Plan a flight · Sun 7:05 pm MDT (01:05 UTC)

EL Paso International to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International ELP → MSY

837 nautical miles (963 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 093°, about 085° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 24 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 35-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:29 am CDT (06:29 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now ELP is VFR, wind from the west-southwest (240°) at 5 knots; MSY is VFR, wind from the south (180°) at 6 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: 9 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: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 35,000 ft to 45,000 ft. Near the route, at the departure end.

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

GLF5 at 10,000 ft, 5 nm northeast, 4:06 pm MDT (22:06 UTC): moderate turbulence. 359 nm along the route, 5 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
TEB UA /OV MUGSY/TM 2206/FL100/TP GLF5/TB MODERATE FROM 100 TO 50
```
Report
a routine report filed through TEB
Where
mugsy
Time
22:06 UTC
Height
at 10,000 ft
Aircraft
GLF5
Turbulence
moderate from 10,000 ft to 50
B789 at 27,000 ft, 44 nm south, 6:30 pm MDT (00:30 UTC): moderate clear-air turbulence, remarks: zhu. 707 nm along the route, 44 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
LFT UA /OV LLA270030/TM 0030/FL270/TP B789/TB MOD CAT/RM ZHU
```
Report
a routine report filed through LFT
Where
30 nm west (270°) of LLA
Time
00:30 UTC
Height
at 27,000 ft
Aircraft
B789
Turbulence
moderate clear-air turbulence
Remarks
zhu
B39M at 27,000 ft, 49 nm south, 6:42 pm MDT (00:42 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: zhu. 578 nm along the route, 49 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
A320 at 24,000 ft, 49 nm south, 4:07 pm MDT (22:07 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: during the climb zhu. 578 nm along the route, 49 nm south 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
E75L at 27,000 ft, 19 nm south, 6:20 pm MDT (00:20 UTC): remarks: zhu. 687 nm along the route, 19 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
LCH UA /OV LCH08510/TM 0020/FL270/TP E75L/TB CONS CHOP/RM ZHU
```
Report
a routine report filed through LCH
Where
LCH08510
Time
00:20 UTC
Height
at 27,000 ft
Aircraft
E75L
Turbulence
continuous chop
Remarks
zhu
B737 at 28,000 ft, 46 nm south, 4:52 pm MDT (22:52 UTC): light to moderate turbulence above 28,000 ft, remarks: below 26,000 ft zhu. 687 nm along the route, 46 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
BPT UA /OV BPT109042/TM 2252/FL280/TP B737/TB INTMT LGT-MOD FL280 /RM BLO FL260. ZHU
```
Report
a routine report filed through BPT
Where
42 nm east (109°) of BPT
Time
22:52 UTC
Height
at 28,000 ft
Aircraft
B737
Turbulence
intermittent light to moderate FL280
Remarks
below 26,000 ft 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 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 (ELP, INK, ABI, CLL, LCH, MSY). 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	170° at 10 kt	+3 kt		117 kt	7 h 09 min	3:14 am CDT (08:14 UTC)
5,500 ft	180° at 16 kt	+3 kt	18 °C	117 kt	7 h 09 min	3:14 am CDT (08:14 UTC)
7,500 ft	190° at 15 kt	0	15 °C	120 kt	6 h 58 min	3:03 am CDT (08:03 UTC)
9,500 ft	200° at 14 kt	−4 kt	12 °C	124 kt	6 h 45 min	2:50 am CDT (07:50 UTC)
11,500 ft	220° at 15 kt	−9 kt	8 °C	129 kt	6 h 29 min	2:34 am CDT (07:34 UTC)
13,500 ft	230° at 16 kt	−12 kt	4 °C	132 kt	6 h 20 min	2:25 am CDT (07:25 UTC)
15,500 ft	240° at 17 kt	−14 kt	0 °C	134 kt	6 h 15 min	2:20 am CDT (07:20 UTC)
17,500 ft	250° at 18 kt	−16 kt	-4 °C	136 kt	6 h 09 min	2:14 am CDT (07:14 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	250° at 19 kt	−17 kt	-5 °C	137 kt	6 h 07 min	2:12 am CDT (07:12 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	250° at 25 kt	−23 kt	-14 °C	143 kt	5 h 51 min	1:56 am CDT (06:56 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	270° at 30 kt	−30 kt	-29 °C	150 kt	5 h 35 min	1:40 am CDT (06:40 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	280° at 33 kt	−33 kt	-40 °C	153 kt	5 h 28 min	1:33 am CDT (06:33 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	290° at 35 kt	−35 kt	-52 °C	155 kt	5 h 24 min	1:29 am CDT (06:29 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
ELP	used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line		200/15	200/16 15°	200/17 6°	220/40 -6°	240/53 -16°	230/62 -27°	240/63 -38°	250/59 -49°
INK	used from 100 nm out; 39 nm from the line		160/27 20°	190/18 13°	240/19 7°	250/23 -4°	250/33 -15°	230/45 -28°	250/45 -39°	270/49 -50°
ABI	used from 249 nm out; 91 nm from the line		180/26 17°	220/18 12°	230/25 8°	230/28 -5°	240/29 -14°	250/35 -28°	270/37 -39°	280/37 -51°
CLL	used from 398 nm out; 98 nm from the line	160/18	190/18 16°	200/19 12°	220/14 7°	260/18 -5°	250/20 -13°	290/29 -29°	290/31 -40°	300/22 -53°
LCH	used from 598 nm out; 65 nm from the line	190/6	180/8 18°	170/13 12°	220/12 7°	290/10 -4°	280/15 -14°	320/30 -31°	320/32 -40°	320/39 -53°
MSY	used from 747 nm out; 65 nm from the line	L/V	020/6 18°	L/V 12°	300/11 7°	330/15 -4°	320/22 -16°	330/38 -32°	350/47 -42°	340/56 -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
ELP El Paso, TX	departure	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 8,000 feet, scattered clouds at 13,000 feet, a broken layer at 21,000 feet	from the west-southwest (240°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	21,000 ft	3,961 ft	6:51 pm MDT (00:51 UTC)
INK Wink, TX	159 nm out, 10 nm north of the line	reported, no category	from the southeast (140°) at 20 knots, gusting to 28		none	2,821 ft	00:53 UTC
MAF Midland, TX	209 nm out, 24 nm north of the line, tower	VFR	from the south-southeast (160°) at 17 knots, gusting to 24	10+ mi	none	2,872 ft	00:53 UTC
SJT San Angelo, TX	299 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (170°) at 9 knots	10+ mi	none	1,918 ft	00:51 UTC
LZZ Lampasas, TX	418 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line	VFR	from the south-southeast (160°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	1,214 ft	00:55 UTC
GRK Fort Hood (Killeen), TX	438 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line, tower	VFR	from the south-southeast (160°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	1,015 ft	00:55 UTC
CLL College Station, TX	518 nm out, 20 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	from the southeast (130°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	none	320 ft	00:53 UTC
JAS Jasper, TX	637 nm out, 17 nm north of the line	VFR	from the south (190°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	none	212 ft	00:55 UTC
LFT Lafayette, LA	747 nm out, 5 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (180°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	40 ft	00:53 UTC
ARA New Iberia, LA	757 nm out, 14 nm southwest of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	24 ft	00:53 UTC
MSY New Orleans, LA	destination	VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 25,000 feet	from the south (180°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	3 ft	7:53 pm CDT (00:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 3,961 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At MSY when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:29 am CDT (06:29 UTC)

Wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for MSY

From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 1:00 pm CDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
From Mon 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies

The forecast for ELP, the departure

From Sun 6:00 pm MDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 13 knots, gusting to 23, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 7,000 feet, a broken layer at 15,000 feet
At times between Sun 6:00 pm MDT (00:00 UTC) and 8:00 pm MDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 20 knots, gusting to 30
From Sun 8:00 pm MDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the west at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

6/4240 SAN ANGELO, TX, Sunday, March 8, 2026 through Sunday, November 1, 2026 Local 1 nm from the route, 309 nm along the route · security · until 1 November · ZFW
6/0543 MCGREGOR, TX 19 nm from the route, 458 nm along the route · security · ZFW

Daylight

Sunset at ELP 6:36 pm MDT (00:36 UTC), at MSY 6:33 pm CDT (23:33 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:57 pm CDT (23:57 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MSY is before sunrise there (7:00 am CDT (12:00 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 southern Plains · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley · 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: EL Paso International, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International.