Plan a flight · Mon 8:59 am CDT (13:59 UTC)

Waterloo Regional to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International ALO → MSY

761 nautical miles (876 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 172°, about 172° magnetic at the departure end (variation 0E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 04 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 30-knot tailwind), arriving about 2:03 pm CDT (19:03 UTC). Right now ALO is VFR, wind from the south (170°) at 4 knots; MSY is VFR, wind from the northeast (040°) at 3 knots. For planning, not a briefing: the legal preflight briefing comes from Flight Service (1-800-WX-BRIEF) or the FAA's own tools. Airlines fly this pair: 1 flights in the DOT's last twelve reported months, the route's page.

The route the straight line, the warnings crossed, restrictions, pilot reports and the airports along the way · click a mark for its words

Green, blue, red and purple airport dots are the flying conditions reported there now (VFR, marginal VFR, IFR, low IFR); grey means no report. Red areas are SIGMETs, orange areas AIRMETs, hatched red areas temporary flight restrictions. Map tiles: OpenFreeMap, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Warnings the route crosses SIGMETs and AIRMETs whose area the line passes through or comes within 25 nm of

AIRMET TANGO 2W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Over the route from 198 to 247 nm out.

A SIGMET warns of weather hazardous to all aircraft; an AIRMET of weather that matters to small aircraft and to flying without instruments. "From 60 to 180 nm out" is measured along the route from ALO.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

P46T at 31,000 ft, 5 nm west, 8:37 am CDT (13:37 UTC): light chop turbulence. At the departure end, 5 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ALO UA /OV ALO270005/TM 1337/FL310/TP P46T/TB INTMT LGT CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through ALO
Where
5 nm west (270°) of ALO
Time
13:37 UTC
Height
at 31,000 ft
Aircraft
P46T
Turbulence
intermittent light chop
B38M at 32,000 ft, 50 nm west, 6:35 am CDT (11:35 UTC): light chop turbulence above 32,000 ft. At the departure end, 50 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
FOD UA /OV FOD075035/TM 1135/FL320/TP B38M/TB CONS LGT CHOP 320/INTMT LGT CHOP 340
```
Report
a routine report filed through FOD
Where
35 nm east (075°) of FOD
Time
11:35 UTC
Height
at 32,000 ft
Aircraft
B38M
Turbulence
continuous light chop 320/INTMT light chop at 34,000 ft
A321 at 32,000 ft, 24 nm east, 7:25 am CDT (12:25 UTC): light chop turbulence. At the departure end, 24 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
CID UA /OV CID360010/TM 1225/FL320/TP A321/TB INTMT LGT CHOP CONS LGT CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through CID
Where
10 nm north (360°) of CID
Time
12:25 UTC
Height
at 32,000 ft
Aircraft
A321
Turbulence
intermittent light chop continuous light chop
E170 at 14,000 ft, 33 nm west, 6:19 am CDT (11:19 UTC): no turbulence, no icing, remarks: ZME65. 455 nm along the route, 33 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
LIT UA /OV LIT045030/TM 1119/FL140/TP E170/TB NEG/IC NEG/RM ZME65
```
Report
a routine report filed through LIT
Where
30 nm northeast (045°) of LIT
Time
11:19 UTC
Height
at 14,000 ft
Aircraft
E170
Turbulence
none
Icing
none
Remarks
ZME65
BE33 at 4,500 ft, 29 nm east, 8:05 am CDT (13:05 UTC): clear from 4,500 ft to 60,000 ft, remarks: ZME65. 494 nm along the route, 29 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
UTA UA /OV UTA180015/TM 1305/FL045/TP BE33/SK SKC/RM ZME65
```
Report
a routine report filed through UTA
Where
15 nm south (180°) of UTA
Time
13:05 UTC
Height
at 4,500 ft
Aircraft
BE33
Sky
clear
Remarks
ZME65
BE9L at 5,000 ft, 46 nm west, 8:06 am CDT (13:06 UTC): clear from 5,000 ft to 60,000 ft, remarks: ZME65. 534 nm along the route, 46 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
LLQ UA /OV LLQ/TM 1306/FL050/TP BE9L/SK SKC/RM ZME65
```
Report
a routine report filed through LLQ
Where
over LLQ
Time
13:06 UTC
Height
at 5,000 ft
Aircraft
BE9L
Sky
clear
Remarks
ZME65
BE36 at 8,000 ft, 5 nm west, 6:18 am CDT (11:18 UTC): no turbulence, no icing, remarks: ZME65. 643 nm along the route, 5 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
JAN UA /OV MHZ225040/TM 1118/FL080/TP BE36/TB NEG/IC NEG/RM ZME65
```
Report
a routine report filed through JAN
Where
40 nm southwest (225°) of MHZ
Time
11:18 UTC
Height
at 8,000 ft
Aircraft
BE36
Turbulence
none
Icing
none
Remarks
ZME65
B737 at 23,000 ft, 42 nm west, 7:30 am CDT (12:30 UTC): no turbulence up to 23,000 ft, remarks: zhu. 722 nm along the route, 42 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
BTR UA /OV KLSU945005/TM 1230/FL230/TP B737/TB NEG 000-230/RM ZHU
```
Report
a routine report filed through BTR
Where
5 nm southwest (945°) of KLSU
Time
12:30 UTC
Height
at 23,000 ft
Aircraft
B737
Turbulence
no from 0 ft to 23,000 ft
Remarks
zhu
A21N at 34,000 ft, 42 nm west, 6:37 am CDT (11:37 UTC): no turbulence, remarks: zhu. 722 nm along the route, 42 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
BTR UA /OV KBTR/TM 1137/FL340/TP A21N/TB NEG/RM ZHU
```
Report
a routine report filed through BTR
Where
over KBTR
Time
11:37 UTC
Height
at 34,000 ft
Aircraft
A21N
Turbulence
none
Remarks
zhu
C25A at 41,000 ft, 44 nm east, 6:05 am CDT (11:05 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: zhu. At the destination end, 44 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
HSA UA /OV KPCU314014/TM 1105/FL410/TP C25A/TB OCNL LGT CHOP/RM ZHU
```
Report
a routine report filed through HSA
Where
14 nm northwest (314°) of KPCU
Time
11:05 UTC
Height
at 41,000 ft
Aircraft
C25A
Turbulence
occasional light chop
Remarks
zhu
B738 at 40,000 ft, 0 nm northeast, 6:03 am CDT (11:03 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: zhu. At the destination end, 0 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
MSY UA /OV KHRV067024/TM 1103/FL400/TP B738/TB CONS LGT CHOP/RM ZHU
```
Report
a routine report filed through MSY
Where
24 nm northeast (067°) of KHRV
Time
11:03 UTC
Height
at 40,000 ft
Aircraft
B738
Turbulence
continuous light chop
Remarks
zhu

Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 08:00–15:00 UTC · at 120 knots true airspeed

The eastbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: odd thousands plus 500 ft; above 18,000 ft the forecast levels), with the wind averaged along the line from the 7 forecast points nearest it (DSM, BRL, COU, CGI, MEM, JAN, MSY). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

Height	Average wind	Head- or tailwind	Temperature	Ground speed	Time en route	Arrival
3,500 ft	250° at 21 kt	+5 kt		115 kt	6 h 37 min	3:36 pm CDT (20:36 UTC)
5,500 ft	250° at 16 kt	+3 kt		117 kt	6 h 30 min	3:29 pm CDT (20:29 UTC)
7,500 ft	260° at 13 kt	+1 kt	14 °C	119 kt	6 h 24 min	3:23 pm CDT (20:23 UTC)
9,500 ft	260° at 12 kt	0	11 °C	120 kt	6 h 20 min	3:19 pm CDT (20:19 UTC)
11,500 ft	260° at 12 kt	0	7 °C	120 kt	6 h 20 min	3:19 pm CDT (20:19 UTC)
13,500 ft	270° at 14 kt	−1 kt	3 °C	121 kt	6 h 17 min	3:16 pm CDT (20:16 UTC)
15,500 ft	270° at 17 kt	−3 kt	-1 °C	123 kt	6 h 11 min	3:10 pm CDT (20:10 UTC)
17,500 ft	270° at 20 kt	−4 kt	-5 °C	124 kt	6 h 08 min	3:07 pm CDT (20:07 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	270° at 21 kt	−4 kt	-6 °C	124 kt	6 h 08 min	3:07 pm CDT (20:07 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	270° at 27 kt	−6 kt	-18 °C	126 kt	6 h 02 min	3:01 pm CDT (20:01 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	290° at 41 kt	−19 kt	-31 °C	139 kt	5 h 28 min	2:27 pm CDT (19:27 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	290° at 48 kt	−26 kt	-40 °C	146 kt	5 h 13 min	2:12 pm CDT (19:12 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	300° at 46 kt	−30 kt	-50 °C	150 kt	5 h 04 min	2:03 pm CDT (19:03 UTC)

Based on data from the 12th at 06:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 08:00 to 15:00 UTC; temperatures above 24,000 ft are below zero. Heights are above sea level; a height is left out when the forecast has no wind for it over most of the line (the ground is higher). Ground speed is the airspeed less the headwind; the time en route is for the straight line and ignores climb, descent and routing around weather.

The forecast points as issued

Point	From	3,000	6,000	9,000	12,000	18,000	24,000	30,000	34,000	39,000
DSM	used from 0 nm out; 71 nm from the line	250/47	260/25 20°	240/19 11°	240/31 5°	250/26 -9°	260/38 -20°	260/47 -34°	270/58 -37°	270/61 -47°
BRL	used from 49 nm out; 57 nm from the line	250/32	250/19 17°	260/15 11°	270/16 3°	290/23 -7°	260/42 -20°	270/52 -34°	280/63 -39°	290/64 -48°
COU	used from 148 nm out; 56 nm from the line	250/36	260/14 16°	250/5 12°	260/12 6°	260/24 -7°	260/35 -19°	280/58 -31°	280/62 -40°	290/60 -49°
CGI	used from 297 nm out; 88 nm from the line	260/22	250/15 15°	250/13 11°	250/16 6°	270/29 -7°	280/30 -18°	290/40 -31°	290/55 -40°	300/51 -51°
MEM	used from 396 nm out; 67 nm from the line	250/19	260/19 17°	270/20 12°	270/16 6°	270/21 -6°	290/27 -17°	300/37 -30°	300/49 -40°	310/40 -51°
JAN	used from 544 nm out; 62 nm from the line	240/10	260/15 18°	280/10 11°	290/6 6°	290/15 -5°	300/15 -17°	320/35 -30°	330/38 -40°	330/39 -51°
MSY	used from 692 nm out; 45 nm from the line	150/9	140/8 18°	L/V 13°	L/V 6°	320/15 -5°	310/16 -16°	320/32 -31°	340/35 -40°	350/34 -52°

The weather now: both ends and the airports along the way public airports with a weather report within 25 nm of the line, one for each stretch

Airport	Where	Conditions	Wind	Visibility	Ceiling	Elevation	Reported
ALO Waterloo, IA	departure	VFR	from the south (170°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	873 ft	8:54 am CDT (13:54 UTC)
TZT Belle Plaine, IA	40 nm out, 2 nm south of the line	no report just now				771 ft
FFL Fairfield, IA	89 nm out, 6 nm east of the line	VFR	from the south (190°) at 8 knots	10+ mi	none	800 ft	13:35 UTC
COU Columbia, MO	227 nm out, 25 nm west of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (190°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	none	889 ft	13:54 UTC
JEF Jefferson City, MO	237 nm out, 24 nm west of the line, tower	VFR	from the south-southeast (160°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	none	549 ft	13:53 UTC
CVK Ash Flat, AR	376 nm out, 16 nm west of the line	no report just now				717 ft
DRP Colt, AR	455 nm out, 11 nm east of the line	VFR	from the south (190°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	238 ft	13:30 UTC
FCY Forrest City, AR	465 nm out, 12 nm east of the line	no report just now				249 ft
GLH Greenville, MS	544 nm out, 11 nm southwest of the line, tower	VFR	from the southwest (230°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	130 ft	13:53 UTC
HKS Jackson, MS	623 nm out, 19 nm east of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	341 ft	13:53 UTC
HDC Hammond, LA	732 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	46 ft	13:35 UTC
MSY New Orleans, LA	destination	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 2,000 feet, a few clouds at 25,000 feet	from the northeast (040°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	none	3 ft	8:53 am CDT (13:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 889 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At MSY when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:03 pm CDT (19:03 UTC)

Wind from the southeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR

The whole forecast for MSY

From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies

The forecast for ALO, the departure

From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 20,000 feet
From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 11:00 pm CDT (04:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 10 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 6,000 feet

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

6/7634 CENTRALIA, MO, Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 17 nm from the route, 208 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · today · ZKC

Daylight

Sunset at ALO 6:32 pm CDT (23:32 UTC), at MSY 6:33 pm CDT (23:33 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:57 pm CDT (23:57 UTC)).

Each restriction opens the FAA's own page with the exact area, heights and times. Ordinary notices to air missions (closed runways, lights out) are not shown: the FAA's notice search is not open to sites like this one at this time.

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

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar, the whole country · 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

Sources: the Aviation Weather Center's data service (SIGMETs, AIRMETs, graphical AIRMETs, pilot reports, winds and temperatures aloft, observations and terminal forecasts), the National Weather Service radar, the Weather Prediction Center's charts, the FAA's temporary flight restriction list and shapes, and the FAA's airport file for the positions, elevations and magnetic variation. Fetched when the page is viewed and kept a few minutes. Each leg is the straight line between its two airports; airways, terrain and airspace are not considered. The airports in detail: Waterloo Regional, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International.