Next 7 departures
- SatOct 3
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 44–70°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Chicago7 AM CDT Sunny53°F Channahon8 AM CDT Patchy fog44°F Bloomington9:15 AM CDT Sunny52°F Springfield10:15 AM CDT Sunny58°F Hannibal11:45 AM CDT Sunny60°F Chillicothe1:45 PM CDT Sunny67°F I-35 east of Plattsburg2:30 PM CDT Sunny68°F Kansas City3 PM CDT Sunny70°F - SunOct 4
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 48–74°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Chicago7 AM CDT Mostly sunny52°F Channahon8 AM CDT Mostly sunny48°F Bloomington9:15 AM CDT Sunny57°F Springfield10:15 AM CDT Mostly sunny64°F Hannibal11:45 AM CDT Sunny64°F Chillicothe1:45 PM CDT Sunny71°F I-35 east of Plattsburg2:30 PM CDT Sunny72°F Kansas City3 PM CDT Sunny74°F - MonOct 5
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 46–70°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Chicago7 AM CDT Sunny54°F Channahon8 AM CDT Sunny46°F Bloomington9:15 AM CDT Sunny55°F Springfield10:15 AM CDT Sunny60°F Hannibal11:45 AM CDT Sunny61°F Chillicothe1:45 PM CDT Sunny67°F I-35 east of Plattsburg2:30 PM CDT Sunny68°F Kansas City3 PM CDT Sunny70°F - TueOct 6
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 43–74°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Chicago7 AM CDT Sunny51°F Channahon8 AM CDT Sunny43°F Bloomington9:15 AM CDT Sunny53°F Springfield10:15 AM CDT Sunny59°F Hannibal11:45 AM CDT Sunny63°F Chillicothe1:45 PM CDT Mostly sunny71°F I-35 east of Plattsburg2:30 PM CDT Mostly sunny73°F Kansas City3 PM CDT Mostly sunny74°F - WedOct 7
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 49–78°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Chicago7 AM CDT Mostly sunny54°F Channahon8 AM CDT Mostly sunny49°F Bloomington9:15 AM CDT Mostly sunny57°F Springfield10:15 AM CDT Mostly sunny64°F Hannibal11:45 AM CDT Mostly sunny68°F Chillicothe1:45 PM CDT Sunny75°F I-35 east of Plattsburg2:30 PM CDT Sunny77°F Kansas City3 PM CDT Sunny78°F - ThuOct 8
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 51–79°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Chicago7 AM CDT Mostly sunny56°F Channahon8 AM CDT Mostly sunny51°F Bloomington9:15 AM CDT Mostly sunny60°F Springfield10:15 AM CDT Mostly sunny66°F Hannibal11:45 AM CDT Mostly sunny69°F Chillicothe1:45 PM CDT Mostly sunny76°F I-35 east of Plattsburg2:30 PM CDT Sunny77°F Kansas City3 PM CDT Sunny79°F - FriOct 9
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 52–79°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Chicago7 AM CDT Mostly sunny56°F Channahon8 AM CDT Mostly sunny52°F Bloomington9:15 AM CDT Sunny61°F Springfield10:15 AM CDT Sunny68°F Hannibal11:45 AM CDT Sunny70°F Chillicothe1:45 PM CDT Sunny76°F I-35 east of Plattsburg2:30 PM CDT Sunny77°F Kansas City3 PM CDT Sunny79°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 Chicago (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.
- Chicago, ILStart 594 ftelevation
- Channahon, ILMile 49 · 54 min 533 ftelevation
- Bloomington, ILMile 136 · 2 h 13 min 825 ftelevation
- Springfield, ILMile 198 · 3 h 10 min 597 ftelevation
- Hannibal, MOMile 301 · 4 h 43 min 505 ftelevation
- Chillicothe, MOMile 422 · 6 h 41 min 794 ftelevation
- I-35 east of Plattsburg, MOMile 475 · 7 h 32 min 1,062 ftelevation
- Kansas City, MOMile 510 · 8 h 7 min 910 ftelevation
Typical weather by month
Average daily highs and lows, and days with an inch or more of snow, at Chicago, Springfield and Kansas City.
| Month | Chicago 658 ft | Springfield Springfield Abraham Lincoln Ca station · 594 ft | Kansas City 1,005 ft | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High / low °F | Snow days | High / low °F | Snow days | High / low °F | Snow days | |
| Jan | 32° / 19° | 3.6 | 36° / 20° | 2.1 | 38° / 20° | 1.7 |
| Feb | 36° / 22° | 3.1 | 41° / 24° | 1.7 | 44° / 24° | 1.5 |
| Mar | 47° / 31° | 1.5 | 53° / 33° | 0.7 | 55° / 34° | 0.5 |
| Apr | 59° / 40° | 0.4 | 66° / 43° | 0.1 | 66° / 44° | 0.2 |
| May | 71° / 51° | 0 | 76° / 54° | 0 | 75° / 54° | 0 |
| Jun | 80° / 61° | 0 | 84° / 63° | 0 | 84° / 64° | 0 |
| Jul | 85° / 66° | 0 | 87° / 66° | 0 | 88° / 68° | 0 |
| Aug | 83° / 65° | 0 | 85° / 64° | 0 | 87° / 66° | 0 |
| Sep | 76° / 57° | 0 | 80° / 56° | 0 | 79° / 58° | 0 |
| Oct | 63° / 45° | 0.1 | 67° / 45° | 0 | 67° / 46° | 0.1 |
| Nov | 48° / 34° | 0.5 | 53° / 34° | 0.4 | 54° / 34° | 0.3 |
| Dec | 37° / 24° | 2.2 | 41° / 25° | 1.2 | 42° / 24° | 1.5 |
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020: CHICAGO OHARE INTL AP (USW00094846, 658 ft); SPRINGFIELD CAPITAL AP (USW00093822, 594 ft); KANSAS CITY INTL AP (USW00003947, 1,005 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 Illinois and Missouri rather than repeat them.
- Illinois · IDOTGetting Around Illinois road conditions
- Missouri · MoDOTTraveler information map
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 Chicago to Kansas City 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 Chicago to Kansas City?
510 miles, about 8 hours of driving without stops, by way of I-55, I-72 and US-36. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.
What is the highest point on the drive?
On I-35 east of Plattsburg, at 1,062 ft. It comes at mile 475, about 7 h 32 min of driving after you leave Chicago.
How cold is Kansas City in January?
Kansas City averages a high of 38°F and a low of 20°F in January (1991–2020 normals).