San Diego International to Imperial County SAN → IPL
82 nautical miles (94 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 085°, about 074° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11E). At 120 knots that is 29 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 47-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:32 am PDT (07:32 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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: 915 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 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 35,000 ft to 45,000 ft. Over the whole 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 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 02:00–09:00 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 1 forecast point nearest it (SAN). 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 | 200° at 13 kt | −5 kt | 125 kt | 39 min | 12:42 am PDT (07:42 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 200° at 21 kt | −9 kt | 129 kt | 38 min | 12:41 am PDT (07:41 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 210° at 25 kt | −12 kt | 6 °C | 132 kt | 37 min | 12:40 am PDT (07:40 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 210° at 28 kt | −16 kt | 3 °C | 136 kt | 36 min | 12:39 am PDT (07:39 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 210° at 30 kt | −17 kt | -2 °C | 137 kt | 36 min | 12:39 am PDT (07:39 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 210° at 37 kt | −23 kt | -5 °C | 143 kt | 34 min | 12:37 am PDT (07:37 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 220° at 45 kt | −30 kt | -7 °C | 150 kt | 33 min | 12:36 am PDT (07:36 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 220° at 54 kt | −37 kt | -9 °C | 157 kt | 31 min | 12:34 am PDT (07:34 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 56 kt | −39 kt | -10 °C | 159 kt | 31 min | 12:34 am PDT (07:34 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 220° at 56 kt | −39 kt | -19 °C | 159 kt | 31 min | 12:34 am PDT (07:34 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 52 kt | −36 kt | -30 °C | 156 kt | 32 min | 12:35 am PDT (07:35 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 64 kt | −45 kt | -37 °C | 165 kt | 30 min | 12:33 am PDT (07:33 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 220° at 67 kt | −47 kt | -44 °C | 167 kt | 29 min | 12:32 am PDT (07:32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAN | used from 0 nm out; 23 nm from the line | 200/11 | 200/23 7° | 210/27 4° | 210/31 -3° | 220/56 -10° | 220/56 -19° | 220/52 -30° | 220/64 -37° | 220/67 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAN San Diego, CA | departure | no report just now | 16 ft | ||||
| RNM Ramona, CA | 18 nm out, 17 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,394 ft | ||||
| IPL Imperial, CA | destination | no report just now | -53 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 IPL when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:32 am PDT (07:32 UTC)
IPL 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 10 nm from the route, 54 nm along the route · security · until 2 January · ZLA
- 6/4812 El Centro, CA, Wednesday, July 15, 2026 through Tuesday, July 13, 2027 Local 12 nm from the route, 72 nm along the route · security · until 13 July · ZLA
- 6/2656 Coyote Wells, CA, Saturday, July 4, 2026 through Saturday, January 2, 2027 Local 17 nm from the route, at the destination 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 destination end · security · until 2 January · ZLA
Daylight
Sunset at SAN 6:18 pm PDT (01:18 UTC), at IPL 6:11 pm PDT (01:11 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:36 pm PDT (01:36 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at IPL is before sunrise there (6:44 am PDT (13:44 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, Imperial County.