Winter Driving Conditions

Driving in the USA and Canada

Much of the interior of the USA and Canada has a "continental climate" which means very hot summers and very cold winters. Temperatures can often fall far below freezing for long periods. Snowfalls can be considerable - blizzards and snowdrifts are not uncommon. The climate tends to be less extreme on the coasts, both in summer and winter.

Temperatures naturally tend to be much lower as you go further north.

Winter driving conditions naturally tend to be more extreme in the mountains and on minor roads. Many roads over mountain passes are closed throughout the winter, although all the Interstates and major US Highways and even many state roads remain open. A few examples of the numerous roads closed in winter are as follows. The fact that a road is closed in winter is often marked on road maps.

The Going-to-the-Sun road over Logan Pass in Glacier National Park in Montana.

The Glacier Point and Tioga Pass roads in Yosemite National Park in California. However, the Yosemite Valley area is open year-round. I-80 remains open year round, and I think all the other passes north of Yosemite (US50, California State Road 88, California State Road 4 and California State Road 108 - the Sonora Pass) do as well except perhaps during and immediately after a heavy snowfall.

Colorado State Road 82 over the Independence Pass between Aspen and US24.

Studded tyres and snow chains are in common use in the USA and Canada. Since these are hardly ever encountered in Britain, the following explanations may prove useful:

Studded tyres are specially designed snow tyres that are fitted with small steel spikes (the studs) that provided greater traction on hard-packed snow and ice. They are banned in some states and provinces due to them damaging the road surface. However, many states and provinces, particularly in the west, permit their use during winter months.

Tyre chains, or snow chains, are special chains that are wrapped laterally at intervals across the tyre casing, to provide extra traction on ice and snow. They are rarely used, but are required in some mountain regions during the winter. If required, more modern plastic or nylon designs are probably the best choice as they are much lighter than steel chains.