Yuma, AZ to Detroit, MI in April - Tornado Risk

You're more likely to have an accident driving than to get hit by a tornado.

Worrying about a tornado striking you while traveling a certain route during a certain time is just plain silly. You have a greater chance of winning the lottery than this happening.

Risk is part of living. The alternative to living is much more safe. Lord, let me die seeing this wonderful country, not at home...safe.

I was going to give a sarcastic reply but instead will tell you to just go, be adventurous, get out of your comfort zone. Wife and I have criss-crossed the USA by motorcycle, 5th wheel, and a toy hauler with the motorcycle inside. At no time were we ever in danger from any weather event.

We go from various locations in the south to Grand Rapids MI every year in the spring. Usually traveling during April. When we stop, we check the weather forecast for the next days travel route. If there is bad weather ahead, we stay where we are until it's done. We do take our time to travel and have no specific date we have to be somewhere which makes this possible. Spring rains have had more impact on our travel, soft ground in campgrounds, flooding so parks are closed and parks not even open yet.

Four years ago we took our 24' Class C from Tucson to Maine stopping just about everywhere along the way. We left May first and returned July first. We had close encounters with tornados at least 6 times. Granted it was a very active year but they don't call it tornado alley for nothing.

The internet via your smartphone is your best friend and it enabled us to monitor developing weather conditions and reroute, proactively dodging a number of storms. I was more concerned with potential hail damage than an actual tornado as the thunderstorms associated with tornados are not to be taken lightly.

We saw damage in Arkansas from a tornado that hit a few days before we passed through and it was incredible to see up close and personal. Passing through Pratt Kansas on the return trip got more than a little exciting as well. Spent 24 hours hiding out from storms in Elkhart, the nice folks at Nexus asked us to stay an additional day for free at their factory facility with hookups to avoid an incoming front. The next day we hunkered down for another 24 hours at an RV park in the cornfields of Illinois where the two nearest shelters, farm houses a half mile away were on standby for our evacuation.

The OP's trip is certainly doable but lots of planning and caution are called for.
Never hesitate to change plans, routes, and destinations at the first sign of a serious front moving through. Always know where the nearest shelter is located and be prepared to bail in the middle of the night if the worst occurs. Staying hooked up and ready to roll on short notice is not a bad strategy if activity if in the forecast. The good news is that they tend to move through an area quickly and you will usually have an alternate route that can minimize any potential exposure. Good luck!

:E

Every other year we do Lake Havasu City to right outside Detroit in April and the biggest problem I've had is west of the Mississippi having strong winds. Rain one time but never any other problems.

Oh yeah, the bad roads in LA on I-10. We usually take I-40 to OKC then NE to Wichita then east to Stl Louis and up from Indy to Michigan.

If...caught out in a coming storm, look for a place to park and turn your rig to face the wind and if you have stabilizers, use them. we were caught in a fast moving front out on the south dakota prairies, but were luckily in a parking lot already so we changed our parking to face the wind and road it out just fine.

Good advice posted. You really need to be aware of the weather any time of the year. There were several tornadoes in the central Illinois area on December 1st.
Use a weather app and enter the cities on your route. Turn on the notifications so you get storm and flooding notices.
Go and enjoy your trip!
Marcia

Good advice given. However....

Don't assume that you will have internet connection on your smart phone, just because your cell provider falsely claims widespread coverage. In that "tornado alley" area referred to previously, which includes wide portions of the middle of the country, there are many miles where you will not have cell service.

Many times I've travelled across Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas -- areas more prone to tornados -- and not had cell service or sporadic service. These would be areas you would likely be going through based on your desire to get to Detroit from Yuma.

Check areas that you're going to be travelling for the day, and the forecasts for that area. If there's anything troubling in the forecast, then look to alternatives, or hunker down until conditions improve.