Printable View
Hello fellow members,
I am planning to drive from Los Angeles to New York December 1. It's not a voluntary choice. I just have to leave at this time. I'm very worried about the snow and possibly slippery and icy roads. Please advise if it's a pretty safe idea to drive east in December. Has anyone done it around this time? And if so what was the experience like? Please do share!
Thank you
Welcome to the RTA Forum!
People drive from coast to coast every day of the year - the American Economy demands that roads stay open and be driveable year round.
It is entirely possible that you will see snow and/or ice, but at this point, there is no way of knowing where such weather could fall. You can't assume that you can go south to avoid bad weather, because even the southern most parts of the US see snow and ice.
The most important thing you can do for a safe trip is to give yourself plenty of time. You need at least 5-6 days to make this drive safely in good conditions, so you should have at least a full week available for this trip. That way, if there is bad weather, you can slow down or even stop and wait for conditions to improve. It's very rare for a storm to cause significant problems on the Interstate system for more than a day or two - case in point, I-90 is back open across NY State already, despite being hit with more than 6 feet of snow in the past few days.
Prepare yourself and your car. Make sure everything for your car is ready to go: good tires, good battery, fresh antifreeze, all lights and windshield wipers in good working order. Get a set of chains and learn how to put them on before you leave. Then make sure you have some emergency gear in the car. A couple of warm blankets, some food and water, a small tarp to lay on the snow in case you have to use your chains. Something that I never see mentioned, but if you are stuck somewhere for a while a discreet way to get rid of the water you may have to drink. That particular item can be found online. Hope this helps and safe travels.
Checking into the nearest accommodation might be a much more comfortable way to sit out a storm.
Lifey
I would not worry about chains on a cross country trip like this.
If conditions are so bad on the Interstates that chains would be required, then you are much better off pulling off and waiting for conditions to improve - especially is you don't have experience driving in winter weather.
Where are you going - NYC or somewhere else in NY State?
Not going to argue with the other posters, but here is some local experience from yesterday. Snoqualmie Pass on I 90 was closed yesterday for 4 to 5 hours because of numerous accidents due to recent snowfall. There is no place to "hole" up depending on where you got stopped, and chains were required if you were going to continue on over the pass. There are high elevations on I 40, I 70, and I 80. Personally I pack just as I stated. I'd rather have those items and not need them rather than need them and not have them. People can travel as they choose.
Nobody uses chains east of the Rockies.
Thank you all for the responses! I will be driving to my parents house in upstate New York first. Is it more advisable to go southern route just to avoid bad weather if the chance is slimmer than northern route? I just want to try to avoid snow as much as possible. I'm frightened by the snow. My car is a 2006 jetta , front wheel drive. I'll bring all necessary supplies and of course stop when necessary. As long as it's doable and many have done this trip in December I feel a little comforted .
Thank you . Sounds comforting reading this!