San Diego International to Albuquerque International Sunport SAN → ABQ
545 nautical miles (627 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 072°, about 061° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11E). At 120 knots that is 2 h 47 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 76-knot tailwind), arriving about 9:06 am MDT (15:06 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: 1,377 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 2E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 10 to 40 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 12,000 ft. Over the route from 20 to 416 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 238 to 337 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). Near the route, 277 nm along the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 34,000 ft to 43,000 ft. Over the last 238 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Over the route from 337 to 426 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 SAN.
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 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 4 forecast points nearest it (SAN, BLH, PHX, ABQ). 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 16 kt | −12 kt | 132 kt | 4 h 08 min | 10:27 am MDT (16:27 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 210° at 21 kt | −15 kt | 135 kt | 4 h 02 min | 10:21 am MDT (16:21 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 210° at 24 kt | −17 kt | 8 °C | 137 kt | 3 h 59 min | 10:18 am MDT (16:18 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 210° at 28 kt | −19 kt | 5 °C | 139 kt | 3 h 55 min | 10:14 am MDT (16:14 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 210° at 32 kt | −23 kt | 1 °C | 143 kt | 3 h 49 min | 10:08 am MDT (16:08 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 220° at 38 kt | −29 kt | -2 °C | 149 kt | 3 h 39 min | 9:58 am MDT (15:58 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 220° at 45 kt | −37 kt | -5 °C | 157 kt | 3 h 28 min | 9:47 am MDT (15:47 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 220° at 53 kt | −45 kt | -8 °C | 165 kt | 3 h 18 min | 9:37 am MDT (15:37 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 55 kt | −46 kt | -9 °C | 166 kt | 3 h 17 min | 9:36 am MDT (15:36 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 68 kt | −59 kt | -19 °C | 179 kt | 3 h 03 min | 9:22 am MDT (15:22 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 82 kt | −70 kt | -28 °C | 190 kt | 2 h 52 min | 9:11 am MDT (15:11 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 230° at 87 kt | −76 kt | -36 °C | 196 kt | 2 h 47 min | 9:06 am MDT (15:06 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 220° at 87 kt | −74 kt | -47 °C | 194 kt | 2 h 49 min | 9:08 am MDT (15:08 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAN | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 240/10 | 220/19 6° | 230/26 2° | 230/29 -3° | 230/43 -11° | 220/61 -20° | 220/72 -29° | 220/75 -38° | 220/71 -48° |
| BLH | used from 50 nm out; 62 nm from the line | 240/19 | 210/20 10° | 200/27 4° | 210/34 -2° | 220/59 -10° | 220/67 -20° | 220/75 -29° | 230/78 -38° | 220/90 -47° |
| PHX | used from 198 nm out; 51 nm from the line | 190/15 | 210/25 12° | 200/34 4° | 200/34 2° | 220/58 -9° | 220/75 -19° | 220/91 -28° | 220/100 -35° | 220/95 -47° |
| ABQ | used from 396 nm out; 124 nm from the line | 220/19 9° | 220/35 3° | 230/50 -8° | 240/64 -19° | 230/83 -26° | 230/85 -36° | 230/80 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAN San Diego, CA | departure | no report just now | 16 ft | ||||
| RNM Ramona, CA | 20 nm out, 13 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,394 ft | ||||
| CLR Calipatria, CA | 89 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | -181 ft | ||||
| BLH Blythe, CA | 139 nm out, 15 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 399 ft | ||||
| DVT Phoenix, AZ | 258 nm out, 17 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,478 ft | ||||
| PAN Payson, AZ | 307 nm out, 7 nm north of the line | no report just now | 5,160 ft | ||||
| TYL Taylor, AZ | 367 nm out, 4 nm north of the line | no report just now | 5,823 ft | ||||
| SJN St Johns, AZ | 406 nm out, 2 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 5,736 ft | ||||
| GNT Grants, NM | 486 nm out, 21 nm north of the line | no report just now | 6,536 ft | ||||
| BRG Belen, NM | 525 nm out, 21 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 5,199 ft | ||||
| ABQ Albuquerque, NM | destination | no report just now | 5,354 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 6,536 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At ABQ when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 9:06 am MDT (15:06 UTC)
ABQ has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/2652 Coyote Wells, CA, Saturday, July 4, 2026 through Saturday, January 2, 2027 Local 22 nm from the route, 50 nm along the route · security · until 2 January · ZLA
- 6/4812 El Centro, CA, Wednesday, July 15, 2026 through Tuesday, July 13, 2027 Local on the route, 69 nm along the route · security · until 13 July · ZLA
Daylight
Sunset at SAN 6:18 pm PDT (01:18 UTC), at ABQ 6:34 pm MDT (00:34 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:59 pm MDT (00:59 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: San Diego International, Albuquerque International Sunport.