Columbia Regional to William P Hobby Airport COU → HOU
571 nautical miles (657 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 196°, about 196° magnetic at the departure end (variation 0E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 16 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 14-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:16 am CDT (05:16 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now COU is VFR, wind from the south (180°) at 4 knots; HOU is VFR, wind from the southeast (140°) at 7 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: 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
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 COU.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- A320 at 26,500 ft, 16 nm west, 5:46 pm CDT (22:46 UTC): moderate clear-air turbulence, remarks: ZFW86. 404 nm along the route, 16 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
GGG UA /OV GGG/TM 2246/FL265/TP A320/TB MOD CAT/RM ZFW86
- Report
- a routine report filed through GGG
- Where
- over GGG
- Time
- 22:46 UTC
- Height
- at 26,500 ft
- Aircraft
- A320
- Turbulence
- moderate clear-air turbulence
- Remarks
- ZFW86
- CRJ7 at 36,000 ft, 32 nm east, 7:10 pm CDT (00:10 UTC): no turbulence, remarks: ZME20. 266 nm along the route, 32 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
HOT UA /OV HOT/TM 0010/FL360/TP CRJ7/TB NEG/RM ZME20
- Report
- a routine report filed through HOT
- Where
- over HOT
- Time
- 00:10 UTC
- Height
- at 36,000 ft
- Aircraft
- CRJ7
- Turbulence
- none
- Remarks
- ZME20
- BE35 at 4,000 ft, 32 nm east, 5:03 pm CDT (22:03 UTC): light clear-air turbulence above 4,000 ft, wind 133° at 26 knots, remarks: ZFW30. 414 nm along the route, 32 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
BAD UA /OV EMG210025/TM 2203/FL040/TP BE35/WV 133026 KT/TB LGT CAT 040/RM ZFW30
- Report
- a routine report filed through BAD
- Where
- 25 nm southwest (210°) of EMG
- Time
- 22:03 UTC
- Height
- at 4,000 ft
- Aircraft
- BE35
- Wind
- wind from 133° at 26 knots knots
- Turbulence
- light clear-air turbulence at 4,000 ft
- Remarks
- ZFW30
- B39M at 27,000 ft, 9 nm west, 7:42 pm CDT (00:42 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: zhu. At the destination end, 9 nm west 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
- A320 at 24,000 ft, 9 nm west, 5:07 pm CDT (22:07 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: during the climb zhu. At the destination end, 9 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
IAH UA /OV IAH/TM 2207/FL240/TP A320/TB OCNL LGT CHOP /RM DURC. ZHU
- Report
- a routine report filed through IAH
- Where
- over IAH
- Time
- 22:07 UTC
- Height
- at 24,000 ft
- Aircraft
- A320
- Turbulence
- occasional light chop
- Remarks
- during the climb zhu
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 5 forecast points nearest it (COU, SGF, FSM, SHV, 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 | 200° at 16 kt | +16 kt | 104 kt | 5 h 29 min | 1:29 am CDT (06:29 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 220° at 19 kt | +17 kt | 15 °C | 103 kt | 5 h 33 min | 1:33 am CDT (06:33 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 230° at 23 kt | +20 kt | 13 °C | 100 kt | 5 h 43 min | 1:43 am CDT (06:43 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 240° at 20 kt | +15 kt | 10 °C | 105 kt | 5 h 26 min | 1:26 am CDT (06:26 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 250° at 17 kt | +9 kt | 6 °C | 111 kt | 5 h 09 min | 1:09 am CDT (06:09 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 260° at 17 kt | +7 kt | 2 °C | 113 kt | 5 h 03 min | 1:03 am CDT (06:03 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 270° at 17 kt | +5 kt | -2 °C | 115 kt | 4 h 58 min | 12:58 am CDT (05:58 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 280° at 18 kt | +3 kt | -5 °C | 117 kt | 4 h 53 min | 12:53 am CDT (05:53 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 20 kt | +1 kt | -16 °C | 119 kt | 4 h 48 min | 12:48 am CDT (05:48 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 290° at 33 kt | −5 kt | -30 °C | 125 kt | 4 h 34 min | 12:34 am CDT (05:34 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 300° at 34 kt | −7 kt | -41 °C | 127 kt | 4 h 30 min | 12:30 am CDT (05:30 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 300° at 41 kt | −14 kt | -52 °C | 134 kt | 4 h 16 min | 12:16 am CDT (05:16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COU | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 210/16 | 220/19 15° | 240/33 10° | 250/29 7° | 280/21 -6° | 280/19 -18° | 300/34 -31° | 300/40 -42° | 300/60 -52° |
| SGF | used from 49 nm out; 42 nm from the line | 210/21 | 210/21 16° | 240/28 12° | 260/24 7° | 280/21 -6° | 280/26 -18° | 290/38 -31° | 290/37 -41° | 300/49 -52° |
| FSM | used from 148 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 200/18 | 210/19 15° | 230/22 13° | 250/18 7° | 270/20 -5° | 280/24 -16° | 280/35 -30° | 290/37 -40° | 300/40 -52° |
| SHV | used from 295 nm out; 75 nm from the line | 190/11 | 230/19 17° | 230/26 12° | 260/15 7° | 280/16 -4° | 300/17 -15° | 300/34 -30° | 300/31 -41° | 310/42 -52° |
| HOU | used from 492 nm out; 54 nm from the line | 160/18 | 160/14 17° | 180/19 12° | 190/11 8° | 260/12 -4° | 260/14 -13° | 310/26 -30° | 310/30 -40° | 320/21 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COU Columbia, MO | departure | VFR | from the south (180°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 889 ft | 7:54 pm CDT (00:54 UTC) |
| AIZ Kaiser/Lake Ozark, MO | 49 nm out, 4 nm northwest of the line | VFR | from the south-southwest (210°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 869 ft | 00:56 UTC |
| TBN Fort Leonard Wood, MO | 59 nm out, 22 nm east of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (170°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,159 ft | 00:55 UTC |
| BBG Branson, MO | 148 nm out, 8 nm northwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (180°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,302 ft | 00:45 UTC |
| RUE Russellville, AR | 217 nm out, 19 nm east of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 409 ft | 00:53 UTC |
| MEZ Mena, AR | 276 nm out, 23 nm northwest of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 1,079 ft | 23:35 UTC |
| TXK Texarkana, AR | 335 nm out, 5 nm east of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (180°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 389 ft | 00:53 UTC |
| ATA Atlanta, TX | 355 nm out, 2 nm south of the line | no report just now | 280 ft | ||||
| GGG Longview, TX | 404 nm out, 14 nm west of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southeast (150°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 365 ft | 00:53 UTC |
| LFK Lufkin, TX | 473 nm out, 2 nm east of the line | VFR | from the southeast (130°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 295 ft | 00:53 UTC |
| IAH Houston, TX | 551 nm out, 8 nm west of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 25,000 feet | from the southeast (130°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | 25,000 ft | 95 ft | 00:53 UTC |
| HOU Houston, TX | destination | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 25,000 feet | from the southeast (140°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 46 ft | 7:53 pm CDT (00:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,302 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At HOU when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:16 am CDT (05:16 UTC)
Wind from the southeast at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for HOU
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Sun 8:00 pm CDT (01:00 UTC): wind from the 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 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 2,500 feet, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 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 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC) and 1:00 pm CDT (18:00 UTC): light rain showers
- From Mon 5:00 pm CDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 13 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 5,000 feet
The forecast for COU, the departure
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 13 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/7634 CENTRALIA, MO, Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 19 nm from the route, at the departure end · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · today · ZKC
Daylight
Sunset at COU 6:35 pm CDT (23:35 UTC), at HOU 6:54 pm CDT (23:54 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:18 pm CDT (00:18 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at HOU is before sunrise there (7:20 am CDT (12:20 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: Columbia Regional, William P Hobby Airport.