By Nanci Dixon
Several interstates are notorious for wind, particularly in the spring and fall. I-40, I-10, and I-8 have all sidelined us at one time or another. I-40 near Winslow and Flagstaff, Arizona, periodically reports that semi-trucks have literally blown over in the wind along the interstate. So if trucks have a hard time in a windstorm, what about RVs? What do the truckers do to stay safe while the wind blows?
Truck trailers are measured in “sail” area, the area that can catch the wind. A 53-foot tractor-trailer has about 500 square feet of area that can be pushed, create thrust or be disrupted by high winds, similar to having a sail. RVs have “sail” too – just, thankfully, less.
The tips below are ones that long-haul truckers know about driving during a windstorm, but they are also very useful for RVers.
1. Know how your rig performs in the wind. The “sail” area can cause an RV to move out of its lane and out of control. There are after-market parts that can improve handling for RVs in the wind.
2. Reduce speed in the wind. Don’t let the vehicles behind you force you to drive at unsafe speeds.
3. Check existing wind speeds before setting out. There are several apps available to check the forecast and existing winds. Windy, WindAlert, and Windfinder are all good apps that we use consistently. Check out both the prevailing wind and gust speed. The gusts are the ones that can unexpectedly cause an accident.
4. Check out the weather reports. A wind advisory or a red flag warning are both indications of windy weather. Arizona weather reporters tend to say “breezy,” when in Minnesota they would say it is “windy.” If we hear “windy” in Arizona, Oklahoma, or Texas, we take in the chairs and tables, fasten down the patio rugs and stay in place. Winds have been so strong at times we have had to pull in the slides.
5. Keep both hands on the wheel and avoid distractions. A sudden gust of wind during a windstorm can jerk the wheel out of your hands. Avoid distractions. Rubber-necking, reaching for something, even turning on the radio can be enough to lose attention on the road conditions.
6. Watch the signs on the road. They are there for a reason. Wind socks, gusty winds ahead, dust storm area are all signs to be cautious. Bridges and open mountain ridges are all the more prone to gusts that can cause loss of control.
7. Watch the road, too. Flags flying straight out, grass laying horizontal and trees moving back and forth not only give an indication of the amount of wind but also the direction.
8. Pull over and stop when wind speeds are too high to drive safely. Find a campsite or spot to wait it out. We once spent four days in Oklahoma waiting out gale winds.
For a trucker, when it is determined that an accident is due to high winds, that trucker or company could be charged with negligence. Truckers have dispatchers that do the route planning for them. RVers are on their own determining the safest routes, particularly when high winds are expected. Don’t let an accident happen to you.
And as the old Irish blessing goes, “May the wind be always at your back.”
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RVDT2919
I try to avoid I-40 in NM and AZ.
Amen. And that is without an RV!! There are backroads, but they are long and fuel stops are few. The number of I-40 shutdowns due to accidents are legendary.
I drove it east one year with a strong steady wind coming from the south. The next day my neck and shoulders were very sore. I made the correlation of countersteering as the cause and had heavier torsion bars installed and that made a big difference. Oh, it was an 18 ton F53.
I just wish that there was more wind socks along the interstates.
We use the Drive Weather app before every travel day, wind speed (steady and gusts), precipitation, skies for along the route – when we are likely to be there. And I am seemingly always on the lookout for flags, long grass, trees, etc. for the current wind conditions as we roll.
Recently I drove over the Mackinac Bridge in my 33′ Class A. The wind wasn’t bad but there were 3 different nano-seconds when the wind pushed the RV to the right. That was a scary feeling. There’s a reason semi trucks have a speed limit of 20 on the bridge.
I spent several April nights at a motel in Gallup, NM, because I-40 was closed at the NM-AZ state line due to high winds. On that same trip, however, I-25 traffic was detoured through the city streets of Las Vegas, NM, because a semi had blown over across both southbound lanes, right in the middle of town!
Many years ago, I spent a night in North Platte, NE, when towing a travel trailer due to high winds on I-80. I-80 in WY is also notorious for extremely high winds that blow mobile homes off their frames. More than once, I have seen the ruins of a mobile home lying in the borrow ditch on both I-80 and I-25 in WY.
I am surprised that I80 across Wyoming was left off your list. After many years of driving trucks and being in all 50 states, most in a motorhome, I think Wyoming has the worst wind. It is said by many that the only time you see a flag hanging straight down in Wyoming is when the wind is blowing straight down.
If you are traveling in Wyoming during windy weather, check the Wyoming road conditions on the internet at http://www.wyoroad.info or the Wyoming 511 app. In high winds they will close a highway to light weight high profile vehicles or in other words travel trailers or fifth wheels while the heavier big rigs are allowed.
I use the Wind Compass app as it has wind and gust speeds but also a compass arrow that shows wind direction.
Thank you for the discussion, Nanci. This article caused me to sample four different wind-readings applications, including the three mentioned here. I now subscribe to Wind Compass (based on price, use, and your recommendation from two years ago). Have a great day and safe travels!
Depending on wind direction and the speed of gusts, I generally set my shut-down anytime it’s over 40 mph. I have time to wait it out. I don’t have time to be picking my stuff out of the ditch.
One year heading back to IL from our winter quarters in AZ we layed over in Amarillo for a week due to high wind advisories on I-10.
You have an RV and time for yourself, so get off the road now. If you have a place to park nose first into the wind, please do so. When the wind, or storms calm down, proceed with your journey.
I wonder if I can pay extra to always get Tailwinds? Seems as if I always end up with side or headwinds.
The few times I have gotten Tailwinds it’s almost as if I’m floating and the fuel gauge is stuck on full.