Traveling from San Francisco to Seattle in early January

[jasime_bay]

Hello RTA'ers. I am switching jobs and will be moving from bay area (SFO) to Seattle in Washington. I am planning to move on January 1st or 2nd and I drive a Honda Accord '99. I wanted to know how bad the weather conditions would be around this period. I plan to drive on I-5 North all the way upto Seattle. I got warned about bad driving conditions like hail/fog/storm along the California-Oregon border. Is this true ? I didn't plan to drive in one stretch. My idea was to start after Sunrise and stop at a Motel after dusk to avoid driving in night. Being from CA, I have never experienced driving in snow. I do plan to take snow chains however.

If the weather is really bad around New year's time, I can ship the car and fly myself, but this is going to be more expensive which I wouldnt mind if driving is risky.
Can somebody also advise on weather map forecasts which are best suited for road trips such as these.

P.S I have driven a few times from SFO to San Diego which was fine by me.

[Mass Tim]

Unfortunately, trying to predict the weather more than a few days out is a losing battle. Heck, even with 24 hours it's a losing battle (yesterday's weather for here said 1-3 inches of snow by now. Well, it's 50 degrees and raining!)

The standard Weather Channel observations, or those of any of the news organizations in the areas you will be traveling, are as good as any.

[DonnaR57]

As Tim says, we can't possibly guess what the weather will be a month from now. Even the history isn't much help.

Plan to take I-5. If the pass is really bad, they'll close the highway down for a few hours. Prepare for an extra day or two on the road "just in case".


Donna

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

While it's true that, generally, any source of weather info is good, it's also true that ultimately they're all based on the same source - the forecasts of the National Weather Service. So, since you obviously have access to the web, that's where you should go for the least 'interpreted' weather forecast. The best thing you can do leading up to your trip is to get into the right mind set. Be ready for delays and disappointments. It simply might not be possible to drive straight through, even taking two days and stopping for a good overnight's sleep - which would normally be plenty of time. Instead, plan on taking three days, with one of those days spent doing nothing but waiting out adverse conditions. That way you can be pleasantly, rather than rudely, surprised.

AZBuck

[glc]

If the conditions are bad on I-5 through the Siskiyous, you always have the option of taking 101 up the coast if you have the time to spare. However, you pretty much have to make your decision before leaving SF, because the roads north of SF that cross from I-5 to 101 are mountainous and winding.