I-5 · WA / OR
Seattle to Portland drive weather
Seattle, WA to Portland, OR · 180 miles, about 2 h 50 min by the planner's route
Also covers the drive back from Portland to Seattle.
The drive from Seattle to Portland follows I-5 the whole way, through Tacoma, Olympia, Chehalis and Kelso, and crosses the Columbia River into Oregon at Vancouver. It stays in the lowlands, so the question in winter is usually rain or ice rather than snow on a pass.
Plan this drive with your own departure timeConditions at Fri, 12:00 AM PST
Highest risk along I-5: 1 of 5 (low), departing at that time.
- No active NWS alerts on this route.
The road authority linked below has the final word on closures and chain requirements.
Clear driving for the whole 2 h 50 min.
Conditions: Cloudy
Checkpoints along I-5
| Where | You pass | Weather | Risk | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | Fri 1:00 AM | 50°F | low | Nothing flagged |
| Tacoma, WA | Fri 1:30 AM | 47°F | low | Nothing flagged |
| Tumwater, WA | Fri 2:00 AM | 46°F | low | Sources differ: NWS says Chance Light Rain at 45°F |
| Napavine, WA | Fri 2:30 AM | 47°F | low | Sources differ: NWS says Slight Chance Light Rain at 45°F |
| Kelso, WA | Fri 3:00 AM | 48°F | low | Sources differ: NWS says Chance Light Rain at 46°F |
| Salmon Creek, WA | Fri 3:30 AM | 46°F | low | Nothing flagged |
| Portland, OR | Fri 3:50 AM | 48°F | low | Sources differ: NWS says Slight Chance Light Rain at 48°F |
Weather to know about on this drive
- Two NWS offices cover the drive: Seattle from King County through Lewis County, and Portland from Cowlitz County (Kelso) south to Portland. A warning can be in effect for one end of the drive and not the other.
- The NWS defines freezing rain as rain that freezes when it hits the ground, coating roads, trees and power lines with ice; it issues an Ice Storm Warning when about a quarter inch or more of ice is expected.
- WSDOT reports conditions on the Washington side and ODOT TripCheck on the Oregon side.
Official sources for every state on the route
Questions about driving from Seattle to Portland
- What is the weather like driving from Seattle to Portland in winter?
- Mostly rain on a lowland interstate. The risk is the occasional freezing rain or snow event, which NWS Seattle and NWS Portland forecast separately for their halves of the drive. This page shows alerts from both offices and the forecast at each checkpoint for the hour you would reach it.
- Where do I check I-5 conditions between Seattle and Portland?
- WSDOT for the Washington side and ODOT TripCheck for Portland. This page adds the hourly forecast along I-5 and the active NWS alerts on the route.
Conditions change by the hour. This page is a planning aid built on public forecasts and DOT feeds; the road authorities linked above have the final word on closures and chain requirements.
Traveling for the holiday? Read Thanksgiving travel weather · all holiday drives · winter road conditions by corridor