Next 7 departures
- SatOct 3
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 52–61°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Slight chance of light rain showers61°F Frederick7:45 AM EDT Partly sunny58°F Maryland–Pennsylvania line8:45 AM EDT Partly sunny55°F Bedford9:30 AM EDT Partly sunny53°F I-70 south of Ligonier10 AM EDT Mostly sunny52°F Pittsburgh11 AM EDT Sunny60°F - SunOct 4
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 55–65°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Chance of light rain showers61°F Frederick7:45 AM EDT Chance of light rain showers59°F Maryland–Pennsylvania line8:45 AM EDT Light rain showers likely56°F Bedford9:30 AM EDT Chance of light rain showers56°F I-70 south of Ligonier10 AM EDT Chance of light rain showers55°F Pittsburgh11 AM EDT Mostly cloudy65°F - MonOct 5
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 52–62°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Mostly cloudy60°F Frederick7:45 AM EDT Partly sunny58°F Maryland–Pennsylvania line8:45 AM EDT Partly sunny54°F Bedford9:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny55°F I-70 south of Ligonier10 AM EDT Partly sunny52°F Pittsburgh11 AM EDT Mostly sunny62°F - TueOct 6
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 43–56°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Sunny48°F Frederick7:45 AM EDT Sunny45°F Maryland–Pennsylvania line8:45 AM EDT Sunny43°F Bedford9:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny43°F I-70 south of Ligonier10 AM EDT Mostly sunny43°F Pittsburgh11 AM EDT Sunny56°F - WedOct 7
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 41–59°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Sunny46°F Frederick7:45 AM EDT Sunny43°F Maryland–Pennsylvania line8:45 AM EDT Sunny41°F Bedford9:30 AM EDT Sunny46°F I-70 south of Ligonier10 AM EDT Sunny49°F Pittsburgh11 AM EDT Sunny59°F - ThuOct 8
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 45–63°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Mostly sunny49°F Frederick7:45 AM EDT Mostly sunny47°F Maryland–Pennsylvania line8:45 AM EDT Sunny45°F Bedford9:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny49°F I-70 south of Ligonier10 AM EDT Mostly sunny52°F Pittsburgh11 AM EDT Mostly sunny63°F - FriOct 9
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 48–63°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Mostly sunny52°F Frederick7:45 AM EDT Mostly sunny50°F Maryland–Pennsylvania line8:45 AM EDT Mostly sunny48°F Bedford9:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny52°F I-70 south of Ligonier10 AM EDT Mostly sunny53°F Pittsburgh11 AM EDT Mostly sunny63°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 Washington (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.
- Washington, DCStart 23 ftelevation
- Frederick, MDMile 44 · 52 min 298 ftelevation
- Maryland–Pennsylvania lineState line · Mile 97 · 1 h 40 min 542 ftelevation
- Bedford, PAMile 136 · 2 h 23 min 1,103 ftelevation
- I-70 south of Ligonier, PAMile 183 · 3 h 6 min 2,602 ftelevation
- Pittsburgh, PAMile 242 · 4 h 6 min 740 ftelevation
Typical weather by month
Average daily highs and lows, and days with an inch or more of snow, at Washington, I-70 south of Ligonier and Pittsburgh.
| Month | Washington Reagan National Airport station · 10 ft | I-70 south of Ligonier Laurel Summit station · 2,730 ft | Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Airport station · 1,203 ft | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High / low °F | Snow days | High / low °F | Snow days | High / low °F | Snow days | |
| Jan | 45° / 30° | 1.3 | 31° / 14° | 11.7 | 36° / 21° | 4.4 |
| Feb | 48° / 32° | 1.3 | 34° / 16° | 10.1 | 40° / 23° | 3.9 |
| Mar | 57° / 39° | 0.6 | 43° / 23° | 6.5 | 49° / 30° | 2.3 |
| Apr | 68° / 48° | 0 | 56° / 34° | 2.3 | 62° / 41° | 0.3 |
| May | 77° / 58° | 0 | 65° / 45° | 0.1 | 72° / 51° | 0 |
| Jun | 85° / 68° | 0 | 71° / 53° | 0 | 79° / 59° | 0 |
| Jul | 90° / 72° | 0 | 75° / 58° | 0 | 83° / 63° | 0 |
| Aug | 88° / 71° | 0 | 74° / 57° | 0 | 82° / 62° | 0 |
| Sep | 81° / 64° | 0 | 68° / 51° | 0 | 75° / 55° | 0 |
| Oct | 69° / 52° | 0 | 58° / 39° | 0.6 | 63° / 44° | 0.1 |
| Nov | 58° / 42° | 0 | 46° / 29° | 2.5 | 51° / 34° | 0.7 |
| Dec | 49° / 35° | 0.5 | 35° / 20° | 7.8 | 41° / 27° | 2.8 |
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020: WASHINGTON REAGAN AP (USW00013743, 10 ft); LAUREL SUMMIT (USC00364839, 2,730 ft); PITTSBURGH INTL AP (USW00094823, 1,203 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 District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania rather than repeat them.
- District of Columbia · DDOTDDOT traffic advisories and closures
- Maryland · MDOT SHACHART traffic and road conditions
- Pennsylvania · PennDOT511PA 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 Washington to Pittsburgh 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 Washington to Pittsburgh?
242 miles, about 4 hours of driving without stops, by way of I-70. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.
What is the highest point on the drive?
On I-70 south of Ligonier, at 2,602 ft. It comes at mile 183, about 3 h 6 min of driving after you leave Washington.
Does it snow on I-70 south of Ligonier in November?
The nearest long-term NOAA station, Laurel Summit (2,730 ft), averages 8.1 inches of snow in November, with about 3 days of 1 inch or more (1991–2020 normals).
How cold is Pittsburgh in January?
The nearest long-term NOAA station, Pittsburgh Airport (1,203 ft), averages a high of 36°F and a low of 21°F in January (1991–2020 normals).