Buffalo Niagara International to Raleigh-Durham International BUF → RDU
424 nautical miles (488 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 180°, about 191° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 34 min at the quickest height in today's winds (6,500 ft, a 1-knot headwind), arriving about 12:49 am EDT (04:49 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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: 218 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 ZULU 1C: moderate icing up to 24,000 ft. Near the route, at the departure end.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 30 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the route from 20 to 286 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 39 to 296 nm out.
- 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 49 to 316 nm out.
- 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 138 to 158 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
Not fetched just now.
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 6 forecast points nearest it (BUF, PSB, AGC, EKN, ROA, RDU). 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 | 260° at 13 kt | +3 kt | 13 °C | 117 kt | 3 h 37 min | 12:52 am EDT (04:52 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 270° at 12 kt | +1 kt | 11 °C | 119 kt | 3 h 34 min | 12:49 am EDT (04:49 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 250° at 9 kt | +3 kt | 9 °C | 117 kt | 3 h 37 min | 12:52 am EDT (04:52 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 230° at 10 kt | +7 kt | 6 °C | 113 kt | 3 h 45 min | 1:00 am EDT (05:00 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 220° at 13 kt | +10 kt | 3 °C | 110 kt | 3 h 51 min | 1:06 am EDT (05:06 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 220° at 17 kt | +13 kt | -1 °C | 107 kt | 3 h 58 min | 1:13 am EDT (05:13 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 220° at 21 kt | +16 kt | -6 °C | 104 kt | 4 h 05 min | 1:20 am EDT (05:20 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 24 kt | +18 kt | -9 °C | 102 kt | 4 h 09 min | 1:24 am EDT (05:24 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 220° at 41 kt | +32 kt | -20 °C | 88 kt | 4 h 49 min | 2:04 am EDT (06:04 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 65 kt | +52 kt | -32 °C | 68 kt | 6 h 14 min | 3:29 am EDT (07:29 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 67 kt | +52 kt | -39 °C | 68 kt | 6 h 14 min | 3:29 am EDT (07:29 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 230° at 60 kt | +41 kt | -49 °C | 79 kt | 5 h 22 min | 2:37 am EDT (06:37 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUF | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 170/19 | L/V 10° | 040/9 6° | 220/8 2° | 230/15 -11° | 220/33 -22° | 220/47 -35° | 230/55 -41° | 230/56 -50° |
| PSB | used from 49 nm out; 58 nm from the line | 260/13 13° | 220/12 8° | 220/11 4° | 230/27 -11° | 210/31 -21° | 220/73 -32° | 220/75 -40° | 230/66 -50° | |
| AGC | used from 148 nm out; 57 nm from the line | 140/12 | 350/10 12° | L/V 9° | L/V 3° | 200/11 -11° | 220/21 -22° | 220/47 -33° | 230/51 -39° | 230/45 -48° |
| EKN | used from 197 nm out; 55 nm from the line | 270/18 13° | 310/5 7° | 140/7 3° | 210/16 -9° | 220/41 -20° | 210/57 -32° | 220/57 -38° | 230/49 -47° | |
| ROA | used from 296 nm out; 60 nm from the line | 280/9 | 290/15 12° | 290/11 8° | 210/6 3° | 210/30 -6° | 220/46 -19° | 210/74 -30° | 220/78 -39° | 220/64 -48° |
| RDU | used from 345 nm out; 54 nm from the line | 240/28 | 250/22 10° | 230/30 11° | 230/40 7° | 230/45 -4° | 220/69 -15° | 220/83 -29° | 210/84 -40° | 220/75 -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 | ||||
| OLE Olean, NY | 39 nm out, 16 nm east of the line | no report just now | 2,135 ft | ||||
| BFD Bradford, PA | 69 nm out, 5 nm east of the line | no report just now | 2,143 ft | ||||
| DUJ Dubois, PA | 108 nm out, 7 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,816 ft | ||||
| JST Johnstown, PA | 158 nm out, 4 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 2,284 ft | ||||
| CBE Cumberland, MD | 197 nm out, 2 nm south of the line | no report just now | 757 ft | ||||
| FRR Front Royal, VA | 237 nm out, 24 nm east of the line | no report just now | 703 ft | ||||
| CHO Charlottesville, VA | 286 nm out, 15 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 640 ft | ||||
| LYH Lynchburg, VA | 335 nm out, 20 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 938 ft | ||||
| CXE Chase City, VA | 365 nm out, 14 nm east of the line | no report just now | 503 ft | ||||
| TDF Roxboro, NC | 404 nm out, 11 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 608 ft | ||||
| RDU Raleigh/Durham, NC | destination | no report just now | 435 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,284 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At RDU when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:49 am EDT (04:49 UTC)
RDU has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
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 BUF 6:37 pm EDT (22:37 UTC), at RDU 6:43 pm EDT (22:43 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:09 pm EDT (23:09 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at RDU is before sunrise there (7:19 am EDT (11:19 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, Raleigh-Durham International.