Best departure time for a holiday drive: by weather instead of gut feeling
Fahrklar is a route planner with weather from Germany that suggests the departure time for your holiday drive at which the whole route stays driest: Fahrklar calculates every start time within three hours before and after your desired time and compares the weather on all sections.
Fahrklar optimises the departure time by weather, not by traffic. Fahrklar does not predict traffic jams. For traffic on holiday weekends, the traffic calendars of motoring clubs help; Fahrklar adds the question of whether you will drive into heavy rain or a thunderstorm on the way.
- Search range
- 3 hours before to 3 hours after your desired time
- Forecast
- Hourly values from Open-Meteo, up to 3 days ahead
- Availability
- Start-time optimisation from the Starter plan
On a holiday drive of 600 or 900 kilometres, start and destination often lie in completely different weather conditions. Leaving an hour earlier or later can often avoid a thunderstorm front entirely. The only question is which hour is the right one.
How do I find the best departure time for my holiday drive?
With Fahrklar's automatic start-time optimisation, ideally one to three days before departure.
- Enter start, destination and your desired departure time. For car journeys choose the vehicle type Convertible.
- Set how much rain is acceptable, from completely dry only to light rain is okay.
- Fahrklar checks every start time within three hours before and after and shows the driest one.
- Apply the suggested time and check again the evening before whether the forecast has changed.
How early can I plan the departure time by weather?
Up to three days before departure, because that is how far the forecast reaches. For trips further in the future you can save the route already and do the weather check later.
The forecast is most reliable for the next 24 hours. A second look shortly before departure is therefore worthwhile, especially with thunderstorms in summer.
How do I combine weather and traffic when choosing the departure time?
By first picking the quieter time slots from a traffic calendar and then checking in Fahrklar which of them is best for the weather. Fahrklar looks at three hours before and after your desired time.
From the Plus plan, Fahrklar also shows closures and roadworks along the route at the planned travel time, in Germany among others from the reports of the federal motorway company Autobahn GmbH.
How accurate is the weather-based departure time?
As accurate as the underlying forecast. Large rain areas can be planned well, whereas individual summer thunderstorms can hardly be predicted to the hour and kilometre. The recommendation is a probability, not a guarantee.
Try it yourself: enter start and destination and see where your route gets wet.
Check my routeQuestions about this topic
How far does Fahrklar shift the departure time?
Fahrklar searches within three hours before and three hours after your desired time. It does not suggest larger shifts, so the plan stays realistic for you.
Does Fahrklar take traffic jams into account for the departure time?
No. Fahrklar optimises by weather. Fahrklar shows closures and roadworks from the Plus plan, but does not predict traffic jams.
Is start-time optimisation free?
Automatic start-time optimisation is available from the Starter plan. In the free Basic plan you see the weather along the route for the chosen departure time.
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