Interstate 40 bakersfield east

Double Post.

Don't know about west of Flagstaff, but in February (actually November through April) any part of I-40 from Flagstaff to Ashville can be temporarily closed by winter weather conditions. From Amarillo east to Knoxville, this will more likely be sleet and freezing rain, rather than snow. In the mountain areas, snow is more likely, and easier to clean up.

Check Weather Channel for winter storms and road conditions daily. Closures tend to be local and short term (1-2 days) and infrequent, but they happen. I've been stuck in Oklahoma City for a few days by winter weather, in Nashville for 3 days by flooding, and have canceled or postponed some trips across Arkansas and western Tennessee because of icing conditions.

Another issue in winter along I-40 is crosswinds (40-60 MPH) particularly in Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico. These are also infrequent and short term, but you need to know before starting that day's move.

From Bakersfield it's the absolute best way to get east any time of the year, in feb. just keep a eye on the weather as there are plenty of places to pull off. As for grade work...none.

Just be sure to check the weather report

We were on I-40 the end of April one year just west of Albuquerque and I-40 was completely closed down because of a blizzard. We spent the night parked right on the interstate along with the truckers and others.

Depends on the year and the weather. Tehachapi, in some years has been a problem, but other years, Flagg has been a problem. Hard to say until you get there. Generally the I-40 is an easy drive all year long. One thing I've noticed, folks tend to not want to slow down when they hit high cross the winds in the Mohave desert. I've seen a single wide mobil home laying on it's side because of high road speed vs. high cross winds. Just slow down and all will be ok. When I feel the winds I set the cruise at 45mph, and sit back and relax. When I hit the passes, I try to time my crossings 10am to 4pm. I rarely have had problems. I would recommend coming down the 95 through Nevada at this time of year. Many places to boondock and the landscapes are much prettier. This would be a good time to drop through death valley for a visit/tour. Good luck...

Funny story about I-40 by Flagstaff. One winter about noon my wife and I were driving East on I-40 and approaching Flagstaff and the snow started. My wife was freaking out saying we needed to get off the road so we did not get snowed in on the highway if it were to continue. We pulled off and got a room in Flag for the night and the next morning had to wait until the plows cleared about 10" of overnight snow from the roads so we could continue. We got back on I-40 and within a couple miles, the road started 'losing altitude' and within a couple more miles there was no evidence of snow at all! Had we driven 5 more minutes the day before we would have been totally out of the storm!

Unless you really have to do so, I would not travel I-40 in February with a RV. You most likely will run into a lot of snow. Although probably adding miles to where you want to go, I'd recommend dropping down to I-10 and you could still have weather issues and ice. Good luck!

Mid February around Bakersfield you may run into Tule fog, can be bad we lived there 20 years. Hwy 58 goes east out of Bakersfield and there is a long big grade going up to Tehachapi. Hwy 58 meets up with 40 & I-15 at Barstow. Dick

MarkieBob wrote:
We will be heading east on I40 bakersfield to east coast area. Maybe mid february and on. Any mountain passes for snow problems that time of year?

No mountain "passes" to speak of, there's a high point in AZ of ~7300 feet west of Flagstaff, and then there's the crossing of the Continental Divide in NM, at just under 7300 feet. First time I drove that, it was such a disappointment, me being from Colorado and used to high crossings of the divide! It was barely noticeable. That said, it's at an elevation where snow can be expected.

From NM east to the Mississippi you'll basically be heading down hill. Some rolling hills in eastern OK and western AR, but certainly not a big deal...unless it's snowing...which it could be.

Across TN, you'll have some flatness and some rolling hills and you'll basically be going up hill to the Appalachians between TN and NC. Though you're south, there's still a chance of snow. That's gonna be true pretty much the entire trip...a chance of snow. Get a good weather app and bookmark various state DOT sites for road and weather conditions, and be prepared to hunker down somewhere for a day or so if the weather does get bad.