Plan a flight · Sun 11:38 pm EDT (03:38 UTC)

Columbia Metro Airport to George Bush Intcntl/Houston Airport CAE → IAH

762 nautical miles (876 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 256°, about 263° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7W). At 120 knots that is 6 h 34 min at the quickest height in today's winds (6,500 ft, a 4-knot headwind), arriving about 5:12 am CDT (10:12 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now CAE is VFR, wind from the west-southwest (240°) at 5 knots; IAH is VFR, wind from the south-southeast (160°) at 4 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

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 CAE.

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

CRJ9 at 32,000 ft, 14 nm north, 10:00 pm EDT (02:00 UTC): moderate chop turbulence, remarks: ZTLFD-22. 198 nm along the route, 14 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ATL UA /OV ATL240035/TM 0200/FL320/TP CRJ9/TB OCNL MOD CHOP /RM ZTLFD-22
```
Report
a routine report filed through ATL
Where
35 nm southwest (240°) of ATL
Time
02:00 UTC
Height
at 32,000 ft
Aircraft
CRJ9
Turbulence
occasional moderate chop
Remarks
ZTLFD-22
E170 at 33,000 ft, 42 nm north, 9:53 pm EDT (01:53 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: ZTLFD-22. 208 nm along the route, 42 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ATL UA /OV ATL280045/TM 0153/FL330/TP E170/TB CONS LGT CHOP /RM ZTLFD-22
```
Report
a routine report filed through ATL
Where
45 nm west (280°) of ATL
Time
01:53 UTC
Height
at 33,000 ft
Aircraft
E170
Turbulence
continuous light chop
Remarks
ZTLFD-22
C510 at 41,000 ft, 17 nm north, 10:18 pm EDT (02:18 UTC): no turbulence, clear from 41,000 ft to 60,000 ft. 534 nm along the route, 17 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
HEZ UA /OV HEZ /TM 0218 /FL410 /TP C510 /SK SKC /TB NEG
```
Report
a routine report filed through HEZ
Where
over HEZ
Time
02:18 UTC
Height
at 41,000 ft
Aircraft
C510
Sky
clear
Turbulence
none
B39M at 27,000 ft, 2 nm south, 8:42 pm EDT (00:42 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: zhu. At the destination end, 2 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
IAH UA /OV IH340035/TM 0042/FL270/TP B39M/TB LT CHOP DURC/RM ZHU
```
Report
a routine report filed through IAH
Where
IH340035
Time
00:42 UTC
Height
at 27,000 ft
Aircraft
B39M
Turbulence
lt chop during the climb
Remarks
zhu

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 8 forecast points nearest it (CAE, ATL, CSG, MGM, MOB, JAN, 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	300° at 7 kt	+5 kt		115 kt	6 h 38 min	5:16 am CDT (10:16 UTC)
6,500 ft	320° at 9 kt	+4 kt	16 °C	116 kt	6 h 34 min	5:12 am CDT (10:12 UTC)
8,500 ft	320° at 12 kt	+5 kt	12 °C	115 kt	6 h 38 min	5:16 am CDT (10:16 UTC)
10,500 ft	320° at 13 kt	+6 kt	9 °C	114 kt	6 h 41 min	5:19 am CDT (10:19 UTC)
12,500 ft	310° at 15 kt	+8 kt	6 °C	112 kt	6 h 48 min	5:26 am CDT (10:26 UTC)
14,500 ft	300° at 16 kt	+10 kt	2 °C	110 kt	6 h 56 min	5:34 am CDT (10:34 UTC)
16,500 ft	300° at 18 kt	+13 kt	-3 °C	107 kt	7 h 07 min	5:45 am CDT (10:45 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	300° at 20 kt	+14 kt	-5 °C	106 kt	7 h 11 min	5:49 am CDT (10:49 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	290° at 24 kt	+19 kt	-16 °C	101 kt	7 h 33 min	6:11 am CDT (11:11 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	310° at 35 kt	+16 kt	-32 °C	104 kt	7 h 20 min	5:58 am CDT (10:58 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	320° at 36 kt	+15 kt	-41 °C	105 kt	7 h 15 min	5:53 am CDT (10:53 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	320° at 34 kt	+11 kt	-51 °C	109 kt	6 h 59 min	5:37 am CDT (10:37 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
CAE	used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line	330/15	330/13 12°	330/22 9°	300/26 6°	280/33 -7°	270/38 -18°	250/45 -33°	240/46 -40°	270/38 -49°
ATL	used from 99 nm out; 48 nm from the line	320/30	330/37 16°	340/44 11°	330/35 7°	310/33 -6°	300/38 -18°	330/58 -33°	330/48 -40°	320/34 -49°
CSG	used from 198 nm out; 35 nm from the line	310/24	340/35 17°	340/37 12°	330/22 8°	310/30 -7°	290/30 -18°	340/57 -32°	340/55 -41°	320/33 -49°
MGM	used from 247 nm out; 25 nm from the line	310/19	340/24 17°	340/28 11°	330/16 7°	300/23 -7°	320/32 -16°	330/46 -33°	330/55 -42°	330/41 -50°
MOB	used from 346 nm out; 91 nm from the line	330/5	330/6 19°	340/6 11°	330/10 7°	320/16 -5°	310/26 -16°	340/40 -32°	340/47 -42°	350/51 -52°
JAN	used from 396 nm out; 53 nm from the line	230/10	270/13 18°	270/11 12°	310/11 6°	300/15 -4°	300/22 -16°	310/33 -31°	320/37 -41°	330/41 -52°
LCH	used from 544 nm out; 93 nm from the line	160/21	160/18 18°	180/13 12°	230/6 8°	280/10 -4°	260/13 -14°	310/29 -30°	320/32 -40°	330/33 -53°
HOU	used from 692 nm out; 53 nm from the line	160/22	150/27 19°	180/16 14°	250/7 9°	270/10 -5°	270/16 -13°	310/23 -29°	310/26 -40°	330/20 -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
CAE Columbia, SC	departure	VFR	from the west-southwest (240°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	235 ft	10:56 pm EDT (02:56 UTC)
AGS Augusta, GA	49 nm out, 22 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	from the west-southwest (250°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	145 ft	02:53 UTC
CPP Greensboro, GA	99 nm out, 7 nm northwest of the line	VFR	from the west (270°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	688 ft	03:15 UTC
AUO Auburn, AL	227 nm out, 19 nm south of the line, tower	reported, no category	calm		none	776 ft	05:21 UTC
MGM Montgomery, AL	287 nm out, 23 nm southeast of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	221 ft	02:53 UTC
SEM Selma, AL	307 nm out, 12 nm south of the line, tower	reported, no category	from the east (080°) at 27 knots, gusting to 37		3,300 ft	166 ft	01:30 UTC
MEI Meridian, MS	396 nm out, 16 nm north of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	297 ft	02:58 UTC
MCB Mc Comb, MS	504 nm out, 22 nm southeast of the line	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	413 ft	02:53 UTC
AEX Alexandria, LA	593 nm out, 24 nm northwest of the line, tower	VFR	from the southeast (140°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	88 ft	02:53 UTC
ACP Oakdale, LA	613 nm out, 8 nm south of the line	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	107 ft	03:15 UTC
BMT Beaumont, TX	702 nm out, 17 nm south of the line	VFR	from the east-southeast (120°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	none	31 ft	03:15 UTC
IAH Houston, TX	destination	VFR	from the south-southeast (160°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	95 ft	9:53 pm CDT (02:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 776 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, 5:12 am CDT (10:12 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 VFR

The whole forecast for IAH

From Sun 10:00 pm CDT (03:00 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 CAE, the departure

From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 4,000 feet
From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet

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 CAE 6:54 pm EDT (22:54 UTC), at IAH 6:54 pm CDT (23:54 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:18 pm CDT (00:18 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at IAH is before sunrise there (7:21 am CDT (12:21 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 Southeast · loop National Weather Service

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

Radar now, the southern Plains · 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: Columbia Metro Airport, George Bush Intcntl/Houston Airport.