Baton Rouge Metro, Ryan Field to George Bush Intcntl/Houston Airport BTR → IAH
220 nautical miles (253 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 262°, about 262° magnetic at the departure end (variation 0E). At 120 knots that is 1 h 49 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 1-knot tailwind), arriving about 9:26 pm CDT (02:26 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now BTR is VFR, wind from the west-southwest (240°) at 6 knots; IAH is VFR, wind from the east-southeast (120°) at 11 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: 4,417 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
No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.
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 BTR.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- B789 at 27,000 ft, 37 nm south, 7:30 pm CDT (00:30 UTC): moderate clear-air turbulence, remarks: zhu. 100 nm along the route, 37 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
LFT UA /OV LLA270030/TM 0030/FL270/TP B789/TB MOD CAT/RM ZHU
- Report
- a routine report filed through LFT
- Where
- 30 nm west (270°) of LLA
- Time
- 00:30 UTC
- Height
- at 27,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B789
- Turbulence
- moderate clear-air turbulence
- Remarks
- zhu
- B738 at 34,000 ft, 41 nm north, 5:07 pm CDT (22:07 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: zhu. At the departure end, 41 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
HEZ UA /OV HEZ180025/TM 2207/FL340/TP B738/TB OCNL LGT CHOP/RM ZHU
- Report
- a routine report filed through HEZ
- Where
- 25 nm south (180°) of HEZ
- Time
- 22:07 UTC
- Height
- at 34,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B738
- Turbulence
- occasional light chop
- Remarks
- zhu
- B737 at 28,000 ft, 34 nm south, 5:52 pm CDT (22:52 UTC): light to moderate turbulence above 28,000 ft, remarks: below 26,000 ft zhu. 120 nm along the route, 34 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
BPT UA /OV BPT109042/TM 2252/FL280/TP B737/TB INTMT LGT-MOD FL280 /RM BLO FL260. ZHU
- Report
- a routine report filed through BPT
- Where
- 42 nm east (109°) of BPT
- Time
- 22:52 UTC
- Height
- at 28,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B737
- Turbulence
- intermittent light to moderate FL280
- Remarks
- below 26,000 ft zhu
- A320 at 24,000 ft, 2 nm south, 5:07 pm CDT (22:07 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: during the climb zhu. At the destination end, 2 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
IAH UA /OV IAH/TM 2207/FL240/TP A320/TB OCNL LGT CHOP /RM DURC. ZHU
- Report
- a routine report filed through IAH
- Where
- over IAH
- Time
- 22:07 UTC
- Height
- at 24,000 ft
- Aircraft
- A320
- Turbulence
- occasional light chop
- Remarks
- during the climb zhu
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 20:00–03:00 UTC · at 120 knots true airspeed
The westbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: even thousands plus 500 ft; above 18,000 ft the forecast levels), with the wind averaged along the line from the 3 forecast points nearest it (MSY, LCH, HOU). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,500 ft | 170° at 8 kt | −1 kt | 121 kt | 1 h 49 min | 9:26 pm CDT (02:26 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 170° at 8 kt | −1 kt | 17 °C | 121 kt | 1 h 49 min | 9:26 pm CDT (02:26 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 170° at 11 kt | 0 | 13 °C | 120 kt | 1 h 50 min | 9:27 pm CDT (02:27 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 200° at 9 kt | +4 kt | 10 °C | 116 kt | 1 h 54 min | 9:31 pm CDT (02:31 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 230° at 9 kt | +7 kt | 6 °C | 113 kt | 1 h 57 min | 9:34 pm CDT (02:34 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 250° at 8 kt | +8 kt | 2 °C | 112 kt | 1 h 58 min | 9:35 pm CDT (02:35 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 280° at 9 kt | +9 kt | -1 °C | 111 kt | 1 h 59 min | 9:36 pm CDT (02:36 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 290° at 10 kt | +9 kt | -4 °C | 111 kt | 1 h 59 min | 9:36 pm CDT (02:36 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 290° at 15 kt | +14 kt | -14 °C | 106 kt | 2 h 05 min | 9:42 pm CDT (02:42 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 30 kt | +16 kt | -31 °C | 104 kt | 2 h 07 min | 9:44 pm CDT (02:44 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 330° at 33 kt | +14 kt | -40 °C | 106 kt | 2 h 05 min | 9:42 pm CDT (02:42 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 330° at 37 kt | +15 kt | -52 °C | 105 kt | 2 h 06 min | 9:43 pm CDT (02:43 UTC) |
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; 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSY | used from 0 nm out; 77 nm from the line | L/V | 020/6 18° | L/V 12° | 300/11 7° | 330/15 -4° | 320/22 -16° | 330/38 -32° | 350/47 -42° | 340/56 -52° |
| LCH | used from 50 nm out; 36 nm from the line | 190/6 | 180/8 18° | 170/13 12° | 220/12 7° | 290/10 -4° | 280/15 -14° | 320/30 -31° | 320/32 -40° | 320/39 -53° |
| HOU | used from 150 nm out; 50 nm from the line | 160/18 | 160/14 17° | 180/19 12° | 190/11 8° | 260/12 -4° | 260/14 -13° | 310/26 -30° | 310/30 -40° | 320/21 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTR Baton Rouge, LA | departure | VFR | from the west-southwest (240°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 69 ft | 6:53 pm CDT (23:53 UTC) |
| ARA New Iberia, LA | 40 nm out, 24 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (190°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 24 ft | 23:53 UTC |
| LFT Lafayette, LA | 50 nm out, 14 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 40 ft | 23:53 UTC |
| CWF Lake Charles, LA | 110 nm out, 7 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 16 ft | 23:45 UTC |
| BPT Beaumont/Port Arthur, TX | 150 nm out, 13 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the southeast (140°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 14 ft | 23:53 UTC |
| HPY Baytown, TX | 200 nm out, 15 nm south of the line | no report just now | 33 ft | ||||
| IAH Houston, TX | destination | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 25,000 feet | from the east-southeast (120°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | 25,000 ft | 95 ft | 6:53 pm CDT (23:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 95 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At IAH when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 9:26 pm CDT (02:26 UTC)
Wind from the south-southeast at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for IAH
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Sun 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC): wind from the east-southeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 2,500 feet, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 3,500 feet, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- 30% chance between Mon 1:00 pm CDT (18:00 UTC) and 5:00 pm CDT (22:00 UTC): light rain showers
The forecast for BTR, the departure
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
No temporary flight restriction on or near this route right now.
Daylight
Sunset at BTR 6:38 pm CDT (23:38 UTC), at IAH 6:55 pm CDT (23:55 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:19 pm CDT (00:19 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at IAH is after sunset there (6:55 pm CDT (23:55 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
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: Baton Rouge Metro, Ryan Field, George Bush Intcntl/Houston Airport.