Best Time to Drive from Costa Mesa to Palmdale

Right now (8:16 pm PST): about 104 minutes via I-5 North and SR-14 North, usually 96 at this time.

Only 34% of this drive is measured by working traffic sensors right now. The rest is estimated from nearby sensors, typical speeds and street traffic, so times can be off. Why so few sensors work.

About this drive

On weekdays the 103-mile drive from Costa Mesa to Palmdale (via I-5 North and SR-14 North) usually takes as little as 93 minutes and up to 145 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 117 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Sundays (129 minutes).

About 97 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 6 miles surface streets (7 to 10 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Costa Mesa to central Palmdale along the route on the map. Starting or ending elsewhere in a big city can add or save several minutes.

Simulated from typical freeway speeds at each point of the drive for the time you would reach it, from every 5-minute reading we have recorded. We don't have sensors on surface streets yet, so the time on them is estimated from how congested the freeways around each end of the drive are at that time, in both directions: streets jam when the freeways do.

Questions

What is the best time to drive from Costa Mesa to Palmdale?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 93 minutes then, versus up to 145 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Costa Mesa to Palmdale?

The 103-mile drive usually takes 93 to 145 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 117 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Costa Mesa to Palmdale?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 145 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in Los Angeles (40 miles) · SR-14 North in Los Angeles (27 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (22 miles) · SR-55 North in Orange County (8 miles)

Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Palmdale to Costa Mesa (return trip) · Costa Mesa to Los Angeles · Costa Mesa to Anaheim · Costa Mesa to Riverside · Costa Mesa to Santa Ana · Costa Mesa to Irvine · Costa Mesa to San Bernardino · Costa Mesa to Fontana · Costa Mesa to Moreno Valley · Costa Mesa to Glendale · Costa Mesa to Santa Clarita · Costa Mesa to Oceanside

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