Raleigh-Durham International to Norfolk International RDU → ORF
139 nautical miles (160 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 063°, about 072° magnetic at the departure end (variation 9W). At 120 knots that is 44 min at the quickest height in today's winds (30,000 ft, a 69-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:17 pm EDT (02:17 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now RDU is VFR, wind from the southwest (230°) at 11 knots; ORF is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (200°) at 15 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: 74 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
- SIGMET 3E: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 31,000 ft, moving from the west at 15 knots, until 10:55 pm EDT (02:55 UTC). Over the route from 40 to 99 nm out.
as issued
WSUS31 KKCI 120055 MKCE WST 120055 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 3E VALID UNTIL 0255Z PA MD VA NC WV OH KY FROM 20NE APE-30SE JST-30SSE DCA-40SW ECG-70NNW HMV-20NE APE AREA TS MOV FROM 28015KT. TOPS TO FL310.
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 RDU.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
No pilot reports within 50 nautical miles of the line in the last three hours.
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 2 forecast points nearest it (RDU, ORF). 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 | 220° at 37 kt | −33 kt | 153 kt | 55 min | 10:28 pm EDT (02:28 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 220° at 34 kt | −30 kt | 150 kt | 56 min | 10:29 pm EDT (02:29 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 220° at 34 kt | −30 kt | 13 °C | 150 kt | 56 min | 10:29 pm EDT (02:29 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 220° at 36 kt | −32 kt | 11 °C | 152 kt | 55 min | 10:28 pm EDT (02:28 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 220° at 37 kt | −35 kt | 8 °C | 155 kt | 54 min | 10:27 pm EDT (02:27 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 230° at 41 kt | −39 kt | 4 °C | 159 kt | 52 min | 10:25 pm EDT (02:25 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 230° at 46 kt | −44 kt | 0 °C | 164 kt | 51 min | 10:24 pm EDT (02:24 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 230° at 50 kt | −49 kt | -4 °C | 169 kt | 49 min | 10:22 pm EDT (02:22 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 51 kt | −50 kt | -5 °C | 170 kt | 49 min | 10:22 pm EDT (02:22 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 66 kt | −63 kt | -16 °C | 183 kt | 46 min | 10:19 pm EDT (02:19 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 75 kt | −69 kt | -30 °C | 189 kt | 44 min | 10:17 pm EDT (02:17 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 78 kt | −69 kt | -40 °C | 189 kt | 44 min | 10:17 pm EDT (02:17 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 220° at 73 kt | −67 kt | -53 °C | 187 kt | 45 min | 10:18 pm EDT (02:18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDU | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 240/28 | 250/22 10° | 230/30 11° | 230/40 7° | 230/45 -4° | 220/69 -15° | 220/83 -29° | 210/84 -40° | 220/75 -52° |
| ORF | used from 50 nm out; 65 nm from the line | 210/45 | 210/41 15° | 210/39 13° | 220/37 7° | 230/55 -5° | 230/65 -16° | 220/71 -30° | 220/75 -40° | 220/72 -53° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDU Raleigh/Durham, NC | departure | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 5,000 feet | from the southwest (230°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | none | 435 ft | 8:51 pm EDT (00:51 UTC) |
| LHZ Louisburg, NC | 20 nm out, 4 nm east of the line | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 5,000 feet | from the southwest (220°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | 5,000 ft | 368 ft | 01:15 UTC |
| IXA Roanoke Rapids, NC | 60 nm out, 3 nm east of the line | VFR | from the west-southwest (240°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 144 ft | 01:15 UTC |
| SFQ Suffolk, VA | 119 nm out, 4 nm south of the line | marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,400 feet | from the south (180°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | 1,400 ft | 70 ft | 23:35 UTC |
| ORF Norfolk, VA | destination | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 15 knots | 10+ mi | none | 26 ft | 8:51 pm EDT (00:51 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 435 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At ORF when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:17 pm EDT (02:17 UTC)
Wind from the south at 12 knots, gusting to 19, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, a broken layer at 2,000 feet marginal VFR
The whole forecast for ORF
- From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 12 knots, gusting to 19, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, a broken layer at 2,000 feet
- From Sun 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 11 knots, gusting to 17, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet
- From Mon 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the west at 11 knots, gusting to 17, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 1,200 feet
- From Mon 11:00 am EDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 13 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,200 feet
- From Mon 2:00 pm EDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 13 knots, gusting to 21, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 2,000 feet
- From Mon 6:00 pm EDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the north at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet
The forecast for RDU, the departure
- From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 21, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 4,000 feet, a broken layer at 6,000 feet
- From Mon 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 5,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 9 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 5,000 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 RDU 6:43 pm EDT (22:43 UTC), at ORF 6:32 pm EDT (22:32 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:58 pm EDT (22:58 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at ORF is after sunset there (6:34 pm EDT (22:34 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: Raleigh-Durham International, Norfolk International.