Washington, DC to San Diego in Winter

[Rookie from Downunder]

Hi Everyone,

I'm going over with my family to the US for the first time for a driving holiday in december and looking for some road trip advice in winter, worried about buckets of snow or bad weather or any other traps for young players... looking at driving through West Va, Kentucky, Tenn. before heading South to Alabama, Lousiana, Texas, NM, Nevada and Cal.

What's the weather and driving conditions like in this areas around December..

Many Thanks

[Mark Sedenquist]

I'm going over with my family to the US for the first time for a driving holiday in december and looking for some road trip advice in winter,

You can pretty much expect to find chilly and/or cold weather in all of those states. Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum! On the other hand, visiting the United States in December is not like traveling in the norther Yukon or across Siberia -- winter weather rarely delays anyone more than a day or so. Here are some tips for you.

Mark

[RoadDog]

Definitely, the farther south you can stay, the warmer it will be.

I visited Melbourne and Sydney in July a few years back. That is the weather you can generally expect if you stay to the south.

Let me just say, your winters are a lot better than we have here in Illinois.

Don't forget to check out Route 66 whenever possible.

Keep on Down that Two Lane Highway. --RoadDog

[RedCorral]

Howdy,

The only places of concern might be the higher elevations in West Virginia/Kentucky and on I-40 in New Mexico and Arizona. December isn't usually a bad month, except further north, so you shouldn't have much trouble. Just keep the radio on to stations with lots of new and weather.

If you are heading to San Francisco, I'd not recommend trying to cross the Sierra north of Hwy 58 from Mojave to Bakersfield. The only passes open will be Hwy 88, Hwy 50 and I-80. Any or all of them could have bad weather, or bright sunny skies. You never know.

If you are going to LA or San Diego, the routes are easy and clear of ice and snow.

Have a nice drive.

Craig Sheumaker
co-author of the travel guide: America's Living History-The Early Years