Next 7 departures
- SatOct 3
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 63–70°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Charlotte7 AM EDT Patchy fog70°F Salisbury7:45 AM EDT Partly sunny67°F Greensboro8:30 AM EDT Mostly cloudy68°F Durham9:15 AM EDT Mostly cloudy70°F Henderson9:45 AM EDT Mostly cloudy68°F North Carolina–Virginia line10:15 AM EDT Cloudy69°F Richmond11:30 AM EDT Chance of light rain showers64°F Fredericksburg12:30 PM EDT Chance of light rain showers63°F Washington1:15 PM EDT Chance of light rain showers68°F - SunOct 4
CautionRain showers near Durham around 9:15 AM EDT.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Charlotte7 AM EDT Rain showers62°F Salisbury7:45 AM EDT Light rain showers60°F Greensboro8:30 AM EDT Rain showers60°F Durham9:15 AM EDT Rain showers63°F Henderson9:45 AM EDT Rain showers62°F North Carolina–Virginia line10:15 AM EDT Rain showers64°F Richmond11:30 AM EDT Rain showers likely64°F Fredericksburg12:30 PM EDT Rain showers66°F Washington1:15 PM EDT Rain showers65°F - MonOct 5
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 60–71°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Charlotte7 AM EDT Chance of light rain showers62°F Salisbury7:45 AM EDT Slight chance of light rain showers60°F Greensboro8:30 AM EDT Cloudy62°F Durham9:15 AM EDT Cloudy63°F Henderson9:45 AM EDT Cloudy63°F North Carolina–Virginia line10:15 AM EDT Cloudy66°F Richmond11:30 AM EDT Mostly cloudy68°F Fredericksburg12:30 PM EDT Partly sunny70°F Washington1:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny71°F - TueOct 6
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 52–60°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Charlotte7 AM EDT Mostly sunny55°F Salisbury7:45 AM EDT Mostly sunny52°F Greensboro8:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny53°F Durham9:15 AM EDT Mostly sunny55°F Henderson9:45 AM EDT Mostly sunny54°F North Carolina–Virginia line10:15 AM EDT Mostly sunny57°F Richmond11:30 AM EDT Sunny59°F Fredericksburg12:30 PM EDT Sunny60°F Washington1:15 PM EDT Sunny60°F - WedOct 7
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 44–64°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Charlotte7 AM EDT Mostly sunny47°F Salisbury7:45 AM EDT Mostly sunny44°F Greensboro8:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny45°F Durham9:15 AM EDT Mostly sunny51°F Henderson9:45 AM EDT Mostly sunny50°F North Carolina–Virginia line10:15 AM EDT Mostly sunny56°F Richmond11:30 AM EDT Sunny61°F Fredericksburg12:30 PM EDT Mostly sunny64°F Washington1:15 PM EDT Sunny64°F - ThuOct 8
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 45–68°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Charlotte7 AM EDT Mostly sunny48°F Salisbury7:45 AM EDT Mostly sunny45°F Greensboro8:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny48°F Durham9:15 AM EDT Mostly sunny53°F Henderson9:45 AM EDT Mostly sunny53°F North Carolina–Virginia line10:15 AM EDT Mostly sunny59°F Richmond11:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny64°F Fredericksburg12:30 PM EDT Mostly sunny67°F Washington1:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny68°F - FriOct 9
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 48–70°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Charlotte7 AM EDT Partly sunny50°F Salisbury7:45 AM EDT Partly sunny48°F Greensboro8:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny51°F Durham9:15 AM EDT Mostly sunny56°F Henderson9:45 AM EDT Partly sunny56°F North Carolina–Virginia line10:15 AM EDT Partly sunny62°F Richmond11:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny66°F Fredericksburg12:30 PM EDT Mostly sunny69°F Washington1:15 PM EDT Mostly sunny70°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 Charlotte (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.
- Charlotte, NCStart 764 ftelevation
- Salisbury, NCMile 40 · 42 min 767 ftelevation
- Greensboro, NCMile 89 · 1 h 27 min 824 ftelevation
- Durham, NCMile 141 · 2 h 17 min 400 ftelevation
- Henderson, NCMile 178 · 2 h 52 min 510 ftelevation
- North Carolina–Virginia lineState line · Mile 197 · 3 h 9 min 237 ftelevation
- Richmond, VAMile 289 · 4 h 36 min 147 ftelevation
- Fredericksburg, VAMile 345 · 5 h 30 min 39 ftelevation
- Washington, DCMile 396 · 6 h 22 min 23 ftelevation
Typical weather by month
Average daily highs and lows, and monthly rain, at Charlotte, Greensboro and Washington.
| Month | Charlotte Charlotte Douglas station · 728 ft | Greensboro 890 ft | Washington Reagan National Airport station · 10 ft | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High / low °F | Precip (in) | High / low °F | Precip (in) | High / low °F | Precip (in) | |
| Jan | 52° / 32° | 3.5 | 49° / 30° | 3.4 | 45° / 30° | 2.9 |
| Feb | 57° / 35° | 3.1 | 53° / 33° | 2.8 | 48° / 32° | 2.6 |
| Mar | 64° / 41° | 4.0 | 61° / 39° | 3.7 | 57° / 39° | 3.5 |
| Apr | 73° / 49° | 3.8 | 71° / 48° | 3.8 | 68° / 48° | 3.2 |
| May | 80° / 58° | 3.4 | 78° / 57° | 3.5 | 77° / 58° | 3.9 |
| Jun | 87° / 66° | 4.0 | 85° / 65° | 4.1 | 85° / 68° | 4.2 |
| Jul | 90° / 70° | 3.7 | 89° / 69° | 4.2 | 90° / 72° | 4.3 |
| Aug | 89° / 69° | 4.3 | 87° / 68° | 4.4 | 88° / 71° | 3.2 |
| Sep | 83° / 63° | 3.7 | 80° / 62° | 4.6 | 81° / 64° | 3.9 |
| Oct | 73° / 50° | 3.2 | 71° / 49° | 3.1 | 69° / 52° | 3.7 |
| Nov | 63° / 40° | 3.3 | 61° / 39° | 3.3 | 58° / 42° | 2.9 |
| Dec | 55° / 35° | 3.6 | 52° / 33° | 3.2 | 49° / 35° | 3.4 |
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020: CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS AP (USW00013881, 728 ft); PIEDMONT TRIAD INTL AP (USW00013723, 890 ft); WASHINGTON REAGAN AP (USW00013743, 10 ft). Precipitation is the monthly total of rain and melted snow, in inches. “—” 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 North Carolina, Virginia and District of Columbia rather than repeat them.
- 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 Charlotte 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 Charlotte to Washington?
396 miles, about 6½ hours of driving without stops, by way of I-85 and I-95. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.
What is the wettest month in Washington?
July. The nearest long-term NOAA station, Reagan National Airport (10 ft), averages 4.3 inches of rain and melted snow that month (1991–2020 normals).
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).