Airports · Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport · flight planning · Sun 9:45 pm EDT (01:45 UTC)

Flight planning: Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport DCA / KDCA

What a pilot looks at before a flight from or to Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport in Washington, District of Columbia, in plain English: right now low IFR: very low ceiling or visibility, Wind from the north-northeast (030°) at 9 knots. The warnings, reports and winds below come from the government's aviation weather service and the restrictions from the FAA, refreshed every few minutes. For planning, not a briefing: the legal preflight briefing comes from Flight Service (1-800-WX-BRIEF) or the FAA's own tools.

Warnings in force SIGMETs and AIRMETs whose area covers this field

AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist).
AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft.

A SIGMET warns of weather hazardous to all aircraft (thunderstorms, severe turbulence or icing, volcanic ash); an AIRMET of weather that matters to small aircraft and to flying without instruments (moderate turbulence or icing, low cloud, strong surface wind, mountains hidden in cloud). An area is counted when it covers this field's position.

Pilot reports within 100 nautical miles, last three hours, nearest first

B38M at 400 ft, 0 nm north, 9:15 pm EDT (01:15 UTC): overcast above 40,000 ft.
as filed, and in English
```
DCA UA /OV DCA/TM 0115/FL004/TP B38M/SK OVC004
```
Report
a routine report filed through DCA
Where
over DCA
Time
01:15 UTC
Height
at 400 ft
Aircraft
B38M
Sky
overcast from 400 ft
A320 descending, 0 nm north, 8:27 pm EDT (00:27 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on.
as filed, and in English
```
DCA UA /OV RWY 1 FINAL/TM 0027/FLDURD/TP A320/SK BASES 400 FT
```
Report
a routine report filed through DCA
Where
runway 1 final
Time
00:27 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
A320
Sky
bases 40,000 ft ft
A319 descending, 0 nm north, 8:02 pm EDT (00:02 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on.
as filed, and in English
```
DCA UA /OV RWY 1 DEPARTURE/TM 0002/FLDURC/TP A319/SK BASES 500 FT
```
Report
a routine report filed through DCA
Where
runway 1 departure
Time
00:02 UTC
Height
during the climb
Aircraft
A319
Sky
bases 50,000 ft ft
C17 at 500 ft, 8 nm east, 7:42 pm EDT (23:42 UTC): overcast above 500 ft.
as filed, and in English
```
KADW UA /OV RWY 1L ARR/TM 2342/FL005/TP C17/SK OVC005
```
Report
a routine report filed through KADW
Where
runway 1L arrival
Time
23:42 UTC
Height
at 500 ft
Aircraft
C17
Sky
overcast from 500 ft
B737 at 1,000 ft, 8 nm east, 6:47 pm EDT (22:47 UTC): overcast above 500 ft.
as filed, and in English
```
KADW UA /OV 1L DEP/TM 2247/FL010/TP B737/SK OVC005
```
Report
a routine report filed through KADW
Where
1L departure
Time
22:47 UTC
Height
at 1,000 ft
Aircraft
B737
Sky
overcast from 500 ft
CRJ9 at 7,000 ft, 12 nm northwest, 7:17 pm EDT (23:17 UTC): overcast from 500 ft to 7,200 ft.
as filed, and in English
```
DCA UA /OV DCA320012/TM 2317/FL070/TP CRJ9/SK BASES 005 OVC TOPS 072
```
Report
a routine report filed through DCA
Where
12 nm northwest (320°) of DCA
Time
23:17 UTC
Height
at 7,000 ft
Aircraft
CRJ9
Sky
bases 500 ft overcast tops 7,200 ft
B738 at 7,000 ft, 20 nm north, 7:40 pm EDT (23:40 UTC): overcast above 40,000 ft, remarks: top 6,500 ft.
as filed, and in English
```
BWI UA /OV BAL280010/TM 2340/FL070/TP B738/SK OVC004/RM TOP 065
```
Report
a routine report filed through BWI
Where
10 nm west (280°) of BAL
Time
23:40 UTC
Height
at 7,000 ft
Aircraft
B738
Sky
overcast from 400 ft
Remarks
top 6,500 ft
CL60 at 500 ft, 23 nm west, 7:30 pm EDT (23:30 UTC): overcast above 500 ft, remarks: during the descent.
as filed, and in English
```
HEF UA /OV KHEF150001/TM 2330/FL005/TP CL60/SK OVC005/RM DURD
```
Report
a routine report filed through HEF
Where
1 nm southeast (150°) of KHEF
Time
23:30 UTC
Height
at 500 ft
Aircraft
CL60
Sky
overcast from 500 ft
Remarks
during the descent
CL60 descending, 24 nm west, 7:30 pm EDT (23:30 UTC): overcast above 500 ft.
as filed, and in English
```
IAD UA /OV HEF160001/TM 2330/FLDURD/TP CL60/SK OVC 005
```
Report
a routine report filed through IAD
Where
1 nm south (160°) of HEF
Time
23:30 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
CL60
Sky
overcast from 500 ft
B39M at 2,000 ft, 25 nm west, 7:03 pm EDT (23:03 UTC): overcast above 700 ft.
as filed, and in English
```
IAD UA /OV AML320005/TM 2303/FL020/TP B39M/SK BASES OVC 007
```
Report
a routine report filed through IAD
Where
5 nm northwest (320°) of AML
Time
23:03 UTC
Height
at 2,000 ft
Aircraft
B39M
Sky
bases overcast at 700 ft
FA8X climbing, 26 nm west, 8:34 pm EDT (00:34 UTC): overcast above 1,000 ft.
as filed, and in English
```
IAD UA /OV AML300005/TM 0034/FLDURC/TP FA8X/SK OVC010
```
Report
a routine report filed through IAD
Where
5 nm northwest (300°) of AML
Time
00:34 UTC
Height
during the climb
Aircraft
FA8X
Sky
overcast from 1,000 ft
A21N at 600 ft, 26 nm northeast, 8:23 pm EDT (00:23 UTC): a broken layer above 600 ft.
as filed, and in English
```
BWI UA /OV BWI/TM 0023/FL006/TP A21N/SK BKN006
```
Report
a routine report filed through BWI
Where
over BWI
Time
00:23 UTC
Height
at 600 ft
Aircraft
A21N
Sky
a broken layer from 600 ft

What pilots in the air told air traffic control or Flight Service: turbulence, icing, cloud tops and bases, temperature, wind, and whatever they remarked on (wind shear on final, a smooth ride). An urgent report is one of severe turbulence or icing, wind shear, or similar. Open "as filed, and in English" for the coded report and its translation line by line.

Winds and temperatures aloft forecast point RIC, 82 nm south of the field · for use 20:00–03:00 UTC

Height	Wind from	Speed	Temperature
3,000 ft	190° (south)	33 knots
6,000 ft	200° (south)	29 knots	14 °C
9,000 ft	210° (southwest)	31 knots	12 °C
12,000 ft	210° (southwest)	38 knots	6 °C
18,000 ft	230° (southwest)	42 knots	-7 °C
24,000 ft	230° (southwest)	68 knots	-16 °C
30,000 ft	220° (southwest)	84 knots	-29 °C
34,000 ft	220° (southwest)	86 knots	-40 °C
39,000 ft	220° (southwest)	81 knots	-52 °C

Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 UTC; temperatures above 24,000 ft are below zero. Heights are above sea level; the lowest rows are left out where the ground is already that high.

Temporary flight restrictions within 50 nautical miles, from the FAA's list

4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA over this airport · security · ZDC
6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 13 nm northwest · a VIP movement · today · ZDC
6/8800 Baltimore, MD, Saturday, October 17, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 31 nm northeast · drones kept away from a public gathering · starts Saturday 17 October · ZDC

Each restriction opens the FAA's own page with the exact area, heights and times. Ordinary notices to air missions (a closed runway, lights out, a crane) are not shown here: the FAA's notice search is not open to sites like this one at this time, and the application for the FAA's data feed is in hand.

Radar and forecast charts government pictures, the latest each time the page loads

Radar now: KLWX (22 nautical miles away) · loop National Weather Service

Radar, the Northeast · loop National Weather Service

Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center

Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

The radar pictures come from the National Weather Service (the nearest radar, then the region); the surface analysis and the 12- and 24-hour forecast charts from the Weather Prediction Center. They are public-domain government images shown as they are published.

Sources: the Aviation Weather Center's data service (SIGMETs, AIRMETs, graphical AIRMETs, pilot reports, winds and temperatures aloft), the National Weather Service radar, the Weather Prediction Center's charts, and the FAA's temporary flight restriction list and shapes. Fetched when the page is viewed and kept a few minutes. Back to Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport, where the current observation and the forecast for the field are.