When do most Southwest snowbirds leave?

[wtmtnhiker]

To those of you who are snowbirding in New Mexico and Arizona, when do you start your trek back home or northward? I have heard that many people leave in March because the wind starts to crank up. Is that the case or do most of you leave later than March. Is the wind or other weather related issues even a factor in when you leave?

[revump]

We start heading for the NW about the end of May ...but, we take our time

[SuzzeeeQ2012]

MaverickBBD wrote:
We attempt to never arrive in Western Washington (or Oregon coast for that matter) until after the 4th of July. Have been know to sit extra weeks in Moses Lakes as relatives call and say 'don't come over to this side yet'.

pretty hot in July In Moses Lake 😉 (Ephrata resident here):D



we wanted to stay (Quartzsite, Yuma, CA, etc) till mid April, then head toward Washington stopping at Vegas like we always do. A wedding on March 29th stopped that plan. We'll be heading home before we want to really. I'm looking at the weather in different spots. Ice and snow warnings all over the place. it hopefully will change by then....hopefully

[Cummins12V98]

2gypsies wrote:
We so often hear "have to get back to do my taxes"! Never understood that....

I was going to say the exact same thing! Same with "we are not going there this year because of the price of fuel". Funny thing the previous year the price of fuel was more!

We typically stay in SoCal/AZ area from October to July then head back to W WA for the few "nice" months.

[Us_out_West]

This year we plan on being back at our home base in Reno around April 1 after wintering in S.AZ.

Taxes and other things to take care of then we leave in early May for Green Bay to visit family, friends and attend my 50th HS Class Reunion at Lambeau Field.

[garry_owen]

i like to winter at lake mead in nv. when i can

i have to be to of there by june first. its starting to get hot, for my liking any way, by then

[Canadian_Rainbi]

We leave Victoria BC usually around the 15th of October, spend a few weeks crossing the USA then cross into Mexico around 1st of November. Aim to be home 1st April.

[2gypsies1]

Tubaronnie wrote:

We're thinKing of buying a home in 55÷ in Phoenix and RVing up north in summer. Do homes rent well in summer if we want to make some income rather than leave house empty?

Summer is not the time in Phoenix to make money on vacation rentals. Yes, it's doable but not as easily as in the other three seasons which is when you want to use it. Good luck!

[FlatBroke]

Head home on April 1 every year and still manage to have to endure a snow storm or two.

[Tubaronnie]

rocmoc wrote:
We are full-time residents of AZ and live in a stick & mortar community where nearly 1/2 of the homes are Snowbirders. Most leave in April with all Snowbirds gone by May claiming 80 degrees is too hot. Us desert rats can't wait for the heat of May so we can enjoy our pools. The winds generally start and are strongest in April. Again we don't find the winds annoying, all tho we did have to chase a large patio umbrella down that landed over a mile away & a large C span type dish nearly a 1/4 mile (my fault, had taken it loose from the base to junk out). Both of these were caught up in what we call dust devils (baby tornadoes).

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

We're thinKing of buying a home in 55÷ in Phoenix and RVing up north in summer. Do homes rent well in summer if we want to make some income rather than leave house empty?

[BarbaraOK]

What we've seen are semi-retired farmers who don't trust their "kids" (say 45-50 yrs old) to do he planting, etc. correctly.

Barb

[bobsallyh]

I've watched this for 11 winters here in Yuma. I won't comment on the Canadians leaving because their out of country insurance usually determines when they must leave. I have heard so many reasons why US folks who spend the bucks to get out of lousy weather, drive many miles to spend time in the warmer climates leave early to just drive 500-700 miles to be sitting out a snow storm etc. on their way home. A very common answer is "to do income taxes". Shoot that can be taken care of any where in the world today. March, it is starting to get nice here, April is terrific. We always have emails from friends who will say "we left too early". I really think "hitch itch" sets in and they see the outstanding weather here and for some unknown reason thinks it will be similar at home. I always get a hoot out of when the temp hits about 82 you here that familiar "hmmmmmm" as the roof ACs are kicked on. Unbeivable. From the later part of March thru April the traffic is gone and Wally_Mart has thinned out. We ourselves usually leave the end of April or beginning of May depending where we are headed for the summer.

[tatest]

I think it depends a lot on where they are going for the summer, how long they want to be there, and how tolerant they are of desert heat. I know mostly stick and brick snowbirds, going to the Great Lakes region, and they might start their move in April or May, but some as late as June.

[2oldman]

2gypsies wrote:
We so often hear "have to get back to do my taxes"! Never understood that....

Me neither. I start heading to E WA about mid April, stopping in 'Vegas to see what the weather's doing.

[2gypsies1]

We so often hear "have to get back to do my taxes"! Never understood that....