Thief River Falls Regional to Grand Forks International TVF → GFK
40 nautical miles (47 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 260°, about 258° magnetic at the departure end (variation 2E). At 120 knots that is 19 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 9-knot tailwind), arriving about 3:58 am CDT (08:58 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now TVF is IFR, wind from the northeast (050°) at 12 knots; GFK is low IFR, wind from the north (010°) at 11 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: 1 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 4E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). 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 TVF.
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 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 1 forecast point nearest it (GFK). 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 | 080° at 9 kt | −9 kt | 129 kt | 19 min | 3:58 am CDT (08:58 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 260° at 4 kt | +4 kt | 10 °C | 116 kt | 21 min | 4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 260° at 18 kt | +18 kt | 8 °C | 102 kt | 24 min | 4:03 am CDT (09:03 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 250° at 35 kt | +35 kt | 5 °C | 85 kt | 28 min | 4:07 am CDT (09:07 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 250° at 48 kt | +48 kt | 2 °C | 72 kt | 33 min | 4:12 am CDT (09:12 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 250° at 49 kt | +49 kt | -3 °C | 71 kt | 34 min | 4:13 am CDT (09:13 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 260° at 50 kt | +50 kt | -8 °C | 70 kt | 34 min | 4:13 am CDT (09:13 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 260° at 51 kt | +51 kt | -11 °C | 69 kt | 35 min | 4:14 am CDT (09:14 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 44 kt | +43 kt | -22 °C | 77 kt | 31 min | 4:10 am CDT (09:10 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 260° at 34 kt | +34 kt | -38 °C | 86 kt | 28 min | 4:07 am CDT (09:07 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 260° at 53 kt | +53 kt | -44 °C | 67 kt | 36 min | 4:15 am CDT (09:15 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 270° at 66 kt | +65 kt | -49 °C | 55 kt | 44 min | 4:23 am CDT (09:23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GFK | used from 0 nm out; 20 nm from the line | 080/18 | L/V 11° | 260/22 7° | 250/48 3° | 260/51 -11° | 250/44 -22° | 260/34 -38° | 260/53 -44° | 270/66 -49° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TVF Thief River Falls, MN | departure | IFR Sky: a broken layer at 700 feet, overcast at 2,000 feet | from the northeast (050°) at 12 knots | 10+ mi | 700 ft | 1,118 ft | 3:17 am CDT (08:17 UTC) |
| CKN Crookston, MN | 16 nm out, 11 nm south of the line | IFR Sky: overcast at 900 feet | from the north-northeast (030°) at 9 knots, gusting to 14 | 10+ mi | 900 ft | 896 ft | 08:35 UTC |
| GFK Grand Forks, ND | destination | low IFR Sky: overcast at 400 feet | from the north (010°) at 11 knots | 7 mi | 400 ft | 845 ft | 3:25 am CDT (08:25 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,118 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At GFK when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 3:58 am CDT (08:58 UTC)
Wind from the north at 14 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 400 feet low IFR
The whole forecast for GFK
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the north at 14 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 400 feet
- From Mon 5:00 am CDT (10:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 600 feet
- 30% chance between Mon 5:00 am CDT (10:00 UTC) and 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): light rain showers
- From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain showers, overcast at 700 feet
The forecast for TVF, the departure
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the northeast at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 700 feet
- 30% chance between Mon 5:00 am CDT (10:00 UTC) and 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): visibility 3 miles, light drizzle, overcast at 300 feet
- From Mon 1:00 pm CDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the northeast at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain showers, overcast at 700 feet
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/4348 GRAND FORKS AFB, ND, Sunday, March 8, 2026 through Sunday, November 1, 2026 Local 13 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · until 1 November · ZMP
Daylight
Sunset at TVF 6:42 pm CDT (23:42 UTC), at GFK 6:46 pm CDT (23:46 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:17 pm CDT (00:17 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at GFK is before sunrise there (7:43 am CDT (12:43 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: Thief River Falls Regional, Grand Forks International.