Next 7 departures
- SatOct 3
CautionChance of thunderstorms near Baton Rouge around 11:15 AM CDT. Also at 2 other checkpoints.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Partly sunny78°F Beaumont8:30 AM CDT Mostly cloudy74°F Texas–Louisiana line8:45 AM CDT Mostly cloudy74°F Lake Charles9:15 AM CDT Mostly cloudy76°F Lafayette10:15 AM CDT Slight chance of thunderstorms80°F Baton Rouge11:15 AM CDT Chance of thunderstorms81°F LaPlace12 PM CDT Chance of thunderstorms81°F New Orleans12:30 PM CDT Chance of thunderstorms81°F - SunOct 4
CautionChance of thunderstorms near LaPlace around 12 PM CDT. Also at 1 other checkpoint.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Chance of light rain showers77°F Beaumont8:30 AM CDT Light rain showers likely72°F Texas–Louisiana line8:45 AM CDT Rain showers72°F Lake Charles9:15 AM CDT Rain showers74°F Lafayette10:15 AM CDT Rain showers77°F Baton Rouge11:15 AM CDT Rain showers78°F LaPlace12 PM CDT Chance of thunderstorms81°F New Orleans12:30 PM CDT Chance of thunderstorms81°F - MonOct 5
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 72–80°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Mostly cloudy75°F Beaumont8:30 AM CDT Mostly cloudy72°F Texas–Louisiana line8:45 AM CDT Mostly cloudy72°F Lake Charles9:15 AM CDT Slight chance of light rain showers73°F Lafayette10:15 AM CDT Chance of light rain showers76°F Baton Rouge11:15 AM CDT Chance of light rain showers78°F LaPlace12 PM CDT Chance of light rain showers79°F New Orleans12:30 PM CDT Chance of light rain showers80°F - TueOct 6
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 68–79°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Mostly sunny72°F Beaumont8:30 AM CDT Mostly sunny68°F Texas–Louisiana line8:45 AM CDT Mostly sunny69°F Lake Charles9:15 AM CDT Mostly sunny71°F Lafayette10:15 AM CDT Mostly sunny74°F Baton Rouge11:15 AM CDT Partly sunny77°F LaPlace12 PM CDT Slight chance of light rain showers79°F New Orleans12:30 PM CDT Chance of light rain showers79°F - WedOct 7
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 68–78°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Sunny70°F Beaumont8:30 AM CDT Sunny69°F Texas–Louisiana line8:45 AM CDT Mostly sunny68°F Lake Charles9:15 AM CDT Mostly sunny72°F Lafayette10:15 AM CDT Partly sunny76°F Baton Rouge11:15 AM CDT Partly sunny78°F LaPlace12 PM CDT Partly sunny78°F New Orleans12:30 PM CDT Partly sunny78°F - ThuOct 8
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 69–78°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Mostly sunny71°F Beaumont8:30 AM CDT Mostly sunny70°F Texas–Louisiana line8:45 AM CDT Mostly sunny69°F Lake Charles9:15 AM CDT Mostly sunny71°F Lafayette10:15 AM CDT Mostly sunny75°F Baton Rouge11:15 AM CDT Mostly sunny77°F LaPlace12 PM CDT Partly sunny78°F New Orleans12:30 PM CDT Partly sunny78°F - FriOct 9
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 69–80°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Mostly sunny71°F Beaumont8:30 AM CDT Mostly sunny69°F Texas–Louisiana line8:45 AM CDT Partly sunny69°F Lake Charles9:15 AM CDT Partly sunny71°F Lafayette10:15 AM CDT Mostly sunny76°F Baton Rouge11:15 AM CDT Partly sunny78°F LaPlace12 PM CDT Slight chance of light rain showers79°F New Orleans12:30 PM CDT Chance of light rain showers80°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 Houston (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.
- Houston, TXStart 36 ftelevation
- Beaumont, TXMile 87 · 1 h 25 min 18 ftelevation
- Texas–Louisiana lineState line · Mile 112 · 1 h 47 min 3 ftelevation
- Lake Charles, LAMile 143 · 2 h 16 min 12 ftelevation
- Lafayette, LAMile 215 · 3 h 21 min 36 ftelevation
- Baton Rouge, LAMile 267 · 4 h 12 min 49 ftelevation
- LaPlace, LAMile 320 · 5 h 1 min 6 ftelevation
- New Orleans, LAMile 349 · 5 h 34 min 11 ftelevation
Typical weather by month
Average daily highs and lows, and monthly rain, at Houston, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
| Month | Houston 95 ft | Baton Rouge 64 ft | New Orleans New Orleans Airport station · 4 ft | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High / low °F | Precip (in) | High / low °F | Precip (in) | High / low °F | Precip (in) | |
| Jan | 64° / 44° | 3.8 | 62° / 42° | 6.4 | 63° / 46° | 5.2 |
| Feb | 68° / 48° | 3.0 | 67° / 45° | 4.4 | 66° / 50° | 4.1 |
| Mar | 74° / 54° | 3.5 | 73° / 51° | 4.5 | 72° / 55° | 4.4 |
| Apr | 80° / 60° | 4.0 | 79° / 57° | 5.1 | 79° / 62° | 5.2 |
| May | 87° / 68° | 5.0 | 86° / 65° | 5.2 | 85° / 69° | 5.6 |
| Jun | 92° / 74° | 6.0 | 91° / 72° | 6.5 | 90° / 75° | 7.6 |
| Jul | 95° / 76° | 3.8 | 92° / 74° | 5.1 | 91° / 77° | 6.8 |
| Aug | 95° / 75° | 4.8 | 92° / 73° | 6.4 | 91° / 77° | 6.9 |
| Sep | 90° / 71° | 4.7 | 89° / 69° | 4.4 | 88° / 74° | 5.1 |
| Oct | 83° / 61° | 5.5 | 81° / 58° | 4.8 | 81° / 64° | 3.7 |
| Nov | 73° / 52° | 3.9 | 71° / 48° | 3.9 | 71° / 54° | 3.9 |
| Dec | 65° / 46° | 4.0 | 64° / 43° | 5.3 | 65° / 48° | 4.8 |
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020: HOUSTON INTERCONT AP (USW00012960, 95 ft); BATON ROUGE RYAN AP (USW00013970, 64 ft); NEW ORLEANS INTL AP (USW00012916, 4 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 Texas and Louisiana rather than repeat them.
- Texas · TxDOTDriveTexas road conditions
- Louisiana · DOTD511LA road conditions
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 Houston to New Orleans 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 Houston to New Orleans?
349 miles, about 5½ hours of driving without stops, by way of I-10. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.
What is the wettest month in New Orleans?
June. The nearest long-term NOAA station, New Orleans Airport (4 ft), averages 7.6 inches of rain and melted snow that month (1991–2020 normals).
How cold is New Orleans in January?
The nearest long-term NOAA station, New Orleans Airport (4 ft), averages a high of 63°F and a low of 46°F in January (1991–2020 normals).