Flagstaff, Arizona to Battle Creek, Michigan
Posted by Anthony
The Desert Southwest. The Great Lakes. What do these two places have in common? Today's road trip! It's 1,803 miles between these 2 cities and it'll take 4 days to cover it. Away we go!
DAY ONE
While a trough digs its way into the Central US behind the intense front bringing severe weather to the Eastern US, high pressure is nosing its way into the Great Basin. Some high clouds are expected as we mosey along I-40 through Houck, Gallup, Albuquerque and eventually into Santa Rosa, our 1st stop after a rather uneventful day.
DAY TWO
More of the same from yesterday! High pressure continues to build eastward, and combined with an area of high pressure that's built over the Gulf Coast, is making for another pretty quiet day as we make our way through the TX Panhandle and through Oklahoma City to our eventual stop, Tulsa, for night two.
DAY THREE
After nearly 2 full days on I-40, we start heading off towards the northeast so we can get to our ultimate destination! Our friendly high pressure system continues to shift eastward, keeping the weather along our trip fairly benign through St. Louis and onwards into central Illinois. We could see some fresh snow on the ground as we near Springfield from a possible system moving through the state during the early morning hours, but it will be A-OK by the time we arrive for the night.
DAY FOUR
The final leg! High pressure will have pressed eastward over the East Coast, and with an area of low pressure developing over Central Canada back over the Northern Rockies, winds will be on the increase for most of the Central US this day. We might have some low to mid-level clouds to contend with at the onset of the day, and could linger through the morning, but ultimately will break up as we continue towards Chicago and eventually into Lower Michigan. Should be a decent afternoon to finish our trip as we cruise past Kalamazoo into Battle Creek!
Naples, Florida to Buffalo, New York
Posted by Anthony
Here we are, about to span most of the Eastern Seaboard (in a sense) on today's road trip. 1,387 miles separate these 2 cities, which will take us 3 days to cover.
DAY ONE
The cold front that's been causing havoc over the Eastern US will pretty much clear the Eastern Seaboard throughout the day today, with the tail end of it lingering over the Deep South as it becomes stationary and eventually dissipates. Outside of some morning fog, we shouldn't have any problems with the weather as we head northwards through the FL Peninsula and past Jacksonville into coastal Georgia. A few rain showers are possible between Jacksonville and Savannah as we move on through during the afternoon hours, but nothing too horrendous is anticipated. Otherwise it should be smooth sailing as we stop in Ridgeland, SC for the night.
DAY TWO
Cloudy skies are expected for the morning as we continue our northward trek today, this time making our way through the Carolinas and ultimately the Virginias. With another low pressure system intensifying in the Central US and pushing a cold front through the MS River Valley by midday, things could get harrowing later on in the day. First off, however, we might have some showers and scattered thunderstorms to contend with by midday as we make our way towards the Charlotte area. As we make our way through the thin portion of Virginia and up into West Virginia, we'll still have to content with showers and perhaps a couple thunderstorms as we finally make our way into Beckley, West Virginia, our stop for Night 2.
DAY THREE
Hopefully you got some sleep during the overnight, with the cold front pushing through Beckley and all. Looks like there's a chance of some heavy thunderstorms moseying on through during the early morning hours, so be on the lookout when you're getting ready during the morning. If this cold front is a little faster than currently forecast, then conditions should clear up very well by midday with just some clouds lingering over WV and PA. Otherwise, it still could be a rather rainy start to the day as we drive through Morgantown and eventually through Pittsburgh. Either way, the precip should be out of our way by the early afternoon hours, making for a clean finish to the trip as we roll past Erie and finally into Buffalo!
State College, Pennsylvania to Naples Florida
Posted by Ryan
Headed south for Spring Break? Leaving Penn State to hit the beaches of south Florida? Well, it will take you two and a half days to get down there, and you will rack up 1262 miles on the odometer. That will put you at a pace of 62.1mph, which will seems slow for someone driving through Florida. A college student, no less. Tell you what, let's just shoot for 497 miles a day, shall we?
DAY ONE
We will leave State College and immediately be inundated with heavy rain. A system moving out of the Plains is carrying with it a great deal of moisture and warm air. The heavy rain will be with us until we reach about the North Carolina border. When I say heavy rain, I mean models are projecting a couple inches of rain between about State College and Staunton, Virginia. Heavy rain will continue through Roanoke, and it will still be raining, ever so lightly, when we reach Mount Mourne, North Carolina, between Mooresville and Davidson. The threat for thunder is there, especially the further south we go, but nothing will be well organized.
DAY TWO
Our trip south continues, and the threat for thunderstorms will likely pick up soon after we arrive in Mount Mourne and last through Midnight. The front will show up a little bit better on Thursday, but will not be as active as the area near the low itself was. There will still be a few showers, especially through South Carolina, but by the time we hit the Georgia border, we will merely contend with a few clouds. The drive through north Florida should be problem free, a nice change of pace from the rainy mess we will see on Wednesday. The day will end in Kendall, Florida, which is just north of Ocala.
DAY THREE
Four hours of driving in Florida, which frankly will not take us 4 hours. Folks in Florida drive quite rapidly. There won't be any weather to deal with, and record warmth will be perfect for rolling down the windows and enjoying the palm trees.
Anniston, Alabama to Beaumont, Texas
Posted by Ryan
On the road again, through Alabama, Louisiana and a small bit of Texas. It's a drive that will take just shy of 10 hours and cover 643 miles. That will allow us a pace of about 65 miles. Compared to our last few trips, this is nothin! Let's hit the road.
After an extremely rainy weekend, the southeast will relish the weather we drive through tomorrow. After some morning fog along the Gulf coast, we can expect things to clear out nicely, giving us now problems as we head to the southwest. A system moving through the northern Plains will tap into the Gulf for moisture, adding to a stream of clouds when we get west of Lafayette, Louisiana. The models are hinting at light rain, but it's likely just picking up on low clouds. We will see these clouds for only the last couple of hours, from Lafayette to Beaumont. Not bad at all.
Williamsport, Pennsylvania to Reno, Nevada
Posted by Ryan
We're backtracking on a lengthy trip from Williamsport, instead of to Williamsport. We'll be on our way to Reno, on the far end of northern Nevada. Unless you live in California, every part of Nevada worth visiting is on the far end. It will be a 5 day trip, but day 5 will be shorter than the rest. It's about 2516 miles, and we will manage a swift 67.8mph clip, allowing us 543.1 miles a day. Let's be on our way then, yes?
DAY ONE
High pressure is the name of the game (it's a boring game) for the first leg of our westward adventure. Good thing too, as a big, nasty, snowy system is welling up in the southeast, getting ready to crash into the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic. I-80 will be north of the path of this system, and we will move into LaPorte, Indiana, stop number one, with no problems.
DAY TWO
High pressure will continue to be the main feature along our route as we continue west, but a system developing in the plains will intercept us as we cross the Missouri into Omaha. Fortunately, we won't be traveling much past Omaha, only into Ashland which is at the midpoint to Lincoln, because this precipitation could be a sleety nightmare.
DAY THREE
The sleet will change to snow overnight, and move through before we have a chance to watch it fall in the morning. Assuming the roads are treated and plowed, our west ward voyage through Nebraska shouldn't give us problems. There might be some snow as we encounter the Laramie Pass in Wyoming, but our arrival in Rock River, Wyoming, should be fairly uneventful.
DAY FOUR
This will be the diciest day of travel, over all. Every time we surpass a ridge, we could see some snow, every time we sink back into a valley, conditions will clear out. Our downhill drives will actually be the snowiest, owing to oragraphic forcing, and thanks to the route that I-80 takes, the best bet for any precip, which might actually be light rain, will be around Salt Lake City. After we get west of the Lake, and into the Bonneville Flats and northern Nevada, expect some really lonely, dry driving. The day will end in the Starr Valley, which is just a desolate wasteland, but good enough to sleep in the back of the van in.
DAY FIVE
Finally, the last gasp of the trip. Nevada will have nothing to offer us in terms of weather or... anything, really. We arrive in Reno with the Sierras in the background and sunny skies all around us.
Salem, Oregon to WIlliamsport, Pennsylvania
Posted by Ryan
Coast to coast on today's forecast, covering a 5 day period, from Saturday to Wednesday. It's a 2774 mile journey, and we will make our way eastward at a pace of 66.5mph, and 532 miles a day for 4 days, a little more on day 5. We are oving into an active pattern, so this may end up being a fairly interesting trip. Let's find out.
DAY ONE
Our first system to contend with will be a spinning low over the northern Puget Sound. Rain will fall, heavily at times, along and west of the Cascades. It will be be fairly dreary as we head north to Portland. Snow will be likely as we try to make our way past Mount Hood at the Cascades, but a rain shadow should keep us protected as we drive through the Columbia River Valley. Snow will be an issue again between Pendleton and Baker City when there is a little bit of elevation once again. Drizzle will continue to be an issue when we hit the Sun Valley in Idaho. Our day will end in Hammett, which is just southeast of Mountain Home.
DAY TWO
The valley rain and mountain snow will continue for us as we continue east through Idaho, but will really pick up as we hit the higher elevations of northern Utah. Snow will continue into the flatlands of southwestern Wyoming. Fortunately, the winds won't be a problem, because that could make things really dicey with there being absolutely nobody out there to help if you drive off the road. We will end the day in Rawlins, Wyoming.
DAY THREE
We're going to be seeing a change in pattern. Some snow will hang up in the mountains, so Laramie Pass will be snowy, but east of there, we will deal only with clouds. The bulk of associated moiture will be moving into the Dakotas and Minnesota on Monday, leaving Nebraska relatively unharmed during the day. A warm front will bring some snow to the eastern part of the state and Iowa, but east of our intended destination, Bradshaw, Nebraska (near York) by the time we arrive there.
DAY FOUR
The system that has matched our pace for most of the trip so far will pick up it's speed overnight. Monday and by the time we leave Tuesday, we will be driving through clear skies as far east as the Quad Cities. The system will develop a well organized front through Illinois, and at the leading edge, there will be some thunderstorms embedded with heavy rain. At the back end of the system, it will be a wet snow. We won't catch up to the thunderstorms, but east of Princeton, Illinois, we will see some snow, perhaps accumulating a couple of inches, if it comes down hard enough. We will end our day in Minooka, on the south side of Chicago.
DAY FIVE
Leaving Chicago on Wednesday will only be a problem because of traffic, which, admittedly, can be a serious problem. Following I-80 through Indiana, Ohio and western Pennsylvania. The front that we will be following will see an area of low pressure develop along it's southern end and move northeast. The very end of the drive might see some snow moving into eastern Pennsylvania, from State College to Williamsport. We made it! Get out the galoshes!
Great Falls, Montana to Bismarck, North Dakota
Posted by Anthony
This is probably one of the least visually stimulating road trips I've ever done. Granted we'll be leaving the Rockies at the start of the trip, but after that, it's hundreds of miles in eastern Montana and western North Dakota of little civilization and lots of sky to view. Luckily, this trip is only 545 miles and should be covered in a day's time. So let's get a move-on!
With the arctic airmass entrenched over the northern US, as mentioned in my earlier Bismarck forecast, some chilly air will be found throughout much of the region come morning. However, with a slightly warmer airmass pushing up over the Northern Rockies into Western Montana, this is going to kick up some snow showers over the Great Falls area later on Friday. There could be some patchy fog and some low clouds to start the day, but we should avoid the snow showers as we trek eastward along HWY 87. As we move into midday, the clouds should thin out as we move away from the mountains, leaving more sunny skies for us to enjoy. As we move into Eastern Montana, and eventually into Western North Dakota, clear skies and light winds will greet us and make for smooth sailing for the remainder of the trip into Bismarck. Hooray we made it!... Now what?
State College, Pennsylvania to Des Moines, Iowa
Posted by Ryan
Hey, another back to back day with the road trips, and we are headed west, young man. Should be an interesting 2 days, covering 884 miles with some inclement weather a certain possibility. This will break down to a speed of 62.7mph, and the first day in the car will cover 501.9 miles. Lets get rolling.
DAY ONE
Let's get this out of the way... a good half of the trip is going to be nasty. We will be in good shape from State College to about Cleveland, but after that, we will encounter a warm front testing the boundary between freezing and not. This is generally a very bad situation, and I don't suspect tomorrow's drive will be any different. We will be under the threat for freezing rain from about Cleveland to LaPorte, Indiana. Of course, with a system set up like this, it's hard to pinpoint exactly how everything will turn out, and there is a chance that there will be regular old rain, some snow or even some sleet (probably the best chance). In any case, it will likely be the worst kind of driving until w eget to Laporte, the destination for Day 1.
DAY TWO
If there is any fortunate note to this trip it's that Sunday will be a much easier day to navigate through Chicago. The weather will have cleared out, and while temperatures will be below freezing, there won't be any precipitation. In fact, as we approach Des Moines, we will likely see temperatures back in the mid 30s. It will be quite the relief after the mess that Saturday will be.
St. Petersburg, Florida to State College, Pennsylvania
Posted by Anthony
Today we take a jaunt up the Eastern Seaboard, a 1,115-mile trek from St. Petersburg, FL to State College, PA. State College has been in the news a lot lately, not exactly for flattering reasons either. Perhaps the weather when we complete our trip will give the folks there a reason to enjoy the weekend! Let us depart!
DAY ONE
We head out of the Tampa/St. Petersburg area in the morning, with some high clouds greeting us on I-75. High pressure is pretty much in control of the entire East Coast, so other than some patchy dense fog over northern FL that'll burn off before we mosey on through, it should be a pretty pleasant day overall! High clouds will linger over the trip through Eastern Georgia, then up through SC as we settle into Charlotte for the night.
DAY TWO
Well, that high pressure ridge is breaking down, leading to more clouds found over the Western Carolinas this morning. The massive snowstorm that's hitting Colorado/Nebraska will extend it's tendrils eastward, causing us a few issues perhaps as we exit Charlotte. Most of our trip will negotiate the foothills of the Appalachians, so we'll be protected somewhat by the rain shadow effect of the mountains, but not by much. Some light showers are possible during the morning as we make our way into Western Virginia, but the frontal system will pretty much stall over NC/VA as we continue northward, so by the time we make our way into Maryland, things should be drying out (albeit cloudy). The rest of our trip into Central PA should be dry and cloudy as the nose of high pressure to the north retains at least some control of the reason. Hooray we made it! Now time to relax and buy some goodies for the big football game!
Chico, California to Muskegon, Michigan
Posted by Ryan
Three days, three road trips! This one takes us to the Great Lakes over the course of 4 days and 2248 miles. That puts us at a clip of 67.1mph. How fast is that, exactly? Fast enough that we cover almost 537 miles a day. Let's go check out Muskegon.
DAY ONE
After what has been an active pattern across the country, especially out east, where more forecasts tend to happen, it's been nice to have high pressure all over. Another ridge will set up over our route, and the drive from Chico, over the Sierras and into Nevada will be harmless. The day will end in Deeth, Nevada.
DAY TWO
There is a big old Gulf of Alaska system moving into Western Washington right now, but we should be able to out run it, and the moisture will be hung up in the higher elevations of western Wyoming. I only mention this, because it will be the closest we get to significant precipitation for this leg of the journey. We will end the day in Elk Mountain, Wyoming, which is named after Elk Mountain, which is in Wyoming.
DAY THREE
Nebraska is one of my favorite states to drive in. It's flat, it's empty, it's mostly truckers who understand the rules of the road. Pretty great. That said, I've never dealt with Nebraska with ugly weather. And we won't have to this time either! Smooth sailing between Elk Mountain (which is located just east of Rawlins) and Lincoln, the final stop on the way to Muskegon.
DAY FOUR
The nearest development to our persons at this stage will be in eastern Canada, well ahead of where we are. Another nice day of travel as we make our way through Iowa, Chicago, part of Indiana and then north along Lake Michigan to Muskegon, which will be surprisingly pleasant, and not even snowing.
