Imperial County to Los Angeles International IPL → LAX
157 nautical miles (180 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 296°, about 286° magnetic at the departure end (variation 10E). At 120 knots that is 1 h 21 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 4-knot headwind), arriving about 6:09 pm PDT (01:09 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: 1,498 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 1W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 12,000 ft. Over the first 98 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 6E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 49 to 147 nm out.
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 IPL.
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 20:00–03:00 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 (SAN, ONT). 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 | 220° at 14 kt | +4 kt | 116 kt | 1 h 21 min | 6:09 pm PDT (01:09 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 230° at 19 kt | +7 kt | 7 °C | 113 kt | 1 h 23 min | 6:11 pm PDT (01:11 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 240° at 25 kt | +13 kt | 5 °C | 107 kt | 1 h 28 min | 6:16 pm PDT (01:16 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 230° at 26 kt | +12 kt | 2 °C | 108 kt | 1 h 27 min | 6:15 pm PDT (01:15 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 230° at 27 kt | +10 kt | -2 °C | 110 kt | 1 h 26 min | 6:14 pm PDT (01:14 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 220° at 31 kt | +9 kt | -5 °C | 111 kt | 1 h 25 min | 6:13 pm PDT (01:13 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 220° at 36 kt | +8 kt | -9 °C | 112 kt | 1 h 24 min | 6:12 pm PDT (01:12 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 39 kt | +7 kt | -11 °C | 113 kt | 1 h 23 min | 6:11 pm PDT (01:11 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 220° at 50 kt | +13 kt | -19 °C | 107 kt | 1 h 28 min | 6:16 pm PDT (01:16 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 52 kt | +13 kt | -29 °C | 107 kt | 1 h 28 min | 6:16 pm PDT (01:16 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 57 kt | +11 kt | -35 °C | 109 kt | 1 h 26 min | 6:14 pm PDT (01:14 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 220° at 54 kt | +10 kt | -44 °C | 110 kt | 1 h 26 min | 6:14 pm PDT (01:14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAN | used from 0 nm out; 61 nm from the line | 200/10 | 240/19 9° | 240/27 5° | 230/22 -1° | 220/40 -10° | 220/49 -19° | 220/54 -29° | 220/61 -35° | 220/56 -44° |
| ONT | used from 98 nm out; 23 nm from the line | 230/11 | 200/17 6° | 230/27 4° | 230/32 -2° | 210/39 -12° | 220/51 -20° | 220/48 -29° | 210/51 -34° | 210/52 -44° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL Imperial, CA | departure | no report just now | -53 ft | ||||
| SAS Salton City, CA | 29 nm out, 14 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | -84 ft | ||||
| RNM Ramona, CA | 69 nm out, 18 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,394 ft | ||||
| SNA Santa Ana, CA | 127 nm out, 4 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 55 ft | ||||
| LAX Los Angeles, CA | destination | no report just now | 127 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,394 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At LAX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:09 pm PDT (01:09 UTC)
LAX has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/2656 Coyote Wells, CA, Saturday, July 4, 2026 through Saturday, January 2, 2027 Local 17 nm from the route, at the departure end · security · until 2 January · ZLA
- 6/2652 Coyote Wells, CA, Saturday, July 4, 2026 through Saturday, January 2, 2027 Local 11 nm from the route, at the departure end · security · until 2 January · ZLA
- 6/2657 Calexico, CA, Saturday, July 4, 2026 through Saturday, January 2, 2027 Local 17 nm from the route, at the departure end · security · until 2 January · ZLA
- 6/4812 El Centro, CA, Wednesday, July 15, 2026 through Tuesday, July 13, 2027 Local 4 nm from the route, 29 nm along the route · security · until 13 July · ZLA
- 4/3635 DISNEYLAND THEME PARK, ANAHEIM,, CA 1 nm from the route, 127 nm along the route · security · ZLA
Daylight
Sunset at IPL 6:13 pm PDT (01:13 UTC), at LAX 6:23 pm PDT (01:23 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:48 pm PDT (01:48 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: Imperial County, Los Angeles International.