Quote:
Originally Posted by vegasone
I80 in the winter could be a real drag. I80 tends to close down around Wyoming and Nebraska on occasion. You would want to really check the weather before you head out. Snow around Reno also could cause a closure. As long as you aren't in a hurry if you have to stay over for a day or two or more 80 is doable in between snow storms. Had to get snow chains one time driving from SF to Tahoe 
Gets really cold also. Dress warmly.
I40 is much better but has its moments also, around Oklahoma, Missouri, New Mexico and Flagstaff.
Just drive carefully. Just not all that much fun driving around in the winter in those areas. |
Obviously the further south you go the less the risk of snow and ice and the longer the journey. I made the trip from So Cal to Virginia 5 times when moving a little over a half dozen years ago from early November early to late February. I took one I-70 trip and four I-40 trips. Heading west on I-70 I had to turn south down I-25 and picked up I-10. I back tracked, caught a bad storm just past Vail Colorado. Towing a trailer in an SUV without 4-wheel drive through a snow storm in the Rockies did not seem like a good idea.
As mentioned I-40 has it's moments, in Arizona and New Mexico is where I got snowed on as in both states the road elevation goes over 7,000 feet. Coldest I ever been in was at that 7,000 foot level stopping for gas in New Mexico, it was -5. I barely got through a couple times. Had I-40 closures in the Arizona-New Mexico area twice just a day or two behind me in both directions.
As Clint Eastwood would say "Do you feel lucky?" The weather in some of those areas can swing wildly from day to day and 7 day weather forecasts aren't worth spit. As an example I went through that -5 area in New Mexico just a few days later and it was in the low 40's at the same time of night. Even stranger on one trip the temp in Virginia was the coldest place I was in and on another trip it was the warmest.
Whatever you chose best of luck and travel safe.
