As far as I know, he and his buddy are planning on leaving from California Thursday, going to at least Ohio and probably continuing to New York. Everything I hear about this storm sounds like it’s going to be ridiculous – “winter hurricane,” “cyclone bomb,” high winds, icy roads, blizzard conditions. They don’t even have chains.
They made the same trip last year at this time and were fine, but I think leaving on Thursday is just an especially bad idea. Not sure I can talk him out of it, but maybe there’s some advice I can give him from people who are in the affected areas? I’m particularly worried about the icy road part.
I don’t think the California to Ohio part will be a problem, though I don’t know what the mountains are like now. There are bad forecasts for the areas east of Ohio tomorrow and horrible forecasts for the New York area tomorrow. I’d definitely advise not going that far. But then realistically, I’d worried about how tired they be even with no storm. That’s a 50 hour drive at the speed limits. How far can he get?
My son is 24; his buddy is about the same age. They slept in the car most nights last year, and slept in a motel one night because the temperature was 1 degree below zero. I just read that the temp is 36 below in Montana? Yikes!
I dunno… I guess I’m worried that they might freeze in the car or something.
I’m only seeing snow flurries forecast in Ohio Thursday and Friday … a half inch max per day … then clear and cold …
New York looks even better … snow tomorrow but then clear and cold Friday onward …
I would encourage them NOT try and make it in 50 hours … that’s a 70 mph average … taking into account rest breaks and gas fill-ups, they have to be maintaining 80 or 85 on the freeway …
Granted: Less than ideal conditions and they’re young, but nothing described here sounds outrageous.
Wish them luck and let 'em make themselves happy… They’ll have fun and perhaps learn a thing or two.
If they stay on major highways they will probably be okay. If the police start shutting those down, then they should find shelter instead of heading on. Make sure they pack lots of food, water, and blankets in case they get stranded. Help will eventually get to them, but they may have to wait a while (overnight?) depending on various factors.
So long as “probably continue to New York” has room in it for “maybe not,” I’d guess they’ll be fine… forecasts are saying the cold temps will be in the far northeast, with New York getting down into the single digits with a bunch of snow and wind, so, whiteout conditions, but not Ice Station Zebra. Forecasts for Cheyenne, Chicago and Cincinnati say there’s nothing going on for the next few days, so they should certainly be able to make it as far as Ohio, which is the base plan, right?
That said, I drove from California (Berkeley, might be different coming up from the south) to Saint Paul last April and got stuck in Laramie for three days because of a blizzard…
Ethilrist: Nah, we’re in the East Bay too, same deal. Funny that they did the road trip last year in February and were fine, but you got caught in a blizzard in April.
Well, according to my most trusted Voice of Reason (that’s you guys) I am maybe worrying more than necessary. That’s a relief; I am grateful. After all, cars have heaters and stuff.
One more question though: is ice on the road likely to be significantly different from last year? Or will it probably be pretty much the same?
I suggest you discourage them from trying to sleep in the car. Not to scare you or anything, but a danger aside from freezing to death in the car is, possibly, dying of carbon monoxide poisoning if the engine is running but the exhaust pipe is obstructed by snow.
So if you can afford it, offer to pay for a motel room when necessary.
Just request (strongly but recognizing that they are adults) that they have overnight gear for the conditions and will also be careful and wish them a safe and happy trip. That will be always in their hearts no matter what, and no matter what happens, you recognizing their need for this. It is basically a pilgrimage, a point of growth and often has challenges.
What really matters here are funds. If they (you) cannot afford to put them up in a hotel every night if they need it, or if they (you) will be seriously stressed if they end up stranded in a hotel (which will be surprisingly expensive) for several days, then they shouldn’t go. If they will make poor judgments about seeking shelter because they can’t afford it, they shouldn’t go. If, on the the other hand, a situation where the trip ends up costing $500 more than planned is less than ideal but not the end of the world, then I think it’s safe.
The forecasts I’m seeing for Ohio call for bitter cold, but not much precipitation (and at these temperatures, any precipitation will be powdery, not slippery, anyway). And there’s been plenty of time for the roads to be cleared since the last time we had serious precipitation. So the driving wouldn’t actually be unsafe.
I would not, however, recommend sleeping in the car at any point in this trip. They should plan based on the assumption that they’ll have to rent a room every night.
Leaving from CA on Thursday means that this storm and its effects will be gone by the time they arrive. It will be cold, but the northeast knows how to deal with cold. It will be bad in Boston on Thursday, but your son won’t be anywhere near here for days.
Are they planning on driving 24 hours straight? If not, this weather will be long gone by the time they get anywhere near it.
Why would the temperature in Montana make a difference if they are leaving from California? I’d be more worried about if the car was prepared for winter travel. All season radials or snow tires as opposed to summer tires. Subzero coolant and windshield washer fluid. Even extreme cold without snow is not much of a driving difference than normal summer driving, as long as the vehicle is prepared for it. Next morning after a night at a hotel in subzero will let them know if the car battery is good or not. I’ve lived in the upper Midwest almost all my life and have NEVER used tire chains. I’m not even sure they are legal for non-emergency vehicles here. I definitely know they won’t have clearance on my current car. My truck? probably. Another issue is how much snow and ice experience do the drivers have. Until the rust belt and after the Rockies, they shouldn’t run into much that an experienced winter driver would have seen before.
They’re going to all this trouble of driving cross country just to pick up a dog in Ohio? Are they aware that there are plenty of dogs already in California?