east to west southern tier

[henry]

I am thinking about doing the southern tier east to west we want to leave late feb. how do you think the weather will be for us along the way. this is our first big trip.

[FredHiltz]

The climate is nice then, although cold in the western mountains. However, no one knows what weather you will encounter. The ACA maps and numerous climatology web sites contain the average high, average low, and average precipitation for each month at points along the route.

Fred

[cyclocamping]

The southern tier ACA maps are just about the best thing you can take for this route. They are bit pricey but sooooo useful. Anyway, to respond to your question, winter is not bad at all along the south, but make sure you have a decent sleeping bag, night can get chilly (but rarely subfreezing unless you are higher in altitude). Here you can find an article about: Tips for traveling by bicycle in cold weather

[Jason]

Emory Pass and parts of Hill Country, Texas will be most prone to cold(er) temps when you roll through.  As suggested, a decent sleeping bag should make the trek in both places more than doable/comfortable.  The roads themselves for both are good so any inclement weather shouldn't make them impossible to pass.

Enjoy it.

j

[litespeed]

It'll be cold. I once woke up to 28 degrees in Mobile in December. Once you get inland in Texas you are sure to get cold weather so pack plenty of layered clothing. I pack two sleeping bags - a medium bag and a lightweight one - and use them together with my tent zipped up tight on cold nights.

[JHamelman]

Another thing to consider when touring this time of year, the number of daylight hours available. This will limit how many miles you can cover in a day.

.Jennifer.

[s_puttnick]

henry,

I'm planning on leaving from New Orleans in late February, early March out to San Diego.  I'm just starting planning and am going to be looking at length of days that time of year, temperatures, and especially rain patterns to help plan my gear.  I'll make a note to post the info I found in this thread.

Anybody know of information on prevailing winds?  Not the most important thing, but for sanity's sake might be nice to know if I should expect headwinds every day in New Mexico...

Advice on water requirements would be very welcome as well.

[Westinghouse]

henry,

I'm planning on leaving from New Orleans in late February, early March out to San Diego.  I'm just starting planning and am going to be looking at length of days that time of year, temperatures, and especially rain patterns to help plan my gear.  I'll make a note to post the info I found in this thread.

Anybody know of information on prevailing winds?  Not the most important thing, but for sanity's sake might be nice to know if I should expect headwinds every day in New Mexico...

Advice on water requirements would be very welcome as well.

Actually, you can google all that information and get average high and low temperatures over a period of years, plus average rainfall, and prevailing winds. Out west water is an issue. Check distances between towns and plan accordingly. By the time you get that far you will know what you need and how much. You will  get wind to and from every direction on the compass. It should be mostly in your favor during the time you said.

[s_puttnick]

Thanks westinghouse!  Will definitely take note of your advice on water.  When I think of cycling out west, I think of Forest Gump ending his run in Monument Valley.  He looks thirsty.

I just downloaded Google Earth and am using the Path feature to plot out my training rides.  It can generate an elevation profile, too, and could be used to plot out a section of the route to check elevation changes.

[Westinghouse]

Thanks westinghouse!  Will definitely take note of your advice on water.  When I think of cycling out west, I think of Forest Gump ending his run in Monument Valley.  He looks thirsty.

I just downloaded Google Earth and am using the Path feature to plot out my training rides.  It can generate an elevation profile, too, and could be used to plot out a section of the route to check elevation changes.

I've done the ST two or three times in winter, cold months, and the wind was not that bad. It can kick up against you, but I think it won't be all that bad. It is possible you might have some really nice tailwinds once you get over to the Del Rio area and head north. I sure did. NM might not give you the difficulty you expect. I did the ST from December 7, 2009 to January 30, 2010. The wind was not that big a problem. The head and side winds were not that strong. Often enough there were nice following winds. The winds are the winds. Deal with them. You might want to try Cytomax. I did and I'll never regret it, except the cost. Make a deliberate point of noting the mileage you get on water, and plan for that when you get to areas where there are long stretches without sources. It is not a problem, but you must be careful in some areas. If worse comes to worst, you could always hitch a ride, but with some sensible planning your water concerns take care of themselves.

[TCS]

OP - You don't mention how many miles you plan on covering each day, but leaving the east coast in late February you perhaps won't get to inland Texas/the Hill Country until early April  It will be beautiful - huge fields of wild flowers, typically warm days & pleasant nights.  This would presumably put you in New Mexico & Arizona in April/May: a good time, and personally I wouldn't want to do it much further into the summer.