William P Hobby Airport to Sacramento International HOU → SMF
1,409 nautical miles (1,622 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 300°, about 297° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3E). At 120 knots that is 11 h 16 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 5-knot tailwind), arriving about 7:21 am PDT (14:21 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: 725 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 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the route from 570 to 1119 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 35,000 ft to 45,000 ft. Over the route from 600 to 939 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 660 to 780 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 840 to 1109 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 899 to 1129 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 2E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 919 to 1089 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 15,000 ft. Over the route from 1129 to 1299 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the last 70 nm of 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 HOU.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- B39M at 27,000 ft, 15 nm north, 7:42 pm CDT (00:42 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: zhu. At the departure end, 15 nm north 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
- B737 at 14,000 ft, 26 nm northeast, 7:15 pm CDT (00:15 UTC): light turbulence above 14,000 ft. 680 nm along the route, 26 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
ABQ UA /OV ABQ275007/TM 0015/FL140/TP B737/TB LGT ABV 140
- Report
- a routine report filed through ABQ
- Where
- 7 nm west (275°) of ABQ
- Time
- 00:15 UTC
- Height
- at 14,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B737
- Turbulence
- light above 14,000 ft
- GLF4 at 25,000 ft, 36 nm north, 7:30 pm CDT (00:30 UTC): overcast up to 24,000 ft, remarks: visual conditions FL250 zlawc. 979 nm along the route, 36 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
PUC UA /OV BCE200040/TM 0030/FL250/TP GLF4/SK OVC-TOP240/RM VMC FL250 /ZLAWC AWC-WEB
- Report
- a routine report filed through PUC
- Where
- 40 nm south (200°) of BCE
- Time
- 00:30 UTC
- Height
- at 25,000 ft
- Aircraft
- GLF4
- Sky
- overcast, tops 24,000 ft
- Remarks
- visual conditions FL250 zlawc
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 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 14 forecast points nearest it (HOU, CLL, SAT, ABI, LBB, ROW, ABQ, FMN, PRC, BCE, LAS, BIH, RNO, SAC). 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 | 190° at 20 kt | −5 kt | 15 °C | 125 kt | 11 h 16 min | 7:21 am PDT (14:21 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 190° at 19 kt | −4 kt | 14 °C | 124 kt | 11 h 22 min | 7:27 am PDT (14:27 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 210° at 18 kt | +2 kt | 11 °C | 118 kt | 11 h 56 min | 8:01 am PDT (15:01 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 220° at 19 kt | +4 kt | 6 °C | 116 kt | 12 h 09 min | 8:14 am PDT (15:14 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 220° at 22 kt | +6 kt | 2 °C | 114 kt | 12 h 22 min | 8:27 am PDT (15:27 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 220° at 25 kt | +7 kt | -2 °C | 113 kt | 12 h 28 min | 8:33 am PDT (15:33 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 220° at 28 kt | +9 kt | -7 °C | 111 kt | 12 h 42 min | 8:47 am PDT (15:47 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 30 kt | +10 kt | -10 °C | 110 kt | 12 h 49 min | 8:54 am PDT (15:54 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 40 kt | +17 kt | -19 °C | 103 kt | 13 h 41 min | 9:46 am PDT (16:46 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 240° at 49 kt | +27 kt | -28 °C | 93 kt | 15 h 09 min | 11:14 am PDT (18:14 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 240° at 50 kt | +31 kt | -36 °C | 89 kt | 15 h 50 min | 11:55 am PDT (18:55 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 41 kt | +28 kt | -47 °C | 92 kt | 15 h 19 min | 11:24 am PDT (18:24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 160/22 | 150/27 19° | 180/16 14° | 250/7 9° | 270/10 -5° | 270/16 -13° | 310/23 -29° | 310/26 -40° | 330/20 -52° |
| CLL | used from 50 nm out; 22 nm from the line | 170/22 | 170/26 18° | 200/15 14° | 240/13 8° | 240/15 -5° | 260/17 -13° | 290/27 -29° | 290/22 -40° | 320/30 -51° |
| SAT | used from 150 nm out; 92 nm from the line | 150/26 | 180/18 19° | 180/18 14° | 200/14 9° | 230/16 -6° | 210/9 -13° | 270/8 -29° | 280/6 -39° | 340/19 -51° |
| ABI | used from 200 nm out; 65 nm from the line | 200/31 17° | 210/21 15° | 240/15 9° | 250/14 -4° | 250/24 -14° | 250/36 -28° | 270/35 -38° | 290/41 -50° | |
| LBB | used from 350 nm out; 65 nm from the line | 200/36 18° | 220/19 15° | 240/20 8° | 230/24 -4° | 240/37 -16° | 250/57 -28° | 250/51 -38° | 270/47 -50° | |
| ROW | used from 450 nm out; 52 nm from the line | 190/33 | 210/27 14° | 220/28 6° | 230/36 -6° | 230/56 -15° | 230/63 -27° | 250/59 -37° | 260/57 -49° | |
| ABQ | used from 600 nm out; 45 nm from the line | 220/27 11° | 210/35 5° | 220/46 -9° | 230/62 -20° | 240/78 -25° | 240/80 -35° | 240/56 -47° | ||
| FMN | used from 750 nm out; 93 nm from the line | 220/28 9° | 220/40 2° | 220/53 -10° | 220/62 -22° | 230/79 -28° | 240/91 -34° | 230/71 -45° | ||
| PRC | used from 849 nm out; 106 nm from the line | 210/25 5° | 200/30 1° | 220/55 -10° | 220/61 -21° | 220/84 -28° | 230/90 -34° | 230/73 -45° | ||
| BCE | used from 899 nm out; 89 nm from the line | 220/27 -1° | 210/40 -13° | 220/54 -21° | 220/64 -30° | 220/64 -34° | 220/52 -44° | |||
| LAS | used from 999 nm out; 77 nm from the line | 210/21 10° | 200/18 5° | 200/23 -2° | 210/49 -14° | 210/63 -21° | 220/58 -30° | 220/61 -35° | 210/56 -44° | |
| BIH | used from 1149 nm out; 75 nm from the line | L/V | 240/7 1° | 190/13 -3° | 200/26 -16° | 210/43 -26° | 220/54 -28° | 220/51 -35° | 220/47 -43° | |
| RNO | used from 1299 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 010/9 | 320/10 -2° | 210/23 -9° | 210/34 -19° | 220/36 -25° | 230/31 -29° | 230/41 -33° | 230/38 -42° | |
| SAC | used from 1349 nm out; 29 nm from the line | 110/6 | L/V 4° | 010/11 -2° | 350/11 -7° | 340/24 -16° | 360/44 -23° | 330/24 -30° | 270/21 -35° | 230/23 -43° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU Houston, TX | departure | no report just now | 46 ft | ||||
| GTU Georgetown, TX | 140 nm out, 6 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 789 ft | ||||
| GRK Fort Hood (Killeen), TX | 160 nm out, 11 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,015 ft | ||||
| LUV Lamesa, TX | 390 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 2,998 ft | ||||
| ROW Roswell, NM | 520 nm out, 23 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 3,671 ft | ||||
| BRG Belen, NM | 660 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 5,199 ft | ||||
| GNT Grants, NM | 720 nm out, 12 nm north of the line | no report just now | 6,536 ft | ||||
| GCN Grand Canyon, AZ | 929 nm out, 21 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 6,608 ft | ||||
| SGU St George, UT | 1009 nm out, 19 nm north of the line | no report just now | 2,883 ft | ||||
| TPH Tonopah, NV | 1199 nm out, 23 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 5,430 ft | ||||
| MHR Sacramento, CA | 1389 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 98 ft | ||||
| SMF Sacramento, CA | destination | no report just now | 26 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 6,608 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At SMF when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 7:21 am PDT (14:21 UTC)
SMF 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, 600 nm along the route · security · starts tomorrow · ZAB
- 6/6740 SACRAMENTO, CA, Thursday, October 8, 2026 through Sunday, October 11, 2026 Local on the route, at the destination end · air shows/sports · ended 11 October · ZOA
- 6/3475 BEALE AFB, CA, Sunday, March 8, 2026 through Sunday, November 1, 2026 Local 17 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · until 1 November · ZOA
Daylight
Sunset at HOU 6:54 pm CDT (23:54 UTC), at SMF 6:32 pm PDT (01:32 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:59 pm PDT (01:59 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: William P Hobby Airport, Sacramento International.