C172 PLT ENCOUNTERS WX ENRTE AND IS VFR IN IMC CONDITIONS.

Narrative

I DEPARTED RDG. AFTER ABOUT 30 MINS AFTER TKOF I ENTERED HVY TURB. THE CURRENT CLOUDS WERE SCATTERED AT 4500 FT MSL. MY CURRENT ALT WAS 4000 FT MSL. I THOUGHT IT WAS NECESSARY TO TRY A DIFFERENT ALT TO TRY TO GET OUT OF THE TURB; I THEN CLBED TO 6500 FT MSL NO TURB WAS ENCOUNTERED; AS I WAS PROCEEDING ON COURSE THE LAYER BELOW ME DEVELOPED INTO OVCST; LOSING ALL REFS TO THE GND; HENCE BEING IN IMC OR VFR ON TOP. UNKNOWING THAT THIS WAS INDEED IFR I PROCEEDED AS WE WERE APCHING CLOSER TO THE ARPT I SAW A HOLE IN THE CLOUDS THAT WAS INDEED THE SIZE OF 1/4 MI I PROCEEDED TO DSND THROUGH THE HOLE TO TRY TO MAINTAIN VFR THINKING THIS MIGHT BE MY ONLY CHANCE TO GET THROUGH THE CLOUD LAYER WITHOUT DSNDING DIRECTLY THROUGH THEM. AFTER DSNDING THROUGH I ENCOUNTERED HVY SNOW BELOW ME AND WAS DEVELOPING ICING ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE C172. I DID NOT HAVE ANY ARPTS THAT WERE CLOSE TO ME AT THIS TIME I THOUGHT THAT FOR THE SAFETY OF ME AND MY PAX THAT I NEEDED TO GET BACK UP ABOVE THE LAYER WHERE IT WAS CLR; I THEN BROKE VFR AND CLBED DIRECTLY THROUGH THE CLOUDS (I WAS CURRENTLY UNDER FLT FOLLOWING AND ASKED ATC PRIOR IF ANY TFC WAS ANYWHERE NEAR ME THEY SAID 'NO TFC WITHIN 30 MI OF CURRENT POS). AFTER SUCCESSFULLY CLBING ABOVE THE WX I KEPT PROCEEDING TO DEST. WHEN I WAS DIRECTLY ABOUT 20 NM N OF THE OUTER RING OF THEIR AIRSPACE I RECEIVED A XMISSION TELLING ME WX AT DEST WAS 1/4 MI VISIBILITY; 1100 FT OVCST; HE RECOMMENDED I DEVIATE; I AGREED. HE THEN STARTED TO GIVE ME VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT (BVI) AT THIS TIME I THOUGHT IT WAS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY FOR ME TO GET THIS AIRPLANE ON THE GND. WHILE GIVING ME VECTORS TO THE ARPT I WAS FORCED TO DSND DOWN THROUGH THE OVCST LAYER INTO ACTUAL IMC AFTER LOOKING AT THE SECTIONAL DETERMINING WHERE I WAS AT AND KNOWING THAT THERE WERE NO OBSTACLES IN THE AREA. AFTER THIS THEY HANDED ME OFF TO BVI TWR AND LANDED SAFELY THEN WAS FORCED TO STAY THE NIGHT IN BVI UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING AND WAS ON MY WAY BACK HOME (RDG).