What is you temperature at Chirstmas time?

14 years ago

Please tell me what your average temperature is around Christmas. We are doing a bit of research for travel. In the next year or two, we are thinking of taking the motor home from Ohio to Arizona and New Mexico right after Christmas. It will be winterized for the season. We need to know about how far south we need to be before we are fairly safe de-winterizing. We don't know if or when we are going to try it, but....the sooner we start planning, the sooner it MIGHT happen! And if you are along the route, you just might get a visit!

Tami

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Comments (21)

carol_in_california
14 years ago
Come to the beautiful central coast of California.....December is usually beautiful and in the 60's and 70's during the day.
If California doesn't close all the state parks, there are lots of camping places here in San Luis Obispo county.
susanjf_gw
14 years ago
tami there are some elevations in new mexico that do get snow in the winter...as does az...but the phoenix valley should be fine. my fil was on a budget so he would by-pass phoenix and used yuma az for his base. i don't recall if he had problems while driving there with temp changes. he, over the years, had a trailer, motorhome, and the 5th wheel he just sold...
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sushipup1
14 years ago
I agree with Carol. That time of year here in the Monterey Bay area can be spectacular. But it itn't desert-warm, and we can get winter storms at that time of year, too. But it won't usually be too cold, either.

There are no guarantees. I've seen snow in Tucson or Phoenix or Las Vegas, and more often in NM, with the higher elevations.

I'd come prepared with a road map and weather forecasts and follow the weather!
nanny98
14 years ago
Tammy....we are from Oregon and have "done" the going south for the winter with only so-so success. Most of the places we went in Az (Sedona, Cottonwood, even Tuscon) were freezing at night but very pleasant days...60 to 70 deg. We even had 3" of snow in Tuscon.

As far as "winterizing" your RV, if you are living in it, (at least for us) we keep our furnace or a small heater going during the night and have never had any "frozen pipes" problem. I know living in Ohio is different from our west coast...temps-wise....but as long as we are using our motor home, we don't winterize. Our southern journey had us in Verde Valley, near Sedona, with ice on the ground and running faucets at the campground to keep the pipes from freezing every night. We stayed 3 weeks and the days were wonderful. We have friends that go to Texas and love the warm temps around San Antonio (where I do want to go). And California....the deserts. Death Valley in the winter is a geologic wonderland...as is Sedona.
jemdandy
14 years ago
I've lived in the lower part of Wisconsin for more than 40 years and can relate to weather conditions on I-80 (runs across north Indiana, past the souther tip of Lake Michigan, and westward). Our December weather is so variable that it can not be predicted what it may be. The temperature can vary from 50 F to -10 F. [Jan and Feb are predictable: cold and colder]. The first half of Dec. can be mild for a winter month, but the first sizeable snow of the season often arrives after Thanksgiving. Christmas week can be the pits for travelers. In some years, the largest snows of the season arrives from Christmas to New Years Day. The region from Champaign IL to Milwaukee can be very snowy, although those counties are equipped with snow removal equipment. And from Kankakee, IL on north, the counties have planned budgets to support snow removal. However, one major tool is road salt! You don't really want to run your rig through road salt if you don't have to.

As Christmas approaches, the traffic on I-80 across Indiana and Illinois can be be very bad until you get west of the Chicago area, and then its ok.

For the reason above, I do not recommend the I-80 route because you have other choices that are more pleasant.

I recommed that you do not go any farther north than I-70 through Indiana and Illinois. When you get to the St. Louis area, do not drive through St. Louis, by go around it using I- 255. I have driven I-255 several times and found it the best route, especially during heavier traffic hours. During a rain, it si the best. I have met some really crazy drivers in the rain in St. Louis on the I-system.

Depending on where you are located in Ohio, a Kentucky route may suit you and it will be a safer bet for December driving. Mammoth Cave is just off I-65 in Kentucky and is worth a stop if you have never been there. Expect to spend a good part of a day to see it properly, although a half-day is better than none at all.

"The Trace", a road running on the "land-between-the-lakes" is park land and slow. It has a 45 mph limit for ite entire length starting in TN and through KY. Avoid this one if you like to make time. It is slow and can be boring. (I have driven it.)
kayjones
14 years ago
70 degrees and sunny - windy - we usually spend Christmas Day on the beach just to get everyone out of my DIL's house!
lydia1959
14 years ago
The St. Louis area can vary from in the 30's to in the 70's at that time of the year. I do not hesitate to make travel plans up to Christmas because the weather is most often not bad until January.
bigfoot_liz
14 years ago
here in orlando it can vary greatly. this past winter was the worst ever in the 12+ yrs i've lived here. it was cold (cold is anyhting under 80) low 70's during the beginning of the month and mid month we went on a caribbean cruise where the cool weather followed us to the bahamas lol. by the time we got back it was normal, near 80. for the last 12 yrs we have had thanksgiving, christmas & new yrs eve dinners on our lanai wearing tees & shorts. usually it has cooled down enough by christmas to open the house up too. ~ liz
trishaw
14 years ago
Gosh it is so crazy here temperature wise I never know what to expect. We have been close to having snow some years and feeling like we moved back to California during others. Last year was cold. Just plain cold! Right around 40 I would say.

Trish in Upper South Carolina
mariend
14 years ago
New Mexico does have some winter problems especially around Albuquerque. When we left ND, we never un-winterized the rig until we got to a campsite either in CA or Yuma. But then we would go straight down 83 to 40. Even interstate 40 can have problems. Are you headed any special place? or just site seeing? Let me know and I might be able to give you some additional information. The standard "rule" is you can expect snow anytime after Oct 15th, and usually the worst is Jan/Feb/ We tried to get back to ND in March as the spring storms/snow seemed to be worst in April. But then this past year all the rules went out the window!
marilyn_c
14 years ago
Usually in the high 60's. We did have a white Christmas a few years ago, but that was extremely rare...rare to have snow, period, but unheard of to have a white Christmas. January and February are our coldest months, but even so, we just have a few light freezes or frosts at that.
jannie
14 years ago
I'm in New York and it'll be cold! We rarely get a White Christmas, it's usually pretty dry here on Long Island. I remember one January, my husband's uncle in Florida passed away suddenly. We got on the plane wearing winter coats, got off to 65 degrees in Orlando. My kids only had winter undershirts, we didn't really pack for Florida weather.
glenda_al
14 years ago
Alabama, you never know.
It's sometimes too warm for a fire in the fireplace or cold, but not freezing.
tami_ohio
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks! Please keep the temps and places coming. I know temps can be/are unpredictable. We just want averages, so we know how far south we need to go before we can de-winterize.

Nanny98, as we won't be leaving until right after Christmas, which ever year we decide to go, since we live in north central Ohio, right by Lake Erie, we have no choice but to winterize before hand. Propane is too expensive to leave the furnace in the motor home run when we are not using it.

Jemdandy, I-80 runs past our house about a mile north of us. Boy do I know what the temps are along it! DH is thinking about going to Nashville, then Memphis and then west.

As far as just traveling or specific destinations. We have friends who winter in Quartzite, and Denning, NM. Some winter around Livingston, TX. Quartzite and Denning would probably be the main destinations, with some site seeing and stops along the way. Anyone who would be along our route could be potential stops if you wanted!

I refuse to be away from home at Christmas. Any other holiday, I don't care. It was hard to be away for Damien's birthday last year, but I managed that. This year, they are having his party here early, as they will be in Minnesota for a family reunion. I can even be gone for our kids birthdays. But not Christmas.

We do have built in heaters for the holding tanks, but don't want to take any chances of de-winterizing before we leave Ohio.

Tami
LorifromUtah
14 years ago
We have been fifty below two days before Christmas.
Most generally though the temperature is below freezing to a degree. Some degrees are just lower than others.

Lori
drewsmaga
14 years ago
Tami, according to the Houston Chronicle, the average temp. for Houston (which is just south of Livingston --- we love going to Lake Livingston) on 12/25 is 63 for a high and 41 for a low.
Where in OH do you live. DH & I grew up in & spent most of our adult lives in the Cleveland 'burbs. Lived 1 mi. south of Lake Erie for 11 yrs. (in Wickliffe) before heading south (LA, FL, now TX.) We can never go back to those brutal winters. ;-) Pat

Here is a link that might be useful: Houston weather 12/25
tami_ohio
Original Author
14 years ago
Drewsmaga, we are west of where you were, between Cleveland and Sandusky (Cedar Point Amusement Park).

Tami
litereader
14 years ago
Hi Tami:

I made a trip in 2007 from Wisconsin to Arizona (where I lived for 30 years) in a motorhome. I did not winterize, just kept heat on at night. My route was south to TX, then across on I-10. Unfortunately, I was stuck in San Antonio for 10 days with a nasty ice storm and another two days in San Angelo with snow. This was in January.

When I finally got into southern NM (which I would highly recommend due to the elevation on I-40) the weather was brisk by southwestern standards, but quite comfortable for a "winterized person". Granted, the weather in TX was not common for that area, it does happen and the primary problem is that the people there have no idea how to handle it. You get stuck because absolutely everything shuts down. So, my advice is stay as far south as you can. I-10 is, in my opinion the best route in winter.
joann23456
14 years ago
Here on the North Shore (north of Boston, that is), it's usually around 35-40Â° at Christmas. Sometimes we have snow, but not usually. The cold weather and snow usually comes in January and February.
grinch_gut
14 years ago
Ummm skip OK.....if you don't want to winterize!! We can average from 10 to 70 here...ya never know...course the last few years has been cold...if not by Christmas give or take a day and you got ice....Stacy
jannie
14 years ago
Being on the East Coast, it could be anywhere from 20 to 50.

What is you temperature at Chirstmas time?

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What is you temperature at Chirstmas time?

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