EL Paso International to Tucson International ELP → TUS
233 nautical miles (268 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 276°, about 268° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 2 h 02 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 5-knot headwind), arriving about 7:10 am MST (14:10 UTC). Right now ELP is VFR, wind from the north (360°) at 4 knots; TUS is VFR, wind from the southeast (140°) at 5 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: 41 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 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Near the route, at the destination 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
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 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 2 forecast points nearest it (ELP, TUS). 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 | 230° at 7 kt | +5 kt | 13 °C | 115 kt | 2 h 02 min | 7:10 am MST (14:10 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 220° at 10 kt | +5 kt | 12 °C | 115 kt | 2 h 02 min | 7:10 am MST (14:10 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 200° at 22 kt | +7 kt | 8 °C | 113 kt | 2 h 04 min | 7:12 am MST (14:12 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 210° at 31 kt | +11 kt | 7 °C | 109 kt | 2 h 08 min | 7:16 am MST (14:16 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 210° at 37 kt | +17 kt | 4 °C | 103 kt | 2 h 16 min | 7:24 am MST (14:24 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 220° at 41 kt | +24 kt | 0 °C | 96 kt | 2 h 26 min | 7:34 am MST (14:34 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 230° at 46 kt | +31 kt | -4 °C | 89 kt | 2 h 37 min | 7:45 am MST (14:45 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 51 kt | +36 kt | -7 °C | 84 kt | 2 h 46 min | 7:54 am MST (14:54 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 220° at 63 kt | +40 kt | -17 °C | 80 kt | 2 h 55 min | 8:03 am MST (15:03 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 73 kt | +42 kt | -27 °C | 78 kt | 2 h 59 min | 8:07 am MST (15:07 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 76 kt | +47 kt | -37 °C | 73 kt | 3 h 12 min | 8:20 am MST (15:20 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 220° at 72 kt | +45 kt | -49 °C | 75 kt | 3 h 06 min | 8:14 am MST (15:14 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; 24 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° | |
| TUS | used from 97 nm out; 112 nm from the line | 200/12 13° | 200/34 7° | 210/41 4° | 230/53 -7° | 220/69 -19° | 220/84 -27° | 220/88 -36° | 220/83 -48° |
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 9,000 feet, a few clouds at 11,000 feet | from the north (360°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 3,961 ft | 5:51 am MDT (11:51 UTC) |
| DNA Santa Teresa, NM | 19 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 8,500 feet | from the north (360°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 4,112 ft | 11:55 UTC |
| DMN Deming, NM | 68 nm out, 21 nm north of the line | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 7,500 feet | calm | 10+ mi | 7,500 ft | 4,314 ft | 11:53 UTC |
| LSB Lordsburg, NM | 117 nm out, 21 nm north of the line | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 4,300 feet, a broken layer at 5,000 feet, overcast at 6,000 feet | calm | 10+ mi | 5,000 ft | 4,287 ft | 11:55 UTC |
| TUS Tucson, AZ | destination | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 8,000 feet | from the southeast (140°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 2,643 ft | 4:57 am MST (11:57 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 4,314 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At TUS when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 7:10 am MST (14:10 UTC)
Wind from the south-southeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 7,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for TUS
- From Mon 5:00 am MST (12:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 7,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am MST (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 22, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet, a broken layer at 8,000 feet
- From Mon 4:00 pm MST (23:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 16 knots, gusting to 25, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, a broken layer at 6,000 feet
- From Mon 11:00 pm MST (06:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet, a broken layer at 8,000 feet
The forecast for ELP, the departure
- From Mon 6:00 am MDT (12:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 8,000 feet, scattered clouds at 15,000 feet
- From Mon 1:00 pm MDT (19:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 10 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 8,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 pm MDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the west at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
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 ELP 6:35 pm MDT (00:35 UTC), at TUS 5:53 pm MST (00:53 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:18 pm MST (01:18 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, Tucson International.