Planning to travel today or this week? Here’s what could impact your route – and what you should do.
- Heavy snow and near-blizzard conditions hitting the Sierra Nevada through Wednesday
- Dangerous crosswinds across the West from California to Nevada — gusts up to 60+ mph
- Severe thunderstorms building across the Plains and Midwest Wednesday and especially Thursday
What this means for your trip
- If you’re crossing the Sierra or higher mountain routes in California, time your travel on or after midday Wednesday.
- For those traveling across the higher passes in the northern Rockies, travel today, or be prepared to wait until Friday or later for a snow-free passage.
- Winds peak this afternoon across southern California and Nevada; high winds peak in the Rockies on Wednesday afternoon and again Thursday afternoon. Avoid these times & locations to stay out of the worst of the cross-winds.
- If you’re traveling across the central Plains or Midwest on Wednesday evening or Thursday, expect conditions to change quickly and be prepared to delay departure or stop early if storms begin to organize along your route. Severe thunderstorms will be more numerous and likely stronger on Thursday than on Wednesday.
Your route’s weather may vary from the general forecast — check your exact trip
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Want a deeper look at conditions?
Below are the latest alerts and travel impacts across the country.
For real-time updates, scroll to the graphics below or visit the Weather Hub.
Weather Impacts Pacific:
— Greater Lake Tahoe, Mono County, northeastern Trinity County, and the higher terrain of southern Siskiyou County near the Trinity Alps: Winter Weather Advisory from this morning through Wednesday evening for Tahoe and Mono County, and through late morning for Trinity and southern Siskiyou County, with 4 to 12 inches of snow above pass level, locally higher totals, and gusts up to 60 mph. Slick roads and slower mountain travel are expected. US-395, US-50, CA-89, CA-3, and CA-120 impacted.
— Northern and central Sierra Nevada from Lassen Volcanic National Park and the Tahoe Sierra south to Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite high country: Winter Storm Warning above 5000 feet through Wednesday evening with 12 to 18 inches of snow, locally 2 feet on the highest peaks, and gusts 50 to 75 mph. Snow levels initially 6000 to 7000 feet tonight, lowering to 5500 to 6500 feet Tuesday, and down to 4500 to 5500 feet Wednesday. Heaviest snowfall expected this afternoon and evening with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour. I-80, US-50, CA-70, CA-89, and CA-168 impacted.
— Northern and western Nevada from Elko County south to Pyramid Lake and Walker Lake: Wind Advisory from late morning through late tonight with south to southwest winds 20 to 30 mph and gusts 45 to 55 mph, locally 65 mph near Walker Lake. Difficult crosswinds and pockets of blowing dust may reduce visibility on exposed desert routes. I-80, US-50, US-93, US-95, and US-6 impacted.
— Central Nevada into Death Valley National Park: High Wind Warning from late morning through late tonight with south winds 30 to 45 mph and gusts up to 60 mph. Hazardous crosswinds for high-profile vehicles and areas of blowing dust may make travel difficult. US-6, US-50, US-93, US-95, and CA-168 impacted.
— Interior Los Angeles County through the Mojave Desert, San Bernardino and Riverside County mountains, San Diego County mountains and deserts, San Gorgonio Pass, and southwest Imperial County: Wind Advisory from this afternoon into Wednesday morning, with Mojave Desert Slopes continuing through Wednesday evening, bringing west to southwest winds 20 to 35 mph and gusts 45 to 65 mph. Hazardous crosswinds for high-profile vehicles and difficult travel through exposed passes and deserts are expected. I-5, I-8, I-10, I-15, CA-14 and CA-58 impacted.
— Southern Nevada, southeast California, northwest Arizona, Owens Valley, the eastern Sierra slopes, White and Inyo Mountains, and Lincoln County: Wind Advisory this afternoon through late tonight with south to southwest winds 20 to 35 mph and gusts 45 to 50 mph. Hazardous crosswinds for RVs are likely on exposed desert routes. I-11, I-15, I-40, US-93, and US-395 impacted.
Weather Impacts Mountain:
— The Arco-Mud Lake Desert in eastern Idaho: Wind Advisory Wednesday midday through Thursday morning with southwest winds 25 to 35 mph and gusts up to 45 mph. Difficult crosswinds are expected for larger vehicles. I-15, US-20, US-26, and US-93 impacted.
— Central and south-central Montana mountain and gap areas from the Big Belt and Bridger ranges to Judith Gap: Winter Storm Watch from Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon with 3 to 10 inches of snow and gusts 50 to 55 mph. Snow-covered passes, blowing snow, and slick travel are possible. I-90, US-12, US-87, US-89, and US-191 impacted.
— Eastern Idaho and western Wyoming mountains including Yellowstone National Park, the Tetons, Togwotee Pass, Teton Pass, and Salt River Pass: Winter Weather Advisory beginning Wednesday midday through Friday morning with 2 to 14 inches of snow, locally 18 inches in the Tetons, and gusts 40 to 50 mph. Difficult mountain travel and snow-covered passes are expected. US-20, US-26, US-89, US-191, and US-287 impacted.
— Southeast Wyoming from Carbon County and Converse County to the Bordeaux area, central Laramie County, and the I-80 Summit between Cheyenne and Laramie: High Wind Watch from Wednesday morning through Thursday evening with west to southwest winds 25 to 50 mph and gusts 60 to 80 mph. Hazardous crosswinds for high-profile vehicles are likely, especially on exposed summit and gap routes. I-80, I-25, US-30, US-287, and US-85 impacted.
— Southwest Utah through western Colorado and east-central Utah: Wind Advisory from late this morning in Utah and Wednesday morning in Colorado through Wednesday evening, with south to southwest winds 20 to 35 mph and gusts 50 to 55 mph. Hazardous crosswinds for high-profile vehicles are expected on exposed desert and plateau routes. I-15, I-70, I-80, US-6, and US-50 impacted.
— Northwest, north-central, and south-central Colorado into southeast Wyoming and the Nebraska Panhandle: Red Flag Warning beginning late this morning in southeast Wyoming and Wednesday morning in Colorado, with humidity as low as 4 to 19 percent and gusts 35 to 60 mph. Fire danger will be high to extreme, and any fire start could spread rapidly near major travel routes. I-25, I-70, I-76, US-40, and US-287 impacted.
Weather Impacts Central:
— The lower Ohio Valley from southeast Missouri and southern Illinois into western Kentucky and southwest Indiana: Elevated wildfire conditions this afternoon with south winds 15 to 20 mph, gusts around 30 mph, and humidity 25 to 35 percent. Any roadside fire start could spread quickly in dry vegetation. I-24, I-55, I-57, I-64, and I-69 impacted.
— Parts of central and northern Texas north through western Oklahoma, western Kansas, eastern Colorado, much of Nebraska and Wyoming, and central and western South Dakota: A few severe thunderstorms are possible Wednesday late afternoon into evening, with hail and gusty winds the main threats. Sudden strong crosswinds, brief downpours, and localized hail may create rapidly changing travel conditions. I-20, I-27, I-40, I-70, and I-80 potentially impacted.
— From northern Oklahoma and Arkansas north through eastern Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, southern Minnesota, Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and parts of the Dakotas: Scattered severe thunderstorms are expected Thursday, with large hail to very large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes possible. The greatest risk of severe weather will be from central and eastern Kansas through central and eastern Nebraska into central and western Iowa and southern Minnesota. I-35, I-44, I-70, I-80, and I-90 impacted.
Weather Impacts Eastern:
— Inland and west-central Florida through east-central and northeast Florida: Red Flag Warning from late this morning through late evening with northeast to east winds 10 to 20 mph, gusts 25 to 30 mph, and humidity as low as 21 to 35 percent. Any fire start could spread rapidly, and smoke may reduce visibility near roadways. I-4, I-10, I-75, I-95, and US-301 impacted.
Looking for real-time road conditions? Here’s a link, courtesy of the Federal Highway Administration, to all the individual State 511 websites.
Your route’s weather may vary from the general forecast — check your exact trip
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Selected travel-relevant Weather Graphics
Graphics for Today
Current Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Watches from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center
Hail Size Forecast for today and tomorrow
Wildfire Smoke Forecast for today and tomorrow
Graphics for Tomorrow
National Weather Map for the Day after Tomorrow
Three-day Summaries
Day 3 – Day 7 U.S. Significant Weather Outlook
Access to real-time road information:
Phone numbers and websites for road conditions in all 50 states. Courtesy of the Cheyenne WY Weather Forecast Office
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