Valley International to Southwest Florida International HRL → RSW
855 nautical miles (984 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 085°, about 082° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3E). At 120 knots that is 6 h 47 min at the quickest height in today's winds (24,000 ft, a 6-knot tailwind), arriving about 4:58 pm EDT (20:58 UTC). Right now HRL is VFR, wind from the east-southeast (120°) at 5 knots; RSW is VFR, wind from the north-northeast (030°) at 10 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: 2 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
No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.
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 HRL.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- B38M at 36,000 ft, 15 nm north, 8:39 am CDT (13:39 UTC): light chop turbulence. 805 nm along the route, 15 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
RSW UA /OV RSW290055/TM 1339/FL360/TP B38M/TB LGT CHOP
- Report
- a routine report filed through RSW
- Where
- 55 nm west (290°) of RSW
- Time
- 13:39 UTC
- Height
- at 36,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B38M
- Turbulence
- light chop
- B772 at 32,000 ft, 17 nm south, 8:12 am CDT (13:12 UTC): no turbulence. 815 nm along the route, 17 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
RSW UA /OV RSW250040/TM 1312/FL320/TP B772/TB NEG
- Report
- a routine report filed through RSW
- Where
- 40 nm west (250°) of RSW
- Time
- 13:12 UTC
- Height
- at 32,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B772
- Turbulence
- none
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 14:00–21:00 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 5 forecast points nearest it (BRO, PSX, LCH, MSY, PIE). 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 | 140° at 3 kt | +2 kt | 118 kt | 7 h 15 min | 5:26 pm EDT (21:26 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 120° at 4 kt | +3 kt | 117 kt | 7 h 18 min | 5:29 pm EDT (21:29 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 140° at 3 kt | +1 kt | 16 °C | 119 kt | 7 h 11 min | 5:22 pm EDT (21:22 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 190° at 3 kt | −1 kt | 12 °C | 121 kt | 7 h 04 min | 5:15 pm EDT (21:15 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 260° at 4 kt | −4 kt | 9 °C | 124 kt | 6 h 54 min | 5:05 pm EDT (21:05 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 280° at 5 kt | −5 kt | 4 °C | 125 kt | 6 h 50 min | 5:01 pm EDT (21:01 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 310° at 6 kt | −5 kt | 0 °C | 125 kt | 6 h 50 min | 5:01 pm EDT (21:01 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 320° at 8 kt | −5 kt | -4 °C | 125 kt | 6 h 50 min | 5:01 pm EDT (21:01 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 320° at 8 kt | −5 kt | -5 °C | 125 kt | 6 h 50 min | 5:01 pm EDT (21:01 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 320° at 8 kt | −6 kt | -15 °C | 126 kt | 6 h 47 min | 4:58 pm EDT (20:58 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 360° at 22 kt | 0 | -31 °C | 120 kt | 7 h 08 min | 5:19 pm EDT (21:19 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 010° at 24 kt | +3 kt | -41 °C | 117 kt | 7 h 18 min | 5:29 pm EDT (21:29 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 020° at 22 kt | +7 kt | -51 °C | 113 kt | 7 h 34 min | 5:45 pm EDT (21:45 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 12:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 18:00 UTC for use 14:00 to 21:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRO | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 160/14 | 160/14 18° | 150/14 14° | 150/8 9° | L/V -4° | 180/11 -14° | 100/15 -30° | 090/11 -40° | 060/33 -52° |
| PSX | used from 199 nm out; 199 nm from the line | 180/20 | 180/15 17° | 180/13 14° | 180/9 9° | 310/11 -5° | 240/7 -14° | 250/5 -29° | 220/6 -39° | 030/19 -51° |
| LCH | used from 249 nm out; 219 nm from the line | 170/9 | 180/18 18° | 190/13 13° | 190/6 8° | 270/11 -6° | 290/20 -13° | 320/21 -30° | 350/23 -40° | 360/25 -51° |
| MSY | used from 298 nm out; 220 nm from the line | 170/11 | 160/13 18° | 150/8 12° | L/V 6° | 310/12 -5° | 290/11 -15° | 340/27 -30° | 350/32 -40° | 360/30 -52° |
| PIE | used from 547 nm out; 244 nm from the line | 360/14 | 010/20 18° | 320/11 13° | 290/16 8° | 340/11 -6° | 350/21 -17° | 360/39 -32° | 010/39 -42° | 350/17 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HRL Harlingen, TX | departure | VFR | from the east-southeast (120°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 36 ft | 8:52 am CDT (13:52 UTC) |
| PIL Port Isabel, TX | 20 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line | VFR | from the southeast (140°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 18 ft | 13:53 UTC |
| RSW Fort Myers, FL | destination | VFR | from the north-northeast (030°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | none | 29 ft | 9:53 am EDT (13:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 36 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At RSW when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:58 pm EDT (20:58 UTC)
Wind from the north-northeast at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for RSW
- From Mon 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- At times between Mon 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC) and 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): a broken layer at 1,200 feet
- From Mon 3:00 pm EDT (19:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 10:00 pm EDT (02:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for HRL, the departure
- From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 1:00 pm CDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 12 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 7,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 5/3678 Brownsville, TX, Thursday, January 1, 2026 through Friday, January 1, 2027 Local 17 nm from the route, at the departure end · security · until 1 January · ZHU
- 5/6914 South Padre Island, TX, Tuesday, May 6, 2025 Local 11 nm from the route, at the departure end · security · ended 6 May · ZHU
- 5/3679 Brownsville, TX, Thursday, January 1, 2026 through Friday, January 1, 2027 Local 14 nm from the route, at the departure end · security · until 1 January · ZHU
Daylight
Sunset at HRL 7:04 pm CDT (00:04 UTC), at RSW 7:02 pm EDT (23:02 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:25 pm EDT (23:25 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: Valley International, Southwest Florida International.