Driving to Florida? Here's the I-75 forecast

Families are in for a mostly sunny March Break drive to Florida after Thursday, though there will be areas of freezing rain and snowfall closer to the Canadian border throughout the weekend.

The roughly 2,000-kilometre drive on the popular I-75 route passes through five states —Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia — before hitting Jacksonville, Florida.

Forecasts by the Weather Network show the drive will get progressively better as travellers head south.

Those entering the I-75 near Saginaw or Flint, Michigan may find the road slippery from scattered flurries, ice pellets and freezing rain predicted for Friday into the weekend. The highway will also be slippery nearing Detroit, with moderately heavy rain forecasted for Thursday.

Drivers starting their trek on Thursday will experience a mixed bag of weather along the way, the National Weather Service in the U.S. predicts.

Northwestern Ohio will see scattered snowfall that will end nearing Cincinnati in the southern part of the state. The forecast is clear and sunny for Kentucky, but drivers passing through Knoxville in eastern Tennessee may run into showers there.

Thunderstorms in north-central Georgia, including Atlanta, overnight Wednesday could make roads slippery and wet early Thursday. Some rainfall is expected along I-75 down to Valdosta, Georgia in the southern part of the state before travellers reach Florida.

Friday’s forecast has scattered flurries in Michigan, but the route should clear up in Ohio and be sunny with a mix of clouds the rest of the drive south, according to the Weather Network.

Saturday drivers should be prepared for a mix of snow and rain around Detroit that will turn into snow showers nearing Toledo. The skies should clear up in Kentucky and the highway is expected to be dry all the way to Florida.

Similar conditions are expected along I-75 for Sunday and Monday. There is also a chance of light showers in parts of Tennessee and Georgia on Monday that could make the drive slippery and wet.

Tampa, Orlando, Miami and Fort Lauderdale are expecting thundershowers on Thursday. They should clear up by Friday and the rest of the weekend in all four cities looks sunny with temperature highs in the low-20s.

 

--Gloria Er-Chua, Staff Reporter

Comments

[Ryan]

I am taking the I79 - I77 - I26 - I95 route tomorrow.

Way better

[rcumming]

absolutely the better route from Toronto to Miami. Lots of hills and dales, over the last 10 years the pinch points in the route have been expended and are fast moving.

This from a retired long halt trucker so I know of which I speak.