Winter driving Chicago to Missoula, MT (best, routes, maps, best route)

[HarriotTheSpy]

My cat and I are moving to Missoula from Chicago and will be leaving around the 19th of December. My friends have already taken my stuff there so it'll just be me and my cat in a car with my essentials. I'm writing this post to see if anyone has any advice on winter driving. From other posts I've learned
A) taking southern routes will decrease chances of having lots of snow and
B) listen to the radio frequently and know the numbers for highway updates. Does anyone have advice to add?
Should I have chains to put on my tires? (I'm originally from Florida and haven't had a car while in Chicago so snow driving protocol is completely foreign to me.)

The route:
Google maps originally shows me going through North Dakota but taking the more southern route advice, taking the South Dakota route only adds an hour to the trip. If I go even further south, taking the route through Iowa and Nebraska, it only adds on four hours so that seems the best option at this point. I wouldn't mind going out of the way for up to 6-8 hours if it means less chance of snow.
Does anyone have advice concerning the route?
Or does anyone know of a website that can help me plan the route by giving me multiple options? Google maps isn't intuitive enough for this sort of thing. The clicking and dragging just isn't doing it for me.

I hope this wasn't too confusing. Thank you in advance for your help!

[stillkit]

It's six of one, half dozen of the other. On either of the three routes, your chances of hitting bad weather are about the same that time of year. It's a maybe/maybe not proposition.

Personally, I'd skip considering I-80 as you'll end up in Billings anyhow, but after a much longer drive.

Purchasing, and practicing installing, a set of chains or cables before you leave probably isn't a bad idea, especially along those routes. You can pay close attention to the weather reports and still find yourself off the road in a snowbank because the distances between places to pull off and hide from the weather can be a couple of hours apart out there, or more. It wouldn't hurt to have chains, and know how to use them, just to get going again.

However, it's easier just to not risk it across the Great Plains. If you think it's going to turn bad, just stop and wait it out. It won't last forever. On I-94, that's basically between Fargo, ND and Billings, MT. There are some towns out there, but they're small and far between. On I-94, its from about Mitchell to Rapid City, SD.

Other than that, you'll be alright if you just use common sense.

[WyoNewk]

I'd never advise against having chains along, but chances are you won't use them. If you do get a set, do as suggested above and practice installing them. It's much harder to install them along the side of the road in snow and wind, maybe in the dark, than it is in your driveway. Do have a cell phone with you. Do check the weather forecast regularly.

As for the best route, I'd plan on I-90 unless last minute weather forecasts indicate another route would be better. I'd definitely prefer it over I-80 most times. I'd guess I-80 gets more snow and ice and has more truck traffic -- more city traffic too (Des Moines, Omaha/Council Bluffs, Lincoln). I-90 goes past a few small cities but traffic isn't a factor.

[HarriotTheSpy]

Thank you for the advice!
Any idea which of the routes is most scenic that time of year? If the weather ends up being good, it'd be nice to choose the prettier route.