Next 7 departures
- SatOct 3
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 51–78°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Partly sunny78°F Huntsville8 AM CDT Mostly cloudy72°F Corsicana9:45 AM CDT Chance of rain showers72°F Dallas10:30 AM CDT Chance of rain showers73°F Wichita Falls12:45 PM CDT Chance of light rain showers69°F Childress2:30 PM CDT Partly sunny73°F Amarillo4:15 PM CDT Mostly sunny74°F Texas–New Mexico line4:15 PM MDT Mostly sunny75°F Las Vegas6:45 PM MDT Sunny67°F NM-518 northwest of Mora7:30 PM MDT Clear51°F Taos8:30 PM MDT Mostly clear58°F - SunOct 4
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 50–79°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Chance of light rain showers77°F Huntsville8 AM CDT Chance of light rain showers70°F Corsicana9:45 AM CDT Chance of rain showers71°F Dallas10:30 AM CDT Slight chance of light rain showers73°F Wichita Falls12:45 PM CDT Partly sunny77°F Childress2:30 PM CDT Mostly sunny79°F Amarillo4:15 PM CDT Mostly sunny77°F Texas–New Mexico line4:15 PM MDT Mostly sunny75°F Las Vegas6:45 PM MDT Sunny64°F NM-518 northwest of Mora7:30 PM MDT Clear50°F Taos8:30 PM MDT Clear58°F - MonOct 5
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 53–78°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Mostly cloudy75°F Huntsville8 AM CDT Partly sunny70°F Corsicana9:45 AM CDT Mostly sunny71°F Dallas10:30 AM CDT Mostly sunny73°F Wichita Falls12:45 PM CDT Mostly sunny77°F Childress2:30 PM CDT Mostly sunny78°F Amarillo4:15 PM CDT Sunny78°F Texas–New Mexico line4:15 PM MDT Sunny78°F Las Vegas6:45 PM MDT Sunny67°F NM-518 northwest of Mora7:30 PM MDT Clear53°F Taos8:30 PM MDT Clear58°F - TueOct 6
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 53–85°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Mostly sunny72°F Huntsville8 AM CDT Sunny66°F Corsicana9:45 AM CDT Sunny66°F Dallas10:30 AM CDT Sunny70°F Wichita Falls12:45 PM CDT Sunny77°F Childress2:30 PM CDT Sunny85°F Amarillo4:15 PM CDT Sunny82°F Texas–New Mexico line4:15 PM MDT Sunny83°F Las Vegas6:45 PM MDT Mostly sunny70°F NM-518 northwest of Mora7:30 PM MDT Partly cloudy53°F Taos8:30 PM MDT Partly cloudy59°F - WedOct 7
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 52–86°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Sunny70°F Huntsville8 AM CDT Sunny65°F Corsicana9:45 AM CDT Mostly sunny66°F Dallas10:30 AM CDT Mostly sunny70°F Wichita Falls12:45 PM CDT Sunny81°F Childress2:30 PM CDT Sunny86°F Amarillo4:15 PM CDT Sunny83°F Texas–New Mexico line4:15 PM MDT Sunny82°F Las Vegas6:45 PM MDT Mostly sunny67°F NM-518 northwest of Mora7:30 PM MDT Partly cloudy52°F Taos8:30 PM MDT Mostly clear59°F - ThuOct 8
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 51–88°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Mostly sunny71°F Huntsville8 AM CDT Mostly sunny67°F Corsicana9:45 AM CDT Mostly sunny68°F Dallas10:30 AM CDT Mostly sunny71°F Wichita Falls12:45 PM CDT Sunny81°F Childress2:30 PM CDT Sunny88°F Amarillo4:15 PM CDT Sunny83°F Texas–New Mexico line4:15 PM MDT Sunny82°F Las Vegas6:45 PM MDT Sunny67°F NM-518 northwest of Mora7:30 PM MDT Mostly clear51°F Taos8:30 PM MDT Mostly clear58°F - FriOct 9
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 66–88°F along the way. The forecast does not reach the last 2 checkpoints yet.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Houston7 AM CDT Mostly sunny71°F Huntsville8 AM CDT Mostly sunny68°F Corsicana9:45 AM CDT Mostly sunny70°F Dallas10:30 AM CDT Sunny75°F Wichita Falls12:45 PM CDT Sunny85°F Childress2:30 PM CDT Sunny88°F Amarillo4:15 PM CDT Sunny83°F Texas–New Mexico line4:15 PM MDT Sunny82°F Las Vegas6:45 PM MDT Sunny66°F NM-518 northwest of Mora7:30 PM MDT Not forecast yet— Taos8:30 PM MDT Not forecast yet—
The worst conditions expected at any checkpoint, timed to when you would reach it driving without stops. Levels use Road Travel’s driving-risk scale.
The route, stop by stop
Checkpoints in order, with driving time from Houston (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.
- Houston, TXStart 36 ftelevation
- Huntsville, TXMile 69 · 1 h 7 min 371 ftelevation
- Corsicana, TXMile 184 · 2 h 44 min 427 ftelevation
- Dallas, TXMile 239 · 3 h 33 min 452 ftelevation
- Wichita Falls, TXMile 378 · 5 h 41 min 985 ftelevation
- Childress, TXMile 486 · 7 h 24 min 1,876 ftelevation
- Amarillo, TXMile 601 · 9 h 11 min 3,665 ftelevation
- Texas–New Mexico lineState line · Mile 672 · 10 h 12 min 3,834 ftelevation
- Las Vegas, NMMile 836 · 12 h 42 min 6,426 ftelevation
- NM-518 northwest of Mora, NMMile 880 · 13 h 37 min 9,449 ftelevation
- Taos, NMMile 914 · 14 h 29 min 6,968 ftelevation
Typical weather by month
Average daily highs and lows, and days with an inch or more of snow, at Houston, NM-518 northwest of Mora and Taos.
| Month | Houston 95 ft | NM-518 northwest of Mora Gascon station · 8,250 ft | Taos 6,965 ft | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High / low °F | Snow days | High / low °F | Snow days | High / low °F | Snow days | |
| Jan | 64° / 44° | 0 | 44° / 18° | 4.1 | 42° / 12° | 2.3 |
| Feb | 68° / 48° | 0 | 45° / 20° | 4.5 | 46° / 19° | 1.6 |
| Mar | 74° / 54° | 0 | 51° / 24° | 4.9 | 55° / 25° | 1.1 |
| Apr | 80° / 60° | 0 | 57° / 29° | 3.4 | 63° / 31° | 0.9 |
| May | 87° / 68° | 0 | 65° / 36° | 0.6 | 73° / 37° | 0 |
| Jun | 92° / 74° | 0 | 75° / 43° | 0 | 84° / 47° | 0 |
| Jul | 95° / 76° | 0 | 76° / 47° | 0 | 87° / 53° | 0 |
| Aug | 95° / 75° | 0 | 74° / 47° | 0 | 84° / 51° | 0 |
| Sep | 90° / 71° | 0 | 69° / 41° | 0 | 78° / 45° | 0 |
| Oct | 83° / 61° | 0 | 61° / 32° | 1.4 | 67° / 32° | 0.5 |
| Nov | 73° / 52° | 0 | 52° / 24° | 2.7 | 53° / 22° | 0.9 |
| Dec | 65° / 46° | 0.1 | 44° / 18° | 4.4 | 42° / 14° | 2.7 |
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020: HOUSTON INTERCONT AP (USW00012960, 95 ft); GASCON (USC00293488, 8,250 ft); TAOS (USC00298668, 6,965 ft). Snow days are days with at least 1 inch of new snow. “—” means the station does not publish that normal.
Road conditions
Closures and chain rules change by the hour, so we link to the official reports for Texas and New Mexico rather than repeat them.
- Texas · TxDOTDriveTexas road conditions
- New Mexico · NMDOTNMRoads conditions and cameras
Check the official National Weather Service forecast and each state's road report before you leave.
Get alerts timed to where you’ll be when you get there
Road Travel plans the drive from Houston to Taos with the forecast at every stretch for the hour you’ll reach it, then warns you about weather ahead while you drive.
Questions about this drive
How long is the drive from Houston to Taos?
914 miles, about 14 hours of driving without stops, by way of I-45, US-287 and I-40. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.
What is the highest point on the drive?
On NM-518 northwest of Mora, at 9,449 ft. It comes at mile 880, about 13 h 37 min of driving after you leave Houston.
Does it snow on NM-518 northwest of Mora in November?
The nearest long-term NOAA station, Gascon (8,250 ft), averages 11.0 inches of snow in November, with about 3 days of 1 inch or more (1991–2020 normals).
How cold is Taos in January?
Taos averages a high of 42°F and a low of 12°F in January (1991–2020 normals).