weather

[MartyB]

Hi gang.  I'm having trouble looking for the info I want.  is there a source to tell me the weather outlook / precipitation forecast for any particular months of the year.  We are wanting to go South and then West starting from Ontario border.  (either Buffalo or Detroit).  At how should we get there.  Starting Dec 3rd.  At what point should we turn west after going south. 
I am lost at where to start.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Google 'weather history' for the area you want. It will generally get you average temperatures, rainfall, etc for a given month. It's historical rather than forecast, but about as good as you can do if looking more than a week or so in advance.

 

[Alpena Jeff]

US Ciimate Data is another resource. Again, historical data only.

 

[Rene T]

and this one:

https://www.wunderground.com/history/

 

[Larry N.]

You may wish to check out the NWS Graphical Weather Forecast page, where you can get 12 hour predictions of precip, temp, wind, and much more in a graphic form for any area in the U.S. for up to 10 days in advance.

 

[darsben]

December 3 I would do Detroit. (You can get lake effect in December off of Lake Erie)Then 75 to 55 to 10.

 

[Alpena Jeff]

I don't know about Buffalo.
We live in north Michigan. Early December in Detroit is normally before the deep freeze sets in.
Last year we weren't able to get on the road until mid January. Not good! Departing temperature was -10 and windy. We drove that giant ice cube south until the weather warmed then turned right!
You do not need overnight reservations that time of year. Keep an eye on the weather and make the move west when the weather allows.
We also chose to jump over to I-65 south instead of I-75. It seems to carry less truck traffic. At least that was our observation!
Don't overthink it. Just move safely south until you can turn west. You are not in charge. Mother Nature is!
Safe travels, Jeff

 

[SeilerBird]

Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get. Historical records are only a report on what happened in the past and does not always do a good job of predicting the future.

 

[Alfa38User]

It might be nice to know a proposed route and ultimate destination! I use highway I81 about as far south as it will go and then to I95 to Florida, but then I leave in November.

 

[LarsMac]

With South and West as the first priority, I'd suggest coming across at Detroit, follow I-75 to Cincinnati, or Lexington.
Then across to St Louis or west to KC.
Early December usually isn't too bad.
At St Louis you can follow 44 all the way to OK City or Wichita Falls, TX. Though, this takes you across the Ozark region.
From KC, you have a pretty level run into Central and West Texas, and across to New Mexico and Arizona.
The worst weather in December is likely to be closer to the Lakes and along the Appalachian ridge. Also the Ozarks can get a little messy.

Watch the national weather maps each day. Usually the fronts move pretty fast, and you can hole up and let one pass over, and get a couple of days of clear travel behind one.

 

[TheBar]

For a monthly forecast look at accuweather.com. They are out to December 5 as of today then just show historical averages after that. It won't be that accurate very far out of course. I've noticed some local TV station weather forecasts show "Powered by Accuweather.com".

 

[ArdraF]

If you're approaching a specific place just Google [name of town] weather forecast and you'll usually get the National Weather Service and the Weather Underground at the top of the list.  Winter weather is so changeable that it's hard to predict very far in advance which route might be best, especially in the northern states.  Have a couple of routes in mind and change to another if it seems better.  Also build in extra time in case you need to hole up somewhere.

Ardra

 

[taoshum]

load the 1weather app on your phone and watch the radar display as you go along... if you see big green/yellow/red events on your route, go another way or wait until it passes through... historical data might be interesting but current conditions are actually helpful.

 

[MartyB]

With South and West as the first priority, I'd suggest coming across at Detroit, follow I-75 to Cincinnati, or Lexington.
Then across to St Louis or west to KC.
Early December usually isn't too bad.
At St Louis you can follow 44 all the way to OK City or Wichita Falls, TX. Though, this takes you across the Ozark region.
From KC, you have a pretty level run into Central and West Texas, and across to New Mexico and Arizona.
The worst weather in December is likely to be closer to the Lakes and along the Appalachian ridge. Also the Ozarks can get a little messy.

Watch the national weather maps each day. Usually the fronts move pretty fast, and you can hole up and let one pass over, and get a couple of days of clear travel behind one.

That is exactly the type of info I needed.  As well as the weather info.  ( I knew that stuff, but couldn't figure it out.)

Thanks for everything gang.  Great help.

 

[Robert K]

If coming across at Buffalo is shorter or easier just watch the weather. It takes a good shot of cold air across the lake to set up lake affect snow.
Local weather is pretty good at predicting for the conditions of lake affect

 

[Heli_av8tor]

I use Ventusky.com for short term weather forecasting. I find the wind predictions particularly helpful and accurate.

 

[LarsMac]

Here is a good place to see the fronts and expected weather.
Remember that the accuracy of most weather forecasts drop quite rapidly after 48 hours.
This will let you see the general probabilities for the next couple of days.
If you see a front coming across the Rockies, you can expect to see it in the Midwest in the next couple of days.
https://www.weather.gov/forecastmaps