Extreme winds and power outages in West Texas

Editor's note: This windstorm occurred before the one we encountered when we were leaving Las Cruces, despite this blog post coming out later. Many of the tips we share in this post helped us tremendously as we navigated windstorms on our drive day in New Mexico.

On Valentine's Day at 3AM, I was awoken by the loud sounds of wind gusts and the sensation of the trailer shimmying and rocking. We had been lucky up to this point, but we noticed the famous West Texas winds coming in that previous evening, and now they were blowing full force. I propped myself up on my pillow, grabbed my phone, and began researching the weather.

It's really hard to make clear-headed decisions about safety in the middle of the night. Things often seem worse when we're sleep deprived. So I went through my weather-preparedness checklist to ensure we'd be safe staying in the RV. We were about an hour south of Alpine, TX near Big Bend National Park, so there was really nowhere to go unless we literally had no other choice. I went onto my weather apps and checked the sustained winds, wind gusts, and wind direction. Then I woke up Anthony and asked him to check outside to make sure nothing outdoors was blowing too aggressively, and that our trailer was still secure on its stabilizers.

Having a weather-preparedness checklist ahead of time is really important in these situations because extreme weather requires a balance of rules of thumb and split decisions. Both need to have research behind them. We wanted to share our personal experience in dealing with this windstorm, along with some general tips so that you can make sure you stay safe when the wind starts blowing.

RVs don't have foundations like buildings, so we need to be extra cautious when they face extreme weather. Many of our tips also apply to tornado preparedness, which we covered in a blog post last year.

Try to learn how much wind your RV can withstand ahead of time, both traveling and stationary. Ideally this won't be done the hard way, aka while you're still in it! There are studies that have been conducted that will give you a good sense of what RVs can withstand, but remember that this is just guidance, and only YOU know your rig and your comfort level.

We learned early on that our RV can withstand lateral gusts up to 75mph when a Nor'easter came through shortly after we brought the trailer home. We weren't living in it yet and it wasn't outfitted, so the weight was lighter, but it stayed safe and secure on my parents' property through the storm. This now serves as our gauge of what we can expect when the winds hit.

Check the weather forecast daily, including the wind. Note the sustained wind speeds, gusts, and wind direction. This should definitely be done on travel days, but also on days you're parked. If the forecast predicts very high speed sustained winds - we're talking 60mph+ - that's time to be concerned because you have a real storm on your hands. Gusts are also essential to monitor because one big gust can blow even heavy equipment right off the ground. In our case in Texas, the sustained winds were mostly hovering around 30mph tops, but at times they reached over 50mph. Gusts, however, were predicted to be up to 85mph. Seeing numbers like that make it even more important to check wind direction. Most weather apps have the wind direction as part of the forecast, but make sure you're reading it correctly, because this is a bit counterintuitive. If the forecast says the winds are blowing "WSW" (as was in our case), this means that the winds are coming from west-southwest. Now, depending on the storm front, the winds might shift, sometimes indefinitely and other times just for a few gusts, so continue monitoring wind direction throughout the storm. If you need a quick monitoring device, see if there are any flags nearby. Flags are great for double checking wind direction and strength at a glance.

I've mentioned the term "lateral winds" a few times. This means that the direction of the wind is hitting your RV from the side, as opposed to the front or back. This is more dangerous because the wind is hitting more surface area on your RV. When you're stationary, the surface area remains the same, but when you're moving, the winds also need to contend with your speed as you drive forward. This makes lateral winds even more hazardous, but whether you're moving or not, strong lateral winds are not something you want to mess with.

This brings us to the next tip: Reposition yourself so your nose is into the wind, if at all possible. This is the best option because many trailers and fifth wheels especially are rounded on the front. This is for better aerodynamics when driving, but it also helps the wind deflect when you're parked. The next best option is to have the rear facing the wind because there is less surface area. Both of these positions avoid lateral winds.

Even if you're all set with positioning, there is lots more to do, such as bringing in your outdoor items. You might not think this is a safety hazard at first, but camping chairs, grills, and lawn ornaments can blow really aggressively in the wind, potentially hitting something or someone. It's also not worth the risk of busting any of your equipment, or worse, denting your rig. Also be sure to retract your awning! Awnings act like parachutes in the wind and can easily tear. This is also a good time to look for surrounding trees. Actually, ideally you've scouted the tree situation as soon as you arrived to your site, but there's usually a lot going on then. So, do it now. Check for the integrity of the tree. Do the trunks look sturdy, with roots firmly in the ground? Do the trees look alive? Are there any branches that look ready to break, or that are hanging over your RV? Little branches aren't your problem right now. They might scratch your roof a little, but the damage is unlikely to be too disastrous. You need to think about big branches and the entirety of the tree. If your site is surrounded by trees that don't look safe, ask park staff if there is anywhere else you can go. If you reposition yourself nose into the wind in, make sure that wherever you end up, you're clear of potential debris.

This is also a good time to note where the power lines are. Lots of campgrounds have underground wiring, but if you're parked in a location with overhead wiring, make sure those wires won't land on your RV if they come down. Electrical and utility poles should be treated like high voltage trees. If you're near one that could fall on your rig or if the pole looks weak or tilted, see if there's another place you can park, particularly if the wind direction would blow that pole down in the direction of your RV!

Anthony's 3AM walkaround included checking our Starlink. It was the only piece of equipment we had outdoors at that time. The dish hadn't been blown over yet, but to be cautious he took the dish and router inside for the remainder of the night.

Connectivity was an added issue for us because we had no cell service where we were staying. We were relying 99% on our Starlink, but the campground country store did offer decent WIFI. This came in handy when Anthony brought in Starlink because we could continue monitoring our weather apps using the WIFI. It doesn't hurt to invest in a weather radio, though, and you'll see why later in this post. Weather radios are often their own devices, or you can access weather channels if you have a two-way radio like we do.

Weather devices such as these might not always be reliable in windstorms. Sometimes winds that are damaging to your RV aren't urgent enough to warrant a warning. In this Texas windstorm, even though gusts could get up as strong as a small tornado, we had no actual warnings on our radar - only a high wind warning on our weather.com app. What you want to listen for on weather radios is any potential emergencies that can result from the high winds, such as tornadoes, blackout conditions, or wildfires. Since we were in a dry desert climate near mountains, a red flag warning was issued along with the high winds. This meant a greater chance for fires to spread in the area, and that's certainly something we want to continuously monitor. It goes without saying that if there is a red flag warning, there is a fire ban, so PLEASE do not try to start a campfire! In winds like these it would be nearly impossible anyway and certainly not enjoyable with dust flying around, but still...we've seen that person who lights a fire during a ban. Don't be that person.

Bring in your slides if you have them. Remember, the key is to keep surface area low. Winds can gust right under your slideouts and push from underneath them. This is how a lot of RVs flip over when parked in high winds.

Just as you want to keep your surface area small, you also want to keep your RV low to the ground and anchored with weight. If you're up high on levelers, consider coming off of them.  If you plant your wheels on the ground, will you only be slightly unlevel? Will you be unlevel in a way that's not impacted by the direction of the wind (i.e. the wind won't blow in the direction that you're already off-kilter)? If you drove up on blocks, can you safely come off of them? We want to decide the safest course of action for keeping wind from blowing up underneath the RV, so if you're feeling your rig shimmy and shake because you're up on the top of your levelers, coming down to the ground can help reduce some of that shaking.

You want to have your stabilizers down because each stabilizer can help ground the RV to fight against several hundred or even thousand pounds of force. Your jacks should not be over extended. This goes for the tongue jack too if you have a trailer. When you unhitch you don't want to overextend the jack anyway due to the pressure of the tongue weight, but the tongue jack can also provide support if your trailer is rocking.

Need even more weight to ground your rig? Fill your fresh water tank. Our 100 gallon tank could add another 800lb of weight if filled. Or, if you have a towable RV, hitch it up to your truck. This will add more weight and also provide extra points of contact to the ground.

All of the steps above are crucial to consider, whether you're planning on staying in your RV or not. Remember, you are continuously monitoring the wind for shifts in direction, changes in speed, and secondary emergencies. At any point you might decide that the safest plan of action is to leave the RV. Make a note ahead of time where there are hotels in the area, or other structural buildings where you can go for the day. If you have pets, find places that are pet-friendly such as a Home Depot or Lowe's. For any extreme condition, it's best to have go-bags already packed and ready for a quick getaway, for you, your children, and your pets. Pack a change of clothes, some toiletries, food, and extra meds/supplements. Have the bags in a convenient place that's easy to grab if you need to leave at a moment's notice. Remember that a windstorm can be a precursor to other more urgent weather patterns, so be ready at all times to make a necessary change.

One of the toughest decisions is whether or not to leave the RV and drive somewhere else, but if you've done your research, hopefully you'll know when it's time to make this decision. If you come to a point where your safety is in jeopardy, then prioritize your safety over the safety of the RV. This isn't always black-and-white. Here in the high desert, we run the risk of dust storms in high winds. So when we consider taking the truck and driving somewhere, we want to ensure that we'll have good visibility on the road. If for whatever reason you can't drive somewhere, but you still feel your RV isn't safe, then scout out the campground ahead of time. What nearby structures can you escape to that will be sturdier than your RV? Make a note of these places as soon as you arrive to your site, or at least as soon as you see predictions of severe weather.

By all means, if the winds roll in on a day you're scheduled to travel, seriously consider delaying your departure. Getting to your next destination on time is not worth the risk to your RV or your life! Pay close attention to the wind speeds and directions along your route, and if you're not comfortable traveling, then find other options. Even if the campground is full, talk to staff. Oftentimes places have emergency sites, overflow lots, or last-minute cancellations. In most cases, staff will try to accommodate you as best they can when they know that driving isn't safe.

Our situation went from bad to worse when our campground lost power. Of course, with high winds, this is a real possibility. So make sure you're ready to handle a power outage whenever you see high winds in the forecast. This means checking your batteries to make sure they're charged, having fuel in your generator/tow vehicle, and having enough food to last you a while in case nearby stores are closed. In our experience, power outages in the RV have been easier to handle than when we were in a house because we have our inverter and generator. The campground we were staying at outside of Big Bend typically doesn't allow generator use, but in these extenuating circumstances, staff didn't mind us running ours. We continued to be courteous, though, trying to keep our generator off during quiet hours at night.

The biggest issue with the power outage was that the campground WIFI cut out too, leaving us with only Starlink to stay connected to our weather apps. We brought our dish back outside, tried our best to block it from the wind by placing it next to our RV, and kept a close eye on it. That little thing is a lot sturdier than it looks! We're also brainstorming ways to mount the dish (as many RVers do to raise it above their roofs, but this could also be helpful to secure it in wind). We also think there's a way to potentially stake it down into the ground through little holes it has in its base. We'll be mulling this over in the coming weeks. Either way, in case the wind got too strong to handle our Starlink, we were glad to have our two-way radios because we didn't need to totally rely on internet to get our emergency notifications.

We know this seems like an overwhelming amount to remember, but it's all common sense. You also won't necessarily need to do all of these steps depending on your rig, your location, and your specific situation. This is just an all-encompassing list of what to think about as you prepare to weather a windstorm.

Sometimes the predictions are more dire than the outcome. We find this happens frequently on the weather.com app, probably because they'd rather be safe and overshoot their predictions so we can ensure that we're extra safe. Our windstorm never yielded 85mph winds, but we were prepared in case they did. You can see the difference in the two radars below, one for sustained winds and the other for gusts, and why it's important to monitor both. While our sustained winds south of Alpine were only around 25mph on average, the gusts were in the 70mph range.

We ended up staying in our RV as the windstorm passed through. The warnings were in effect through the entire next day, but we did have moments of reprieve here and there. We just took the days hour-by-hour, trusting ourselves that we were prepared to make changes if needed. We kept in touch with the staff at our location, and we waited until lulls in the wind to do our checks outside. We already started up on the count, being level without blocks/levelers, positioned nose into the wind, and surrounded by no trees (thanks, desert!) and only a couple structurally sound utility poles. Our tanks were already reasonably filled, and our generator and truck were fueled up. This lessened a lot of the overwhelm for us as we made our middle-of-the-night plans for dealing with the wind. It's just something we RVers need to deal with on a regular basis, and the price we pay for a life of grand adventure. Preparedness goes a long way, so that we can ride out the storms and get back to living this glorious life.