I'm thinking AZ for the winter this year. We have never snowbirded before. Why now, because we moved to the area very near Cleveland OH, from the Smoky mountains...long story. Anyway we have camped in AZ several years during August and September, usually Sedona, Flagstaff Grand canyon etc.....have been looking at the avg winter LOW temps and even in the Yuma area I am seeing avg lows in the 40's....is that accurate? If so I may have to rethink AZ, because I am aguy who likes to sit outside during the evening hours to read and smoke(cigars)....lows in the 40's just won't do.....I will appreciate any thoughts, ideas, suggestions and even a critique of my smoking habit ...if it gets me good info........thanks a bunch

Tucson area (and Yuma) will occasionally have cool nights, it is the desert after all, but it usually warms up quickly by mid-morning with most winter days in the 60's or 70's and the evenings are very pleasant.Extremes in the desert during the winter can be deceptive. After 6 winters in Tucson we realize that 40's or even 30's at night don't actually translate to cold days.

You do know that the lows you are seeing will occur at about 6:00 am. Evenings will be wonderful, though it is an El Nino year and there will be more rain all across the south, but especially in drought stricken southern California and Arizona.Barb

legolas wrote:I'm thinking AZ for the winter this year. We have never snowbirded before. Why now, because we moved to the area very near Cleveland OH, from the Smoky mountains...long story. Anyway we have camped in AZ several years during August and September, usually Sedona, Flagstaff Grand canyon etc.....have been looking at the avg winter LOW temps and even in the Yuma area I am seeing avg lows in the 40's....is that accurate? If so I may have to rethink AZ, because I am aguy who likes to sit outside during the evening hours to read and smoke(cigars)....lows in the 40's just won't do.....I will appreciate any thoughts, ideas, suggestions and even a critique of my smoking habit ...if it gets me good info........thanks a bunchAll the Ariz areas towns you mentioned are in higher elevations and cold in the winter. Look at the Pheonix surrounding areas and towns like Surprize. Look in your Good Sam RV Parks Directory and pick a RV park. You need to make your reservations NOW for next winter season as there are 1000's of snowboarders who come to Ariz every year:) Yuma would not be my 1st. choice to snow bird. Too hot, dusty and not much too see or do (imho).

BarbaraOK wrote:You do know that the lows you are seeing will occur at about 6:00 am. Evenings will be wonderful, though it is an El Nino year and there will be more rain all across the south, but especially in drought stricken southern California and Arizona.BarbWhat is wonderful in terms of temps at say 10 pm. If I'm getting lows in the 40's at 9, 10 or 11 pm that won't do.....it may be Florida instead....and I hate Florida...which is why I moved from Ft. Laud in 2009

djgarcia wrote:legolas wrote:I'm thinking AZ for the winter this year. We have never snowbirded before. Why now, because we moved to the area very near Cleveland OH, from the Smoky mountains...long story. Anyway we have camped in AZ several years during August and September, usually Sedona, Flagstaff Grand canyon etc.....have been looking at the avg winter LOW temps and even in the Yuma area I am seeing avg lows in the 40's....is that accurate? If so I may have to rethink AZ, because I am aguy who likes to sit outside during the evening hours to read and smoke(cigars)....lows in the 40's just won't do.....I will appreciate any thoughts, ideas, suggestions and even a critique of my smoking habit ...if it gets me good info........thanks a bunchAll the Ariz areas towns you mentioned are in higher elevations and cold in the winter. Look at the Pheonix surrounding areas and towns like Surprize. Look in your Good Sam RV Parks Directory and pick a RV park. You need to make your reservations NOW for next winter season as there are 1000's of snowboarders who come to Ariz every year:) Yuma would not be my 1st. choice to snow bird. Too hot, dusty and not much too see or do (imho).Thanks for the info...I know Sedona and Flagstaff as I have spent Aug and Sep ther for the last 4 years and know it's colder....but I expected to see much warmer ovwernight temps in Yuma than an avg of 46 in Jan. I'll check those out....the whole reason for being in AZ at that time is not to be cold in Cleveland, so dusty ain't a problem

Another Arizona in the Winter Query | Good Sam Community

BarbaraOK
Explorer
Aug 19, 2015
Tequila wrote:
I much prefer Palm Springs, not as dry and uninteresting, IMO.

You have to have a lot of money to really 'do' Palm Springs. And I know for a fact that there are more museums, more arts centers, more restaurants, more shopping, more of everything in the Valley of the Sun, all within easy driving. Plus - SPRING TRAINING during the month of March. What more could someone want? :B

Barb
almcc
Explorer
Aug 18, 2015
legolas wrote:
John&Joey wrote:
Another way of finding "cabins" is to go to a website like Good Sams then under filters check "Onsite Rentals (Cabins, etc.)"

So what's the preferred cigar for sitting outside this winter? :)

I'll check out Good Sams as you suggest. Right now it's Nicaraguan the Cubans have too harsh for me lately....I think it's because they are not letting the tabacco cure as long, seeing that it is their only cash crop, I think they are rushing.....jmo

Just to make you jealous, when working I was responsible for maintaining a couple of humidors of cigars, about 200 boxes, everything from Churchills to cigarillos from Honduras and other Latin American countries. They smelled great, but as a non-smoker I didn't inhale!
rmev
Explorer
Aug 18, 2015
We snow birded in AZ for 5 years during the winter. Elevation for 4000 to 70 above sea level. We now like in Apache Junction year round. We stay outside until the 10:00 time and are comfortable, no coat. Yes, it can get into the 40's but only in early morning. By the time we get up we eat in the AZ room and are comfortable. Note, yes during this past new year at about 10:00 we had snow but none stuck. I really don't know of an area in our continental US that doesn't have some cool weather. Advise, look at some of the wind averages in some of the areas as it makes a large difference. Good luck finding your winter escape. Safe travels.
S-n-L
Explorer
Aug 18, 2015
Last winter we spent in southern California, in the Coachella Valley. We loved the area. Amazing weather with so much to do there. We will be back this winter.

Check it out, it is worth considering. We stayed in Indio.

Stuart
Tequila
Explorer
Aug 18, 2015
legolas wrote:
BarbaraOK wrote:
Not this winter. Phoenix area would be a better choice, more to do than Palm Springs, a little cheaper and probably slightly better weather during the coming winter.

Barb

Barb, I appreciate all your assistance....and I learned something I had probably forgotten from you...... night time temps are taken just shortly before dawn.....so we'll likely head out to Tucson in early Feb...no way to find out if it is going to work out as a snow bird location without going..........

3 years ago when I went through Tucson in Jan, it was snowing. It was an actual blizzard in Nogales, but that is higher up. In fact is snowed for the first 100 miles into Mexico.
Tequila
Explorer
Aug 18, 2015
I much prefer Palm Springs, not as dry and uninteresting, IMO.
legolas
Explorer
Aug 18, 2015
John&Joey wrote:
Another way of finding "cabins" is to go to a website like Good Sams then under filters check "Onsite Rentals (Cabins, etc.)"

So what's the preferred cigar for sitting outside this winter? :)

I'll check out Good Sams as you suggest. Right now it's Nicaraguan the Cubans have too harsh for me lately....I think it's because they are not letting the tabacco cure as long, seeing that it is their only cash crop, I think they are rushing.....jmo
legolas
Explorer
Aug 18, 2015
BarbaraOK wrote:
Not this winter. Phoenix area would be a better choice, more to do than Palm Springs, a little cheaper and probably slightly better weather during the coming winter.

Barb

Barb, I appreciate all your assistance....and I learned something I had probably forgotten from you...... night time temps are taken just shortly before dawn.....so we'll likely head out to Tucson in early Feb...no way to find out if it is going to work out as a snow bird location without going..........
legolas
Explorer
Aug 18, 2015
djgarcia wrote:
New alternative winter "snow Bird" location-----Go to Palm Springs, Indio area. Better weather overall in the winter. Make reservations NOW!!!!!

Calif is a bridge to far for me.....no, it's AZ or stay home.
legolas
Explorer
Aug 18, 2015
greg0rn wrote:
legolas wrote:
...Not trying to be difficult I just don't see any sense in leaving home to go somewhere that I will have to hibernate inside the TT because it's to cold for me to sit outside until midnight, and 40's is to cold for me to sit for 3 or 4 hours in the evening. So, it may be Florida, or it may be that I just hunker down for the winter and continue to visit AZ during August and September.

Legolas, it sounds like you made up your mind. August and September have lovely evenings in some parts of Arizona. But most likely, you also have a nice weather in Cleveland during those months. The cigars will taste the same here and there.

Pretty much...looks like Tucson in Feb and March, probably the KOA in Tucson with the cabins. I love Sedona and the areas north of there in Aug and Sep. Am hoping to get a feel for whether snow-birding is going to work for us.