LA to NYC in January

[uncle chichi]

Hi there!

I'm have to drive from Los Angeles to NYC and plan on departing in a few days. I'm in a car towing a trailer behind me so needless to say, I'm looking for a good route (weather and terrain wise).

AAA made me a TripTik with an I40-I81-I78 routing. But now I'm getting nervous that perhaps I10 might be the smarter choice at this time of year (less hilly from what I understand). Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks!!

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

If you've read a few threads, you've probably seen this advice already given on the forum, but any cross country route can see winter storms and often the difference between going north or south is the difference between seeing snow or ice.

The two rules of thumb, take the shortest route so you'll be on the road for the shortest period of time, thus reducing the likelyhood that you'll be in bad weather. The other, when comparing routes that are of pretty similar distances, check the forecast just before you leave and see which route or routes looks the clearest.

If you are leaving in the next day or two, going up to I-80 could very well be the smartest option. There is a nice bitter arctic air mass that's settled in over much of the country, and in the north it could be too cold to snow. (Right now its a balmy -15 with a bright sunny sky outside my front door)

[Mark Sedenquist]

...and often the difference between going north or south is the difference between seeing snow or ice.

We have all used similar words to describe this scenario -- but this post is the best I have read for distilling it down to the essence. Excellent job!

Mark