When Should I Leave?

After you input your starting point and destination(s) and select a route of travel, Highway Weather will calculate and suggest a "Best time to leave" for you.

This suggestion is based on the upcoming forecast, taking into account the upcoming seven days worth of weather and road-condition data.

The suggested time to leave helps you determine how to make the most out of your itinerary by accounting for less-than-ideal travel conditions.

Of course, the suggested "Best time to leave" is just that - a suggestion. You're still able to manually indicate in Highway Weather the hour at which you'd like to begin your journey.

Where to see the suggested "Best time to leave"

You'll see Highway Weather's suggestion towards the top of the screen after your travel route data is input and you select a route. Check out the screenshot below:

How to change your departure time

We know the most ideal time to leave might not fit in with your schedule. If that's the case, worry not! Highway Weather's suggested "Best time to leave" notwithstanding, you're still able to easily plan your journey and see upcoming travel and road conditions based on your time of departure.

To manipulate your departure time, move the Time Slider at the bottom of your screen (see screenshot). You can set the departure time from "immediately", to up to seven days in advance. Departure times are available in one-hour increments.

Take a look at the screenshot below to get a better idea of this:

How to use the Time Slider to optimize your travel

Since Highway Weather provides up to seven days of future weather and road conditions, travelers that aren't necessarily constrained by specific schedules can use the departure-time dial to play around with different times to begin their travel. Often, flexible travelers will use this feature to see what options make for the most relaxed journeys on the road.