Leave a comment

This drive is a short (for us) but beautiful drive from western North Carolina, and a city that is still recuperating from the impacts of Helene last year, to the capital of Virginia, a city that has been growing over the last twenty years. The towns are 372 miles and about 5 1/2 hours apart, and without a direct line between them. Nevertheless, we will still proceed at a rate of about 68mph.

Asheville, North Carolina

High pressure has built behind a cold front in the Appalachians. It will be a chilly day in North Carolina, but generally clear for the first part of the day. The cold air is riding the back of an offshore area of low pressure which will be near Virginia Beach as we head out on Wednesday. This low will cycle back moisture into the Coastal Plain, and starting around Middleburg, NC, we will start to see the chance for rain, which will stay with us the rest of the way to Richmond. Don’t be surprised if this rain is heavy at times. Bring an umbrella!

Richmond, Virginia

Lawton, Oklahoma to Atlantic City, New Jersey

Ryan Henning Leave a comment

I have a NASCAR race on in the background, which makes me think that we can cover the 1,529 miles of this trip in no time. Really, though, let’s play it cool and instead make the drive in about 3 days, leaving the third day the shortest. and drive at a safe speed of 68mph, and about 547 miles a day. We will save our poor choices for Atlantic City.

DAY ONE (Monday)

Lawton, Oklahoma

There is an eroding dry line that is washing out in the central Plains. This is producing some showers from about the Oklahoma City area to Springfield, Missouri, and there is no reason to think that this instigator will move much tomorrow. It likely won’t be as widespread as it is today. I would say the best threat will be in the higher terrain around the Ozarks, but should be fully wrapped up before we reach Sullivan, MO. Definitely before we hit Fenton, on the southwest side of St. Louis and our destination for the night.

DAY TWO (Tuesday)
Our weak trough is going to start to consolidate and turn around over night. It’s going to shift towards the Tennessee Valley, which should keep it juuuuuust far enough south to keep us dry for the day. There will be a few dark clouds dappling the sky as we continue east, and they will probably linger thorughout the day. Aside from maybe a sprinkle early in the morning as we pass through St. Louis, I think we are probably OK. The best bet for another shot of rain, albeit low, will come in the last couple of hours, from Columbus to Bannock, which is just outside of Wheeling, and our destination for the night.

DAY THREE (Wednesday)
That same trough will waste itself on the Appalachians and spread along the range. There will be some splashes of rain, particularly on the western faces of the range for the first part of the day. We’ll have rain through about Bedford, after which point the weak system will have a tough time transcending the Appalachians. The sun will be shining in Atlantic City when we pull in.

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Pine Bluff, Arkansas to Midland, Texas

Ryan Henning Leave a comment

This drive has all the elements of what I think makes a good road trip. It will take one long day, following only a couple of interstates. There is one major metro area to drive through, but also a long stretch in the open country. It will take nearly 10 hours to cover the 658 miles between our two destinations, covering the ground at a pace of 66.2mph. Hopefully traffic in Dallas-Fort Worth is forgiving.

Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Arkansas is going to be downright juicy on Thursday. Humidity will see dew points in the mid to upper 70s, and while guidance suggests most of the rain and thunder will be from Mississippi eastward, I wouldn’t rule it out during our drive to Texarkana. In fact, I would venture to say that the heavy atmosphere might lend itself to a stray storm as far west as Mount Vernon, Texas. The dew points will relent a bit west of Dallas, but the heat will still be there all the way in to Midland.

Midland, Texas