Next 7 departures
- TueOct 13
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 57–83°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Atlanta7 AM EDT Sunny61°F I-85 near Duluth7:30 AM EDT Sunny59°F Georgia–South Carolina line8:30 AM EDT Sunny57°F Greenville9:15 AM EDT Sunny61°F Charlotte11 AM EDT Sunny68°F Greensboro12:15 PM EDT Sunny75°F Durham1:15 PM EDT Sunny81°F Henderson1:45 PM EDT Sunny80°F Richmond3:30 PM EDT Mostly sunny83°F Fredericksburg4:15 PM EDT Sunny82°F Washington5:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny80°F - WedOct 14
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 60–89°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Atlanta7 AM EDT Sunny61°F I-85 near Duluth7:30 AM EDT Sunny60°F Georgia–South Carolina line8:30 AM EDT Sunny60°F Greenville9:15 AM EDT Sunny64°F Charlotte11 AM EDT Sunny70°F Greensboro12:15 PM EDT Sunny79°F Durham1:15 PM EDT Sunny84°F Henderson1:45 PM EDT Sunny83°F Richmond3:30 PM EDT Sunny89°F Fredericksburg4:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny86°F Washington5:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny83°F - ThuOct 15
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 62–84°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Atlanta7 AM EDT Sunny63°F I-85 near Duluth7:30 AM EDT Sunny62°F Georgia–South Carolina line8:30 AM EDT Sunny62°F Greenville9:15 AM EDT Sunny67°F Charlotte11 AM EDT Sunny72°F Greensboro12:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny80°F Durham1:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny84°F Henderson1:45 PM EDT Mostly sunny81°F Richmond3:30 PM EDT Mostly cloudy75°F Fredericksburg4:15 PM EDT Slight chance of light rain showers72°F Washington5:15 PM EDT Slight chance of light rain showers70°F - FriOct 16
CautionGusts to 30 mph near Richmond around 3:30 PM EDT. Also at 1 other checkpoint.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Atlanta7 AM EDT Sunny65°F I-85 near Duluth7:30 AM EDT Sunny64°F Georgia–South Carolina line8:30 AM EDT Sunny64°F Greenville9:15 AM EDT Mostly sunny67°F Charlotte11 AM EDT Mostly sunny72°F Greensboro12:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny78°F Durham1:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny83°F Henderson1:45 PM EDT Partly sunny82°F Richmond3:30 PM EDT Slight chance of thunderstorms83°F Fredericksburg4:15 PM EDT Chance of light rain showers78°F Washington5:15 PM EDT Chance of light rain showers74°F - SatOct 17
CautionGusts to 32 mph near Washington around 5:15 PM EDT.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Atlanta7 AM EDT Mostly sunny53°F I-85 near Duluth7:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny51°F Georgia–South Carolina line8:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny52°F Greenville9:15 AM EDT Mostly sunny52°F Charlotte11 AM EDT Mostly sunny54°F Greensboro12:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny56°F Durham1:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny60°F Henderson1:45 PM EDT Partly sunny58°F Richmond3:30 PM EDT Mostly sunny59°F Fredericksburg4:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny56°F Washington5:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny54°F - SunOct 18
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 45–61°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Atlanta7 AM EDT Sunny48°F I-85 near Duluth7:30 AM EDT Sunny45°F Georgia–South Carolina line8:30 AM EDT Sunny45°F Greenville9:15 AM EDT Sunny45°F Charlotte11 AM EDT Sunny48°F Greensboro12:15 PM EDT Sunny54°F Durham1:15 PM EDT Sunny59°F Henderson1:45 PM EDT Mostly sunny58°F Richmond3:30 PM EDT Sunny61°F Fredericksburg4:15 PM EDT Sunny59°F Washington5:15 PM EDT Sunny57°F - MonOct 19
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 46–67°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Atlanta7 AM EDT Mostly sunny49°F I-85 near Duluth7:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny46°F Georgia–South Carolina line8:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny46°F Greenville9:15 AM EDT Mostly sunny49°F Charlotte11 AM EDT Sunny52°F Greensboro12:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny61°F Durham1:15 PM EDT Sunny67°F Henderson1:45 PM EDT Mostly sunny66°F Richmond3:30 PM EDT Mostly sunny67°F Fredericksburg4:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny66°F Washington5:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny64°F
The worst conditions expected at any checkpoint, timed to when you would reach it driving without stops. Levels use Road Travel’s driving-risk scale.
The route, stop by stop
Checkpoints in order, with driving time from Atlanta (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.
- Atlanta, GAStart 1,047 ftelevation
- I-85 near Duluth, GAMile 27 · 28 min 1,110 ftelevation
- Georgia–South Carolina lineState line · Mile 97 · 1 h 31 min 679 ftelevation
- Greenville, SCMile 143 · 2 h 17 min 975 ftelevation
- Charlotte, NCMile 242 · 3 h 55 min 764 ftelevation
- Greensboro, NCMile 330 · 5 h 17 min 824 ftelevation
- Durham, NCMile 381 · 6 h 8 min 400 ftelevation
- Henderson, NCMile 418 · 6 h 42 min 510 ftelevation
- Richmond, VAMile 529 · 8 h 27 min 147 ftelevation
- Fredericksburg, VAMile 585 · 9 h 20 min 39 ftelevation
- Washington, DCMile 636 · 10 h 13 min 23 ftelevation
Typical weather by month
Average daily highs and lows, and days with an inch or more of snow, at Atlanta, Charlotte and Washington.
| Month | Atlanta 1,010 ft | Charlotte Charlotte Douglas station · 728 ft | Washington Reagan National Airport station · 10 ft | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High / low °F | Snow days | High / low °F | Snow days | High / low °F | Snow days | |
| Jan | 54° / 36° | 0.4 | 52° / 32° | 0.5 | 45° / 30° | 1.3 |
| Feb | 58° / 39° | 0.1 | 57° / 35° | 0.3 | 48° / 32° | 1.3 |
| Mar | 66° / 45° | 0.1 | 64° / 41° | 0.1 | 57° / 39° | 0.6 |
| Apr | 74° / 53° | 0 | 73° / 49° | 0 | 68° / 48° | 0 |
| May | 81° / 61° | 0 | 80° / 58° | 0 | 77° / 58° | 0 |
| Jun | 87° / 69° | 0 | 87° / 66° | 0 | 85° / 68° | 0 |
| Jul | 90° / 72° | 0 | 90° / 70° | 0 | 90° / 72° | 0 |
| Aug | 89° / 71° | 0 | 89° / 69° | 0 | 88° / 71° | 0 |
| Sep | 84° / 66° | 0 | 83° / 63° | 0 | 81° / 64° | 0 |
| Oct | 74° / 55° | 0 | 73° / 50° | 0 | 69° / 52° | 0 |
| Nov | 64° / 44° | 0 | 63° / 40° | 0 | 58° / 42° | 0 |
| Dec | 56° / 38° | 0.2 | 55° / 35° | 0.1 | 49° / 35° | 0.5 |
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020: ATLANTA HARTSFIELD INTL AP (USW00013874, 1,010 ft); CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS AP (USW00013881, 728 ft); WASHINGTON REAGAN AP (USW00013743, 10 ft). Snow days are days with at least 1 inch of new snow. “—” means the station does not publish that normal.
Road conditions
Closures and chain rules change by the hour, so we link to the official reports for Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and District of Columbia rather than repeat them.
- Georgia · GDOT511GA road conditions
- South Carolina · SCDOT511SC road conditions
- North Carolina · NCDOTDriveNC road conditions
- Virginia · VDOTVirginia 511 road conditions
- District of Columbia · DDOTDDOT traffic advisories and closures
Check the official National Weather Service forecast and each state's road report before you leave.
Get alerts timed to where you’ll be when you get there
Road Travel plans the drive from Atlanta to Washington with the forecast at every stretch for the hour you’ll reach it, then warns you about weather ahead while you drive.
Questions about this drive
How long is the drive from Atlanta to Washington?
636 miles, about 10 hours of driving without stops, by way of I-85. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.
What is the highest point on the drive?
On I-85 near Duluth, at 1,110 ft. It comes at mile 27, about 28 min of driving after you leave Atlanta.
How cold is Washington in January?
The nearest long-term NOAA station, Reagan National Airport (10 ft), averages a high of 45°F and a low of 30°F in January (1991–2020 normals).