Flagstaff to Florida in the Winter?!

[1rosario]

Hi. We're thinking about heading to Florida from Flagstaff, AZ in December.
Of course we're concerned about snow/ice.

We have a Dually towing a 30' Toyhauler fifth wheel. Should we just rethink the whole idea?
Summer would be too hot for Florida. And December is the only time we an take enough time to do the trip. So only looking for suggestions on planning this trip for December or decide to drop the idea.

Give us your thoughts, please.
TIA

[Twain]

We just did the reverse and am heading back tomorrow. We plan on taking I-40 straight to Memphis, then 22 to Birmingham, 20 to Atlanta bypass to 75 south. We have friends in Flagstaff who use this route alot. We came out 10 to 20 to 40 and the roads in LA are terrible (10 south and 20 in Shreveport).

[paulj]

I spent on college semester in Dallas, and had 5 snow days. Or perhaps more accurately, ice days. Freezing rain or wet snow fell, turned to slush and froze into icy ruts. But that kind of weather is predicable several days in advance - it takes time for that large cold air mass to drop down from Minnesota.

And a few years later I saw sleet on the ground south of I10, though that melted by noon.

[doxiemom11]

We also use 190 to get across LA( runs about 20 miles north of I-10) and then 12 back to I10 in MS.

[ppine]

Watche the weather and time your departure. Once you get to the latitude of I-10 it should be no big deal unless you are unlucky.

Towing in snow is not good. In the event you are unfortunate, plan to stay put or at least make late starts to give the road some time to thaw out.

[Horsedoc]

It would not be much further to run south on 17 down to 10 and run that east. Less likely to run into snow and ice -nasty stuff in an RV, even a MH

[dfletch]

We travel mostly in the winter and have made several runs on I40 to include snow. Watch the weather be prepaid to stop and wait in place. Pack food, water fuel, and meds for any unexpected layovers. Have fun and relax.

[mileshuff]

If you are flexible on which days to depart I-40 can easily be a good choice if its sunny and clear. If it is snowing in FLagstaff you'd still have to drive 30 miles south on I-17 towards Phoenix/I-10 before getting out of the snow. If it looks like only 1 day break in road conditions then I-17/I-10 route would be preferable.

[OutdoorPhotogra]

If you are heading south on I-49, Use Hwy 190 from Opelousas to Baton Rouge instead of I-10 between Lafayette and Baton Rouge. I-10 is a long bridge over the Achafalaya Basin and it frequently has accidents.

Hwy 190 is four lane. Lot's of small towns and speed limit varies from 55-65 outside towns. Just be sure you are at the speed limit for the towns.

At Baton Rouge, take I-12E when I-10 and I-12 split. I-10 goes through New Orleans. I-12 goes straight to MS where it rejoins I-10 in Slidell.

[1rosario]

Thank you for all your suggestions.
Seems our route will be determined by the weather on the day we leave.

BTW, what route should we take in Louisiana?

[one_strange_tex]

1rosario wrote:
Weather permitting on start day, if we go east on i-40, to Dallas, is there still chances of snow, east of Dallas heading towards the i-10?

Very little chance of ice & snow east of Dallas unless you get really unlucky. After Dallas, I'd head south to I-10 and on to FL such that you avoid I-10 through Louisiana due to the condition of the roadway.

As others have said, head south to I-10 ASAP in AZ and catch I-20 at its beginning in West Texas if you want to go through Dallas. Your highest probability of snow & ice is in northern Arizona and New Mexico due to elevation, not Texas and points further east. If any part of Texas is likely to get snow that time of year, it is Amarillo where you are considering going on I-40.

[1rosario]

Weather permitting on start day, if we go east on i-40, to Dallas, is there still chances of snow, east of Dallas heading towards the i-10?

[2gypsies1]

Don't start out on I-40. Drop down to Tucson and I-10 then start your trip. You'll have a much better chance for good weather.

[Taxman2004]

Live in Florida. Your highest risk is in Flagstaff because of the altitude. If you take I-10 you should be fine unless you get unlucky and get a dump of snow. It doesn't snow every day. You just need to have a backup plan to hunker down along the route if mother nature fails to cooperate. Worst case is you spend more time getting there than you planned and less time in Florida than you would like. Check in to reservations for Florida and expect the campsite fees to be substantially higher than AZ if you go south of Orlando. As Bob Barker used to say, Come on Down!