Orbit Road-trip weather · Christmas
Christmas travel weather on the drive
Christmas is Friday, December 25, 2026. Most people drive in the two days before Christmas and head home the day after. Here's the National Weather Service forecast along popular drives for the times most people leave, town by town, at the time you'd get there.
The forecasts open about a week out, from Thursday, December 17. This page fills in on its own then. Meanwhile, check any drive on the road-trip weather page.
| Drive | Dec 23, 7 AM | Dec 24, 7 AM | Dec 26, 10 AM, coming home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit to ChicagoI-94 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Detroit to Grand RapidsI-96 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Detroit to Traverse CityI-75 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Detroit to Mackinaw CityI-75 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Detroit to ClevelandI-75 and I-80/90 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Detroit to ColumbusUS-23 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Detroit to CincinnatiI-75 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Detroit to IndianapolisI-94 and I-69 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Grand Rapids to ChicagoI-196 and I-94 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Chicago to MilwaukeeI-94 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Chicago to IndianapolisI-65 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Chicago to St. LouisI-55 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Chicago to MinneapolisI-90 and I-94 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Los Angeles to Las VegasI-15 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Los Angeles to San FranciscoI-5 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Phoenix to Los AngelesI-10 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| New York to WashingtonI-95 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| New York to BostonI-95, I-84 and I-90 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Philadelphia to Pittsburghthe Pennsylvania Turnpike | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Dallas to HoustonI-45 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Dallas to AustinI-35 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Atlanta to OrlandoI-75 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Nashville to AtlantaI-24 and I-75 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Seattle to PortlandI-5 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
| Denver to Colorado SpringsI-25 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 | From Dec 17 |
"Coming home" is the same drive the other way. Each cell is the worst weather on the drive leaving at that time, from the NWS hourly forecast for each town when you'd reach it. Open a drive for every town and the temperatures.
Driving in Michigan? The best and worst times to leave on 21 Michigan drives →
Your own drive
Leave at the right timeOrbit watches the weather on your route and tells you when leaving a little earlier or later would miss the snow or the storm.
See route weather →