Travel from LA to Bakersfield, CA - what road conditions to expect right now (winter)?

Question

I'll be travelling in the last week of January 2008 from LA to Bakersfield. I plan to take the 405, 5, then 99. What kind of road conditions should I be expecting? Ice/snow/fog? Would I need chains? I've never driven with chains before, wouldn't even know how to put them on... Would road conditions be better if I used the 14-N and 58-W instead? Thank you.

Answer 1

It isn't likely that you will need chains; snow is not common in that area.  Rain and fog are possibilities, however; the California central valley is notorious for wintertime fog, which can sometimes lead to chain reaction crashes that trash dozens of vehicles.  So be careful out there.

Answer 2

Sigalert.com does wonders

Answer 3

no rain in the forecast, no snow over the grapevine.. even if there is snow, the chp will close the pass or pace the cars

the fog has been bad here this week, if you need to drive I5 or 99, try to be here (bakersfield and going north) in the late morning or afternoon so that the fog will be thinner

fog is worse north of us, bakersfield isn't that bad normally.. but when its bad here, its worse north of us (fresno, merced, visalia)

Answer 4

You may get some snow going over the grapevine (I-5), but you don't usually need chains. Call information for "Road Conditions" phone number. When you call the number follow the voice prompts, you will get the latest road and weather conditions.  By the way, 14-N, 58-W has worse weather than I-5, Hwy-99.