SF to Chicago in Mid-November

[chiago]

I'm planning a trip from San Francisco to Chicago starting in Mid-November. I've done it before in Mid-December across I-80. I'd like to go across US-50 this year. How likely is it to snow this time of year?

The route I have planned:

I-80 to Fernley, NV
US-50 to I-70
I-70 to I-76
I-76 to I-80

I have room in my schedule for up to 2 days of delays/road closures. What is my likelihood of getting stuck? I do not have all wheel drive. I do have plenty of experience driving in snow. My only snow chain experience was a test run in a dry parking lot.

Thanks.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Other than your trip across the lonliest road, your trip is mostly interstates, so you shouldn't have to worry about winter conditions too much.

That's not to say you couldn't see snow, because certainly you could, especially in Mountain areas like near Tahoe and going across the Rockies in Colorado. In these cases, the clearing the interstates is the top priority, so you really should never have to wait long for the highways to be returned to a passable condition. It also wouldn't be a bad idea to monitor the conditions as you travel, and consider going back up to I-80 in Utah if things are looking bad. (That's certainly not to say that I-80 couldn't see its own problems, and if you were planning to take I-80, I'd tell you the same thing about considering I-70 if you needed an alternate route.)