Salt Lake City International to San Francisco International SLC → SFO
519 nautical miles (598 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 252°, about 241° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 28 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 4-knot headwind), arriving about 11:08 pm PDT (06:08 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: 6,927 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 5W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 33,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 8:55 pm MDT (02:55 UTC). Over the route from 140 to 280 nm out.
as issued
WSUS33 KKCI 120055 MKCW WST 120055 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 5W VALID UNTIL 0255Z NV FROM 10NNE BAM-40WSW BVL-60SW ELY-10SE OAL-30WNW OAL-10NNE BAM AREA TS MOV FROM 23020KT. TOPS TO FL330.
- AIRMET SIERRA 2E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the first 0 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 3C: moderate icing up to 22,000 ft. Over the first 320 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the first 310 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 180 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the first 250 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 15,000 ft. Over the route from 350 to 390 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the last 50 nm of the 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 SLC.
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 6 forecast points nearest it (SLC, ELY, BAM, RNO, SAC, SFO). 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 | 290° at 5 kt | +4 kt | 116 kt | 4 h 28 min | 11:08 pm PDT (06:08 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 270° at 5 kt | +5 kt | 4 °C | 115 kt | 4 h 31 min | 11:11 pm PDT (06:11 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 230° at 13 kt | +12 kt | 3 °C | 108 kt | 4 h 48 min | 11:28 pm PDT (06:28 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 230° at 20 kt | +18 kt | 0 °C | 102 kt | 5 h 05 min | 11:45 pm PDT (06:45 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 220° at 26 kt | +24 kt | -5 °C | 96 kt | 5 h 24 min | 12:04 am PDT (07:04 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 220° at 30 kt | +26 kt | -8 °C | 94 kt | 5 h 31 min | 12:11 am PDT (07:11 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 220° at 34 kt | +29 kt | -12 °C | 91 kt | 5 h 42 min | 12:22 am PDT (07:22 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 37 kt | +32 kt | -15 °C | 88 kt | 5 h 54 min | 12:34 am PDT (07:34 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 210° at 42 kt | +34 kt | -25 °C | 86 kt | 6 h 02 min | 12:42 am PDT (07:42 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 56 kt | +52 kt | -28 °C | 68 kt | 7 h 38 min | 2:18 am PDT (09:18 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 230° at 61 kt | +57 kt | -34 °C | 63 kt | 8 h 14 min | 2:54 am PDT (09:54 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 230° at 58 kt | +54 kt | -43 °C | 66 kt | 7 h 52 min | 2:32 am PDT (09:32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLC | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 280/8 | 210/39 5° | 210/52 -1° | 200/50 -11° | 200/56 -23° | 220/61 -28° | 230/73 -37° | 230/73 -45° | |
| ELY | used from 100 nm out; 50 nm from the line | 210/20 4° | 240/21 -1° | 230/37 -13° | 200/58 -25° | 220/73 -27° | 220/73 -36° | 220/69 -44° | ||
| BAM | used from 200 nm out; 65 nm from the line | 270/8 4° | 230/27 -4° | 220/49 -18° | 210/52 -26° | 220/77 -29° | 220/71 -33° | 220/63 -43° | ||
| RNO | used from 300 nm out; 65 nm from the line | 320/7 | 260/13 1° | 230/21 -7° | 210/38 -17° | 220/43 -26° | 230/54 -29° | 230/59 -32° | 230/54 -41° | |
| SAC | used from 400 nm out; 47 nm from the line | 270/5 | L/V 5° | L/V -1° | 240/11 -5° | 250/22 -15° | 270/25 -24° | 260/31 -27° | 240/39 -33° | 240/39 -42° |
| SFO | used from 499 nm out; 10 nm from the line | 220/11 | L/V 5° | 280/7 1° | 270/15 -3° | 290/23 -14° | 310/29 -24° | 280/26 -28° | 250/30 -34° | 250/36 -43° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLC Salt Lake City, UT | departure | no report just now | 4,230 ft | ||||
| TVY Tooele, UT | 20 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 4,321 ft | ||||
| TMT Austin, NV | 250 nm out, 7 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 5,735 ft | ||||
| GAB Gabbs, NV | 300 nm out, 11 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 4,699 ft | ||||
| HTH Hawthorne, NV | 340 nm out, 20 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 4,230 ft | ||||
| TVL South Lake Tahoe, CA | 390 nm out, 25 nm north of the line | no report just now | 6,268 ft | ||||
| SCK Stockton, CA | 459 nm out, 8 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 32 ft | ||||
| LVK Livermore, CA | 489 nm out, 8 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 399 ft | ||||
| SFO San Francisco, CA | destination | no report just now | 13 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 6,268 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At SFO when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:08 pm PDT (06:08 UTC)
SFO has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/6740 SACRAMENTO, CA, Thursday, October 8, 2026 through Sunday, October 11, 2026 Local 23 nm from the route, 450 nm along the route · air shows/sports · ended 11 October · ZOA
- 6/7231 Santa Clara, CA, Sunday, October 11, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 19 nm from the route, at the destination end · drones kept away from a public gathering · until 12 October · ZOA
Daylight
Sunset at SLC 6:52 pm MDT (00:52 UTC), at SFO 6:36 pm PDT (01:36 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:02 pm PDT (02:02 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at SFO is after sunset there (6:38 pm PDT (01:38 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: Salt Lake City International, San Francisco International.