Plan a flight · Sun 11:07 pm EDT (03:07 UTC)

Buffalo Niagara International to Blue Grass Airport BUF → LEX

398 nautical miles (458 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 224°, about 235° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11W). At 120 knots that is 2 h 49 min at the quickest height in today's winds (30,000 ft, a 21-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:56 am EDT (05:56 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now BUF is VFR, wind from the north (010°) at 3 knots; LEX is marginal VFR, wind from the west-southwest (250°) 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: 2 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 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the first 90 nm of the route.
AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Near the route, 40 nm along the route.
AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 159 to 348 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 BUF.

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

B738 at 4,700 ft, 10 nm southeast, 8:59 pm EDT (00:59 UTC): a broken layer from 4,700 ft to 5,300 ft, remarks: during the descent. At the departure end, 10 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
BUF UA /OV BUF140010/TM 0059/FL047/TP B738/SK BKN 047 TOPS 053/RM DURD
```
Report
a routine report filed through BUF
Where
10 nm southeast (140°) of BUF
Time
00:59 UTC
Height
at 4,700 ft
Aircraft
B738
Sky
a broken layer from 4,700 ft, tops 5,300 ft
Remarks
during the descent
AC90 , 11 nm northwest, 8:16 pm EDT (00:16 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. 80 nm along the route, 11 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ERI UA /OV ERI060006/TM 0016/FLB3.0/TP AC90
```
Report
a routine report filed through ERI
Where
6 nm northeast (060°) of ERI
Time
00:16 UTC
Height
at B3.0
Aircraft
AC90
AC90 descending, 15 nm northwest, 8:13 pm EDT (00:13 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. 100 nm along the route, 15 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ERI UA /OV ERI240015/TM 0013/FLDURD/TP AC90/SK T046 B042
```
Report
a routine report filed through ERI
Where
15 nm southwest (240°) of ERI
Time
00:13 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
AC90
Sky
T046 B042
CRJ7 descending, 5 nm west, 9:17 pm EDT (01:17 UTC): remarks: bases 2,000 ft. 169 nm along the route, 5 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
CAK UA /OV CAK/TM 0117/FLDURD/TP CRJ7/RM BASES 020
```
Report
a routine report filed through CAK
Where
over CAK
Time
01:17 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
CRJ7
Remarks
bases 2,000 ft
BCS3 climbing, 17 nm northwest, 10:27 pm EDT (02:27 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. 259 nm along the route, 17 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
CMH UA /OV CMH/TM 0227/FLDURC/TP BCS3/SK B010
```
Report
a routine report filed through CMH
Where
over CMH
Time
02:27 UTC
Height
during the climb
Aircraft
BCS3
Sky
B010
BCS3 at 3,000 ft, 17 nm northwest, 8:27 pm EDT (00:27 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. 259 nm along the route, 17 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
CMH UA /OV CMH/TM 0027/FL030/TP BCS3/SK T037
```
Report
a routine report filed through CMH
Where
over CMH
Time
00:27 UTC
Height
at 3,000 ft
Aircraft
BCS3
Sky
T037
B38M at 21,000 ft, 46 nm west, 9:09 pm EDT (01:09 UTC): no turbulence, no icing. At the destination end, 46 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
SDF UA /OV IIU/TM 0109/FL210/TP B38M/TB NEG/IC NEG
```
Report
a routine report filed through SDF
Where
over IIU
Time
01:09 UTC
Height
at 21,000 ft
Aircraft
B38M
Turbulence
none
Icing
none
B712 at 600 ft, 0 nm south, 9:06 pm EDT (01:06 UTC): overcast. At the destination end, 0 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
LEX UA /OV KLEX/TM 0106/FL006/TP B712/SK OVC B006
```
Report
a routine report filed through LEX
Where
over KLEX
Time
01:06 UTC
Height
at 600 ft
Aircraft
B712
Sky
overcast B006

Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 02:00–09:00 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 4 forecast points nearest it (BUF, CLE, CMH, CVG). 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	340° at 16 kt	−9 kt		129 kt	3 h 05 min	2:12 am EDT (06:12 UTC)
6,500 ft	350° at 21 kt	−14 kt	12 °C	134 kt	2 h 58 min	2:05 am EDT (06:05 UTC)
8,500 ft	350° at 22 kt	−13 kt	9 °C	133 kt	3 h	2:07 am EDT (06:07 UTC)
10,500 ft	350° at 22 kt	−12 kt	6 °C	132 kt	3 h 01 min	2:08 am EDT (06:08 UTC)
12,500 ft	340° at 22 kt	−12 kt	2 °C	132 kt	3 h 01 min	2:08 am EDT (06:08 UTC)
14,500 ft	340° at 25 kt	−12 kt	-2 °C	132 kt	3 h 01 min	2:08 am EDT (06:08 UTC)
16,500 ft	340° at 27 kt	−12 kt	-6 °C	132 kt	3 h 01 min	2:08 am EDT (06:08 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	340° at 29 kt	−12 kt	-9 °C	132 kt	3 h 01 min	2:08 am EDT (06:08 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	330° at 40 kt	−15 kt	-21 °C	135 kt	2 h 57 min	2:04 am EDT (06:04 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	340° at 50 kt	−21 kt	-37 °C	141 kt	2 h 49 min	1:56 am EDT (05:56 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	330° at 57 kt	−14 kt	-43 °C	134 kt	2 h 58 min	2:05 am EDT (06:05 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	330° at 44 kt	−10 kt	-49 °C	130 kt	3 h 04 min	2:11 am EDT (06:11 UTC)

Based on data from the 12th at 00:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 06:00 UTC for use 02:00 to 09:00 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
BUF	used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line	320/10	010/16 10°	360/10 6°	340/13 2°	330/22 -11°	300/25 -23°	320/31 -38°	300/29 -44°	280/36 -50°
CLE	used from 100 nm out; 54 nm from the line	340/7	010/16 13°	350/18 8°	350/20 3°	340/31 -10°	340/46 -21°	340/54 -37°	330/62 -44°	340/65 -49°
CMH	used from 199 nm out; 37 nm from the line	330/15	340/22 14°	340/24 9°	340/23 4°	340/35 -9°	340/49 -20°	340/58 -37°	330/70 -42°	340/55 -47°
CVG	used from 299 nm out; 51 nm from the line	320/18	350/32 16°	350/35 10°	350/30 3°	330/30 -7°	340/44 -20°	340/58 -35°	330/72 -41°	320/36 -49°

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
BUF Buffalo, NY	departure	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 5,500 feet, scattered clouds at 10,000 feet, a broken layer at 16,000 feet, a broken layer at 24,000 feet	from the north (010°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	16,000 ft	726 ft	10:54 pm EDT (02:54 UTC)
DKK Dunkirk, NY	40 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 12,000 feet	from the east-southeast (120°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	none	692 ft	02:53 UTC
ERI Erie, PA	80 nm out, 11 nm northwest of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 3,000 feet	variable at 4 knots	10+ mi	3,000 ft	732 ft	00:51 UTC
YNG Youngstown/Warren, OH	129 nm out, 8 nm south of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: a broken layer at 1,900 feet, overcast at 10,000 feet	from the north-northwest (340°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	1,900 ft	1,191 ft	02:51 UTC
CAK Akron, OH	169 nm out, 5 nm west of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: a few clouds at 1,000 feet, overcast at 1,700 feet	from the northwest (320°) at 4 knots	8 mi	1,700 ft	1,225 ft	02:51 UTC
PHD New Philadelphia, OH	189 nm out, 14 nm southeast of the line	marginal VFR Sky: a broken layer at 1,000 feet, a broken layer at 1,500 feet, overcast at 2,200 feet	from the north-northwest (330°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	1,000 ft	894 ft	02:53 UTC
CMH Columbus, OH	259 nm out, 17 nm northwest of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: a few clouds at 900 feet, overcast at 1,700 feet	from the northwest (310°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	1,700 ft	815 ft	02:51 UTC
LCK Columbus, OH	269 nm out, 11 nm northwest of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,000 feet	from the northwest (320°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	1,000 ft	743 ft	02:55 UTC
AMT West Union, OH	329 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line	no report just now				896 ft
IOB Mount Sterling, KY	378 nm out, 22 nm southeast of the line	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	1,019 ft	01:15 UTC
LEX Lexington, KY	destination	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,800 feet	from the west-southwest (250°) at 3 knots	9 mi	1,800 ft	979 ft	10:54 pm EDT (02:54 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,225 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At LEX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:56 am EDT (05:56 UTC)

Wind from the west at 4 knots, visibility 6 miles, mist, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet VFR

The whole forecast for LEX

From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,500 feet
From Mon 12:00 am EDT (04:00 UTC): wind from the west at 4 knots, visibility 6 miles, mist, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet
From Mon 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 3 knots, visibility 2 miles, mist, clear skies
At times between Mon 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC) and 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): visibility ¼ mile, fog, overcast at 100 feet
From Mon 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies

The forecast for BUF, the departure

From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the east at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 3,000 feet
30% chance between Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC) and 10:00 pm EDT (02:00 UTC): visibility 4 miles, light rain, overcast at 1,500 feet
From Sun 10:00 pm EDT (02:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 3,500 feet
From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility 6 miles, mist, overcast at 300 feet
From Mon 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,500 feet
From Mon 1:00 pm EDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 2,000 feet

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

6/8587 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local on the route, 110 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB
6/8888 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 5 nm from the route, 129 nm along the route · security · today · ZOB
6/8829 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local on the route, 139 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB

Daylight

Sunset at BUF 6:37 pm EDT (22:37 UTC), at LEX 7:05 pm EDT (23:05 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:31 pm EDT (23:31 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at LEX is before sunrise there (7:43 am EDT (11:43 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 Northeast · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the central Great Lakes · 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: Buffalo Niagara International, Blue Grass Airport.