Cleveland-Hopkins International to Buffalo Niagara International CLE → BUF
167 nautical miles (192 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 055°, about 063° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8W). At 120 knots that is 1 h 21 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 3-knot tailwind), arriving about 5:04 am EDT (09:04 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now CLE is IFR, wind from the west-northwest (290°) at 6 knots; BUF is VFR, wind from the south (170°) 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: 7 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), from 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC). Over the first 10 nm of 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 CLE.
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 02:00–09:00 UTC · at 120 knots true airspeed
The eastbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: odd thousands plus 500 ft; above 18,000 ft the forecast levels), with the wind averaged along the line from the 2 forecast points nearest it (CLE, BUF). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 ft | 340° at 9 kt | +2 kt | 118 kt | 1 h 25 min | 5:08 am EDT (09:08 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 010° at 14 kt | +9 kt | 111 kt | 1 h 30 min | 5:13 am EDT (09:13 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 360° at 15 kt | +9 kt | 9 °C | 111 kt | 1 h 30 min | 5:13 am EDT (09:13 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 350° at 15 kt | +7 kt | 6 °C | 113 kt | 1 h 29 min | 5:12 am EDT (09:12 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 350° at 17 kt | +6 kt | 4 °C | 114 kt | 1 h 28 min | 5:11 am EDT (09:11 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 340° at 20 kt | +6 kt | 0 °C | 114 kt | 1 h 28 min | 5:11 am EDT (09:11 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 340° at 23 kt | +5 kt | -5 °C | 115 kt | 1 h 27 min | 5:10 am EDT (09:10 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 340° at 26 kt | +5 kt | -9 °C | 115 kt | 1 h 27 min | 5:10 am EDT (09:10 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 340° at 27 kt | +5 kt | -10 °C | 115 kt | 1 h 27 min | 5:10 am EDT (09:10 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 330° at 36 kt | +2 kt | -22 °C | 118 kt | 1 h 25 min | 5:08 am EDT (09:08 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 330° at 44 kt | +6 kt | -37 °C | 114 kt | 1 h 28 min | 5:11 am EDT (09:11 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 320° at 47 kt | −3 kt | -44 °C | 123 kt | 1 h 21 min | 5:04 am EDT (09:04 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 320° at 47 kt | −1 kt | -49 °C | 121 kt | 1 h 23 min | 5:06 am EDT (09:06 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | used from 0 nm out; 25 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° |
| BUF | used from 98 nm out; 44 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° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE Cleveland, OH | departure | IFR Sky: overcast at 500 feet Weather: light drizzle, mist | from the west-northwest (290°) at 6 knots | 2.5 mi | 500 ft | 799 ft | 3:39 am EDT (07:39 UTC) |
| CGF Cleveland, OH | 20 nm out, 2 nm south of the line, tower | marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 3,000 feet | calm | 10+ mi | 3,000 ft | 876 ft | 02:46 UTC |
| HZY Ashtabula, OH | 59 nm out, 11 nm south of the line | low IFR Sky: overcast at 300 feet Weather: mist | from the west-southwest (250°) at 3 knots | 6 mi | 300 ft | 926 ft | 06:53 UTC |
| ERI Erie, PA | 88 nm out, 9 nm south 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 |
| DKK Dunkirk, NY | 127 nm out, 11 nm southeast of the line | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 8,500 feet | from the southwest (230°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 692 ft | 06:53 UTC |
| BUF Buffalo, NY | destination | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 3,400 feet, a broken layer at 14,000 feet | from the south (170°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | 14,000 ft | 726 ft | 2:54 am EDT (06:54 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 926 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At BUF when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 5:04 am EDT (09:04 UTC)
Wind calm, visibility 5 miles, mist, overcast at 300 feet low IFR
The whole forecast for BUF
- From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility 4 miles, mist, overcast at 2,000 feet
- From Mon 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility 5 miles, mist, overcast at 300 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 700 feet
- From Mon 1:00 pm EDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,500 feet
- From Tue 1:00 am EDT (05:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 12,000 feet
The forecast for CLE, the departure
- From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the west at 4 knots, visibility 5 miles, light drizzle, overcast at 700 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 1,500 feet
- From Mon 11:00 am EDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- From Tue 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain showers, a broken layer at 10,000 feet
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8829 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 10 nm from the route, 39 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB
- 6/8587 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 10 nm from the route, 39 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB
Daylight
Sunset at CLE 6:51 pm EDT (22:51 UTC), at BUF 6:37 pm EDT (22:37 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:06 pm EDT (23:06 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at BUF is before sunrise there (7:24 am EDT (11:24 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: Cleveland-Hopkins International, Buffalo Niagara International.