Next 7 departures
- TueOct 13
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 57–74°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Mostly sunny57°F Fredericksburg7:45 AM EDT Patchy fog57°F Richmond8:45 AM EDT Partly sunny57°F Virginia–North Carolina line10:15 AM EDT Sunny67°F Henderson10:30 AM EDT Sunny68°F Raleigh11:30 AM EDT Sunny74°F - WedOct 14
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 63–78°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Sunny64°F Fredericksburg7:45 AM EDT Sunny63°F Richmond8:45 AM EDT Sunny65°F Virginia–North Carolina line10:15 AM EDT Sunny74°F Henderson10:30 AM EDT Sunny73°F Raleigh11:30 AM EDT Sunny78°F - ThuOct 15
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 66–80°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Slight chance of light rain showers66°F Fredericksburg7:45 AM EDT Slight chance of light rain showers66°F Richmond8:45 AM EDT Partly sunny67°F Virginia–North Carolina line10:15 AM EDT Mostly sunny73°F Henderson10:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny73°F Raleigh11:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny80°F - FriOct 16
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 62–78°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Chance of light rain showers62°F Fredericksburg7:45 AM EDT Slight chance of light rain showers62°F Richmond8:45 AM EDT Partly sunny65°F Virginia–North Carolina line10:15 AM EDT Partly sunny73°F Henderson10:30 AM EDT Partly sunny72°F Raleigh11:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny78°F - SatOct 17
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 48–59°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Mostly sunny48°F Fredericksburg7:45 AM EDT Mostly sunny48°F Richmond8:45 AM EDT Mostly sunny51°F Virginia–North Carolina line10:15 AM EDT Mostly sunny55°F Henderson10:30 AM EDT Partly sunny54°F Raleigh11:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny59°F - SunOct 18
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 38–54°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Sunny39°F Fredericksburg7:45 AM EDT Sunny38°F Richmond8:45 AM EDT Sunny43°F Virginia–North Carolina line10:15 AM EDT Sunny49°F Henderson10:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny49°F Raleigh11:30 AM EDT Sunny54°F - MonOct 19
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 41–60°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Washington7 AM EDT Mostly sunny43°F Fredericksburg7:45 AM EDT Mostly sunny41°F Richmond8:45 AM EDT Mostly sunny45°F Virginia–North Carolina line10:15 AM EDT Mostly sunny55°F Henderson10:30 AM EDT Mostly sunny54°F Raleigh11:30 AM EDT Sunny60°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
- Fredericksburg, VAMile 51 · 52 min 39 ftelevation
- Richmond, VAMile 107 · 1 h 46 min 147 ftelevation
- Virginia–North Carolina lineState line · Mile 199 · 3 h 13 min 239 ftelevation
- Henderson, NCMile 218 · 3 h 31 min 510 ftelevation
- Raleigh, NCMile 261 · 4 h 23 min 362 ftelevation
Typical weather by month
Average daily highs and lows, and monthly rain, at Washington, Richmond and Raleigh.
| Month | Washington Reagan National Airport station · 10 ft | Richmond 164 ft | Raleigh 400 ft | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High / low °F | Precip (in) | High / low °F | Precip (in) | High / low °F | Precip (in) | |
| Jan | 45° / 30° | 2.9 | 48° / 29° | 3.2 | 52° / 32° | 3.6 |
| Feb | 48° / 32° | 2.6 | 52° / 30° | 2.6 | 55° / 33° | 2.9 |
| Mar | 57° / 39° | 3.5 | 60° / 37° | 4.0 | 63° / 40° | 4.2 |
| Apr | 68° / 48° | 3.2 | 70° / 46° | 3.2 | 72° / 49° | 3.6 |
| May | 77° / 58° | 3.9 | 78° / 56° | 4.0 | 80° / 58° | 4.0 |
| Jun | 85° / 68° | 4.2 | 86° / 65° | 4.6 | 87° / 66° | 4.9 |
| Jul | 90° / 72° | 4.3 | 90° / 69° | 4.4 | 91° / 70° | 4.7 |
| Aug | 88° / 71° | 3.2 | 88° / 68° | 4.9 | 89° / 69° | 4.7 |
| Sep | 81° / 64° | 3.9 | 81° / 61° | 4.6 | 82° / 63° | 5.7 |
| Oct | 69° / 52° | 3.7 | 71° / 49° | 3.4 | 73° / 51° | 3.9 |
| Nov | 58° / 42° | 2.9 | 60° / 39° | 3.1 | 62° / 41° | 3.5 |
| Dec | 49° / 35° | 3.4 | 52° / 32° | 3.5 | 55° / 35° | 3.7 |
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020: WASHINGTON REAGAN AP (USW00013743, 10 ft); RICHMOND INTL AP (USW00013740, 164 ft); RALEIGH STATE UNIV (USC00317079, 400 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 District of Columbia, Virginia and North Carolina rather than repeat them.
- District of Columbia · DDOTDDOT traffic advisories and closures
- Virginia · VDOTVirginia 511 road conditions
- North Carolina · NCDOTDriveNC 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 Raleigh 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 Raleigh?
261 miles, about 4½ hours of driving without stops, by way of I-95 and I-85. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.
What is the wettest month in Raleigh?
September. Raleigh averages 5.7 inches of rain and melted snow that month (1991–2020 normals).
How cold is Raleigh in January?
Raleigh averages a high of 52°F and a low of 32°F in January (1991–2020 normals).