I don't really trust long range forecasts - not anything much further out than maybe 3 or 4 days. However, the current Nationwide long range weather forecast through the Expo weekend calls for unseasonably warm and dry weather across most of the Country, My fingers are crossed that it holds.

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HA! It always snows on sunday of expo weekend, somewhere between NC and Maryland........

My fingers are crossed also. We are driving to the EXPO,across the mountains.

J.B.Hunt
Bowling Green, KY

with my luck it will be 60 in ny and freezing down there. i cant take this winter anymore..

One year my flight was cancelled due to snow. Last year my return flight was switched. They sent me back to NY via Detroit. There was no snow in NC or in NYC but they had 6 inches on the ground in Detroit with more coming every minute. I don't know how they were able to keep the runways clear for our take off.. but we made it.

We're due for some nice weather for a change.

good job Tom, picking out the correct week for the expo.

Two days of driving from Arkansas. At least I-40 near Ashville is now open on the East bound side.

The I40 is open near Ashville ?
When i looked it up last week they said it would only open in April, i am coming from Memphis so it makes the difference between one long drive of 10.5 hours or a split two day trip taking 13 or 14 hours.

Lou, the NCDOT report says the detour is ended.
[www.ncdot.org]
Apparently the East bound has both lanes open and the Westbound has one lane open.
Bill

It is hard to believe that with today's machinery and technology that a rock slide could close a major interstate highway for almost a year! But I know that is some pretty darn rugged country through there.

All lanes are open through the gorge, when you go through there you will understand why it took so long.

Nice, thanks for the update.
I was planning to maybe go via Birmingham/ Atlanta this year but now not.

My wife slides down in the seat & covers her eyes & hollers at me when we go thru the gorge. As an old construction engineer that gorge & highway is almost as impressive as the entrance into Zion National Park in Utah. The geology is fascinating and the precautions to prevent landslides is amazing.

Those are the highest and most rugged mountains in North America east of the Mississippi. A rock slide there is no minor thing. They happen regularly and cause road closures for months at a time. Thankfully it should be open this year which will save many folks several hours drive time. It's a very good highway, when it's open.

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