Plan a flight · Mon 12:42 am CDT (05:42 UTC)

St. Louis Downtown Airport to Buffalo Niagara International CPS → BUF

581 nautical miles (669 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 060°, about 060° magnetic at the departure end (variation 0E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 22 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 13-knot tailwind), arriving about 6:04 am EDT (10:04 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now CPS is VFR, wind from the south-southeast (160°) at 4 knots; BUF is VFR, wind calm. 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: 5 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 route from 158 to 394 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 CPS.

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

urgent B39M at 35,000 ft, 1 nm northwest, 10:15 pm CDT (03:15 UTC): remarks: no inj/dmg zob. 512 nm along the route, 1 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DKK UUA /OV DKK280040/TM 0315/FL350/TP B39M/TB MTN WVE ACTN +/-5KTS/RM NO INJ/DMG ZOB
```
Report
an urgent report filed through DKK
Where
40 nm west (280°) of DKK
Time
03:15 UTC
Height
at 35,000 ft
Aircraft
B39M
Turbulence
mountain wve actn a 5-knot loss of airspeed
Remarks
no inj/dmg zob
LJ45 at 10,000 ft, 37 nm northwest, 11:31 pm CDT (04:31 UTC): no turbulence, clear, remarks: ground fog at fwa FV10SM on final runway 14. 266 nm along the route, 37 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
FWA UA /OV OLK/TM 0431/FL100/TP LJ45/SK CLR/TB SMOOTH/RM GROUND FOG AT FWA. FV10SM ON FINAL RY 14
```
Report
a routine report filed through FWA
Where
over OLK
Time
04:31 UTC
Height
at 10,000 ft
Aircraft
LJ45
Sky
clear
Turbulence
smooth
Remarks
ground fog at fwa FV10SM on final runway 14
B738 at 1,800 ft, 21 nm northwest, 12:18 am CDT (05:18 UTC): overcast from 1,800 ft to 2,700 ft, remarks: during the climb. 345 nm along the route, 21 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
TOL UA /OV KTOL/TM 0518/FL018/TP B738/SK OVC018-TOP027/RM DURC
```
Report
a routine report filed through TOL
Where
over KTOL
Time
05:18 UTC
Height
at 1,800 ft
Aircraft
B738
Sky
overcast from 1,800 ft, tops 2,700 ft
Remarks
during the climb
B738 at 1,300 ft, 21 nm northwest, 11:45 pm CDT (04:45 UTC): overcast from 1,300 ft to 3,000 ft, remarks: during the descent. 345 nm along the route, 21 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
TOL UA /OV KTOL/TM 0445/FL013/TP B738/SK OVC013-TOP030/RM DURD
```
Report
a routine report filed through TOL
Where
over KTOL
Time
04:45 UTC
Height
at 1,300 ft
Aircraft
B738
Sky
overcast from 1,300 ft, tops 3,000 ft
Remarks
during the descent
B739 descending, 45 nm north, 11:54 pm CDT (04:54 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. 374 nm along the route, 45 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DTW UA /OV DTW/TM 0454/FLDURD/TP B739/SK BASES 011
```
Report
a routine report filed through DTW
Where
over DTW
Time
04:54 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
B739
Sky
bases 1,100 ft
A320 descending, 45 nm north, 10:27 pm CDT (03:27 UTC): overcast above 1,400 ft. 374 nm along the route, 45 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DTW UA /OV DTW/TM 0327/FLDURD/TP A320/SK 014 OVC
```
Report
a routine report filed through DTW
Where
over DTW
Time
03:27 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
A320
Sky
at 1,400 ft overcast

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 6 forecast points nearest it (STL, SPI, IND, FWA, 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	290° at 12 kt	−7 kt		127 kt	4 h 34 min	6:16 am EDT (10:16 UTC)
5,500 ft	320° at 13 kt	−4 kt		124 kt	4 h 41 min	6:23 am EDT (10:23 UTC)
7,500 ft	320° at 15 kt	−3 kt	11 °C	123 kt	4 h 43 min	6:25 am EDT (10:25 UTC)
9,500 ft	320° at 16 kt	−3 kt	8 °C	123 kt	4 h 43 min	6:25 am EDT (10:25 UTC)
11,500 ft	330° at 14 kt	−1 kt	4 °C	121 kt	4 h 48 min	6:30 am EDT (10:30 UTC)
13,500 ft	320° at 16 kt	−2 kt	0 °C	122 kt	4 h 46 min	6:28 am EDT (10:28 UTC)
15,500 ft	320° at 19 kt	−5 kt	-4 °C	125 kt	4 h 39 min	6:21 am EDT (10:21 UTC)
17,500 ft	310° at 23 kt	−8 kt	-7 °C	128 kt	4 h 32 min	6:14 am EDT (10:14 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	310° at 24 kt	−8 kt	-8 °C	128 kt	4 h 32 min	6:14 am EDT (10:14 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	320° at 32 kt	−8 kt	-20 °C	128 kt	4 h 32 min	6:14 am EDT (10:14 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	330° at 42 kt	−5 kt	-36 °C	125 kt	4 h 39 min	6:21 am EDT (10:21 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	320° at 53 kt	−13 kt	-43 °C	133 kt	4 h 22 min	6:04 am EDT (10:04 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	320° at 54 kt	−12 kt	-50 °C	132 kt	4 h 24 min	6:06 am EDT (10:06 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
STL	used from 0 nm out; 31 nm from the line	250/24	250/24 16°	260/23 9°	270/16 6°	260/25 -6°	270/29 -19°	290/34 -33°	290/48 -41°	290/54 -51°
SPI	used from 49 nm out; 57 nm from the line	220/21	250/23 16°	260/27 9°	270/14 6°	270/23 -7°	270/31 -19°	270/28 -33°	290/48 -42°	300/55 -52°
IND	used from 99 nm out; 73 nm from the line	290/16	310/20 16°	320/21 10°	330/13 3°	300/25 -7°	320/32 -19°	330/46 -34°	320/61 -43°	320/63 -50°
FWA	used from 246 nm out; 16 nm from the line	300/17	320/20 16°	330/20 10°	340/15 3°	310/27 -8°	320/37 -20°	330/52 -36°	330/65 -43°	330/60 -50°
CLE	used from 345 nm out; 55 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 493 nm out; 64 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
CPS Cahokia/St Louis, IL	departure	VFR	from the south-southeast (160°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	412 ft	11:53 pm CDT (04:53 UTC)
VLA Vandalia, IL	49 nm out, 4 nm east of the line	no report just now				537 ft
MTO Mattoon/Charleston, IL	99 nm out, 6 nm north of the line	VFR	from the south-southwest (200°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	722 ft	04:53 UTC
HUF Terre Haute, IN	138 nm out, 20 nm southeast of the line, tower	IFR Weather: mist	calm	1.5 mi	none	589 ft	05:36 UTC
GUS Peru, IN	227 nm out, 19 nm northwest of the line, tower	VFR	from the south-southeast (160°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	810 ft	04:55 UTC
FWA Fort Wayne, IN	266 nm out, 17 nm north of the line, tower	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 400 feet Weather: mist, shallow fog	from the southwest (220°) at 5 knots	6 mi	none	814 ft	04:54 UTC
TOL Toledo, OH	345 nm out, 21 nm northwest of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,500 feet	from the west-southwest (240°) at 3 knots	7 mi	1,500 ft	683 ft	05:09 UTC
PCW Port Clinton, OH	374 nm out, 5 nm east of the line	marginal VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 500 feet, scattered clouds at 800 feet, overcast at 1,500 feet	from the west-northwest (300°) at 6 knots	8 mi	1,500 ft	590 ft	05:35 UTC
BKL Cleveland, OH	424 nm out, 25 nm southeast of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 1,400 feet, overcast at 2,400 feet	from the northwest (320°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	2,400 ft	583 ft	05:32 UTC
ERI Erie, PA	503 nm out, 22 nm southeast 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	552 nm out, 16 nm south of the line	VFR Sky: overcast at 10,000 feet	from the south-southwest (200°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	10,000 ft	692 ft	04:53 UTC
BUF Buffalo, NY	destination	VFR Sky: a broken layer at 11,000 feet, a broken layer at 13,000 feet	calm	10+ mi	11,000 ft	726 ft	12:54 am EDT (04:54 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 814 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, 6:04 am EDT (10:04 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 CPS, the departure

From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies

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 CPS 6:27 pm CDT (23:27 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

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

Radar now, the central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the Northeast · 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: St. Louis Downtown Airport, Buffalo Niagara International.