EL Paso International to Joe Foss Field ELP → FSD
841 nautical miles (968 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 030°, about 022° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 52 min at the quickest height in today's winds (30,000 ft, a 53-knot tailwind), arriving about 11:15 am CDT (16:15 UTC). 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
- 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 514 to 801 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Near the route, 772 nm along 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 ELP.
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 08:00–15:00 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 8 forecast points nearest it (ELP, ROW, TCC, GCK, GLD, GRI, ONL, FSD). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,500 ft | 240° at 26 kt | −23 kt | 22 °C | 143 kt | 5 h 53 min | 12:16 pm CDT (17:16 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 240° at 26 kt | −23 kt | 19 °C | 143 kt | 5 h 53 min | 12:16 pm CDT (17:16 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 230° at 26 kt | −24 kt | 13 °C | 144 kt | 5 h 50 min | 12:13 pm CDT (17:13 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 230° at 28 kt | −27 kt | 8 °C | 147 kt | 5 h 43 min | 12:06 pm CDT (17:06 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 230° at 31 kt | −30 kt | 4 °C | 150 kt | 5 h 36 min | 11:59 am CDT (16:59 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 230° at 33 kt | −32 kt | -1 °C | 152 kt | 5 h 32 min | 11:55 am CDT (16:55 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 230° at 36 kt | −34 kt | -6 °C | 154 kt | 5 h 28 min | 11:51 am CDT (16:51 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 36 kt | −35 kt | -7 °C | 155 kt | 5 h 26 min | 11:49 am CDT (16:49 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 46 kt | −43 kt | -19 °C | 163 kt | 5 h 10 min | 11:33 am CDT (16:33 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 240° at 61 kt | −53 kt | -29 °C | 173 kt | 4 h 52 min | 11:15 am CDT (16:15 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 250° at 64 kt | −50 kt | -37 °C | 170 kt | 4 h 57 min | 11:20 am CDT (16:20 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 250° at 61 kt | −47 kt | -48 °C | 167 kt | 5 h 02 min | 11:25 am CDT (16:25 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 06:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 08:00 to 15:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELP | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 300/8 | 210/14 12° | 210/28 6° | 230/47 -6° | 230/56 -14° | 220/58 -27° | 230/60 -38° | 230/56 -50° | |
| ROW | used from 49 nm out; 61 nm from the line | 230/12 | 230/17 13° | 220/30 7° | 230/41 -5° | 240/52 -17° | 230/66 -28° | 240/63 -38° | 240/60 -50° | |
| TCC | used from 198 nm out; 27 nm from the line | 240/20 | 230/22 13° | 230/27 6° | 230/40 -7° | 240/55 -18° | 240/74 -27° | 240/68 -37° | 250/64 -49° | |
| GCK | used from 346 nm out; 98 nm from the line | 240/40 22° | 240/40 14° | 240/38 7° | 230/39 -7° | 230/45 -20° | 250/73 -28° | 260/74 -36° | 260/64 -49° | |
| GLD | used from 495 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 260/37 | 260/25 14° | 250/27 8° | 230/36 -8° | 230/49 -21° | 250/71 -30° | 260/82 -36° | 250/73 -48° | |
| GRI | used from 594 nm out; 64 nm from the line | 230/39 23° | 230/32 15° | 210/29 7° | 230/31 -8° | 230/43 -21° | 250/52 -31° | 260/59 -35° | 260/59 -46° | |
| ONL | used from 692 nm out; 37 nm from the line | 250/31 22° | 230/27 16° | 220/25 8° | 230/25 -9° | 220/29 -22° | 250/42 -33° | 250/48 -36° | 250/52 -46° | |
| FSD | used from 791 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 210/20 | 230/23 21° | 220/25 14° | 230/30 5° | 230/26 -9° | 240/30 -21° | 270/33 -36° | 260/47 -37° | 270/58 -47° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELP El Paso, TX | departure | no report just now | 3,961 ft | ||||
| ALM Alamogordo, NM | 59 nm out, 15 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 4,199 ft | ||||
| SRR Ruidoso, NM | 109 nm out, 13 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 6,813 ft | ||||
| FSU Fort Sumner, NM | 198 nm out, 12 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 4,164 ft | ||||
| CAO Clayton, NM | 317 nm out, 7 nm north of the line | no report just now | 4,969 ft | ||||
| JHN Johnson City, KS | 415 nm out, 15 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 3,325 ft | ||||
| TQK Scott City, KS | 485 nm out, 20 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 2,968 ft | ||||
| OEL Oakley, KS | 514 nm out, 2 nm east of the line | no report just now | 3,045 ft | ||||
| CSB Cambridge, NE | 594 nm out, 13 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 2,414 ft | ||||
| ODX Ord, NE | 692 nm out, 13 nm west of the line | no report just now | 2,070 ft | ||||
| YKN Yankton, SD | 791 nm out, 1 nm east of the line | no report just now | 1,305 ft | ||||
| FSD Sioux Falls, SD | destination | no report just now | 1,430 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 6,813 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At FSD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:15 am CDT (16:15 UTC)
FSD has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8722 ALAMOGORDO, NM, Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Local on the route, 79 nm along the route · security · starts tomorrow · ZAB
Daylight
Sunset at ELP 6:35 pm MDT (00:35 UTC), at FSD 6:49 pm CDT (23:49 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:17 pm CDT (00:17 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: EL Paso International, Joe Foss Field.