Buffalo Niagara International to Lafayette Rgnl/Paul Fournet Field BUF → LFT
994 nautical miles (1,144 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 224°, about 235° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11W). At 120 knots that is 7 h 39 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 10-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:19 pm CDT (18:19 UTC). 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 SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the first 557 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, mist). Near the route, 50 nm along the route.
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
Not fetched just now.
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 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 10 forecast points nearest it (BUF, CLE, CMH, CVG, LOU, BNA, HSV, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,500 ft | 300° at 13 kt | +2 kt | 118 kt | 8 h 25 min | 2:05 pm CDT (19:05 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 310° at 14 kt | 0 | 14 °C | 120 kt | 8 h 17 min | 1:57 pm CDT (18:57 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 320° at 15 kt | −1 kt | 11 °C | 121 kt | 8 h 13 min | 1:53 pm CDT (18:53 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 310° at 15 kt | −1 kt | 7 °C | 121 kt | 8 h 13 min | 1:53 pm CDT (18:53 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 310° at 16 kt | 0 | 3 °C | 120 kt | 8 h 17 min | 1:57 pm CDT (18:57 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 310° at 18 kt | 0 | 0 °C | 120 kt | 8 h 17 min | 1:57 pm CDT (18:57 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 310° at 21 kt | 0 | -4 °C | 120 kt | 8 h 17 min | 1:57 pm CDT (18:57 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 310° at 23 kt | 0 | -6 °C | 120 kt | 8 h 17 min | 1:57 pm CDT (18:57 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 300° at 25 kt | +2 kt | -19 °C | 118 kt | 8 h 25 min | 2:05 pm CDT (19:05 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 37 kt | −6 kt | -33 °C | 126 kt | 7 h 53 min | 1:33 pm CDT (18:33 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 320° at 49 kt | −9 kt | -42 °C | 129 kt | 7 h 42 min | 1:22 pm CDT (18:22 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 320° at 51 kt | −10 kt | -51 °C | 130 kt | 7 h 39 min | 1:19 pm CDT (18:19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUF | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 300/11 | 330/15 11° | 340/26 8° | 330/28 2° | 340/31 -10° | 340/32 -21° | 340/52 -37° | 340/59 -46° | 330/66 -53° |
| CLE | used from 99 nm out; 54 nm from the line | 310/7 | 350/20 14° | 340/16 9° | 320/21 2° | 320/32 -8° | 330/34 -20° | 330/45 -36° | 320/60 -45° | 320/64 -51° |
| CMH | used from 199 nm out; 38 nm from the line | 320/12 | 340/26 15° | 340/22 9° | 320/24 3° | 320/32 -7° | 320/36 -20° | 330/42 -35° | 320/59 -44° | 320/57 -50° |
| CVG | used from 298 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 300/19 | 310/23 15° | 320/20 9° | 310/18 3° | 300/26 -6° | 290/36 -19° | 310/32 -34° | 310/53 -43° | 310/61 -51° |
| LOU | used from 398 nm out; 47 nm from the line | 300/16 | 310/19 15° | 310/17 9° | 300/15 4° | 300/26 -6° | 280/34 -19° | 290/30 -34° | 310/49 -42° | 310/58 -51° |
| BNA | used from 497 nm out; 28 nm from the line | 300/20 | 300/14 15° | 300/14 10° | 300/13 4° | 310/22 -5° | 280/24 -18° | 310/37 -33° | 310/50 -41° | 320/49 -51° |
| HSV | used from 596 nm out; 48 nm from the line | 300/20 | 310/14 16° | 310/18 10° | 310/15 4° | 320/19 -5° | 290/16 -18° | 320/36 -32° | 320/47 -41° | 330/42 -50° |
| MEM | used from 696 nm out; 94 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 746 nm out; 64 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 944 nm out; 82 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUF Buffalo, NY | departure | no report just now | 726 ft | ||||
| ERI Erie, PA | 80 nm out, 11 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 732 ft | ||||
| CAK Akron, OH | 169 nm out, 6 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,225 ft | ||||
| LCK Columbus, OH | 268 nm out, 12 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 743 ft | ||||
| AMT West Union, OH | 328 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 896 ft | ||||
| LEX Lexington, KY | 398 nm out, 2 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 979 ft | ||||
| BNA Nashville, TN | 547 nm out, 6 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 599 ft | ||||
| MSL Muscle Shoals, AL | 646 nm out, 12 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 550 ft | ||||
| TUP Tupelo, MS | 706 nm out, 17 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 346 ft | ||||
| JAN Jackson, MS | 835 nm out, 4 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 346 ft | ||||
| BTR Baton Rouge, LA | 954 nm out, 23 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 69 ft | ||||
| LFT Lafayette, LA | destination | no report just now | 40 ft |
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 LFT when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:19 pm CDT (18:19 UTC)
LFT has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
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, 109 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
- 6/0708 Goodlettsville, TN, Saturday, August 1, 2026 through Sunday, August 1, 2027 UTC 13 nm from the route, 537 nm along the route · security · until 1 August · ZME
Daylight
Sunset at BUF 6:37 pm EDT (22:37 UTC), at LFT 6:40 pm CDT (23:40 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:04 pm CDT (00:04 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: Buffalo Niagara International, Lafayette Rgnl/Paul Fournet Field.