Lower SW States in the Spring

I-10 across TX, NM, AZ is usually nice in March. Upper 70's to lower 80's. If you prefer colder than that then March is too late. Jan.-Feb. will be in the 60's.

After March I-40 across NM, AZ can be very nice. Flagstaff will be in the 50's but lows can still be in the low 30's. Snow is rare in late March or early April but can occur. Other parts of I-40 in NM, AZ will be 10-15 degrees higher. From April on, I-40 is the way to go to stay cool as I-10 will be very hot.

Newbienac wrote:
after all, I'd be willing to bet it would take me two to three weeks just to traverse through Texas from Fl, staying here and there a few days.

Temps in west Texas can vary from the high 90s to the low 20s in the spring. It just depends upon the weather patterns that year.

But western Texas does average in the high 70s to mid 80s in March and April.

If you're planning three months that would be plenty of time for the southern states. But...if you want to get up to Montana, well.....

If you left Florida Feb. 1 you'll have nice cool weather across the states. February and March are ideal for Arizona and April will start getting warm but still tolerable. May will be very hot. Have a great trip and go with the flow!

Check out Weatherbase. Lots of monthly weather stats, by city within state, over several years. Its as good or better than the weather guessers on TV. No guarantees, but you'll at least know what to pack. Altitude seems to have quite an impact.

I think the KISS principle should be considered. Its a vacation. Get a good map and check it out for anything that looks interesting and head that way. In March you shouldn't have any problems with needing reservations and if your going stress-free, if you don't like the weather report for the following day, you can stay put or go south or what ever your heart desires.

Newbienac wrote:
.... Were I to stay pretty much in the high desert areas would it literally be the top third of say, Texas and New Mexico for instance?

Yes, the NW corner of Tx, most of southern NM and the eastern 1/4 of Az are high desert, above 4,000 ft.
Its a bit of a balancing act, and each year is slightly different: if you get there too early you'll run in to below freezing temps at night, if you get there too late you'll run into 90 degree heat during the day in lower elevations.


PS: my comments were only directed to the southern portion of your route (I10) from Fla to Ca. If you chose to head further north at that time of year, its a whole different animal, including spring snowstorms in some areas.

Late January to mid March for crossing S TX, NM, AZ. Febuary ideal
For Death Valley. I-70 can see snow in April in CO so be aware.

We were in Moab a few years back in May. Just right. West central Montana(Great Falls) can be very cool even in June. We have been there from early May to Late June(just this past one) and found it just right. From the to the rest of your trip back east you will find heat and humidity in the midwest. We loved traveling in the Oregon,Idaho,Montana,Wyoming,South Dakota areas this past spring. Enjoy your self.

Jim, thanks for breaking it down for me that way. Were I to stay pretty much in the high desert (cuz Im already going to do 110 degrees today and don't want any more), areas would it literally be the top third of say, Texas and New Mexico for instance?

I'll begin investigating February then as the month to start. Thanks

If you want to avoid the heat, March is not too early to start, it may be too late. From N Fla to Ca is just over 2,000 miles; if you avg 200-250 miles per driving day, that's 8-10 days of driving. If you only drive every 3rd day, that's 30 days to get to Ca, plus 30 days back, plus whatever additional side trips you take. So 2 - 3 months overall is a good estimate. April is usually the month when the SW turns from warm to Hot. So I would want to be starting my return trip by April; meaning you should start the trip from Fla in early Feb, if you agree with the above, and ignore that its going to be Hot anyhow when you get back to Fla. Keep in mind we do have some significant elevation differences as you traverse the SW. We have what we call "high desert" areas where you may be up at over 4,000 ft elevation, with temps 10 degrees cooler than the lower desert areas 200 miles down the road. Which means in Feb/Mar some SW areas experience below freezing temps overnight. In southern NM where I winter, its not unusual to see 40 degree swings in the daily temps; warm sunny 70 degree days, followed by a 30 degree overnight low; or in Feb a 60 high and a 20 overnight low.