Williston Basin International to Minot International XWA → MOT
99 nautical miles (114 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 089°, about 081° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 33 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 59-knot tailwind), arriving about 11:18 am CDT (16:18 UTC). Right now XWA is IFR, wind from the north-northeast (030°) at 6 knots; MOT is marginal VFR, wind from the north-northwest (340°) at 7 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: 49 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.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 49 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 22,000 ft. Over the last 40 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 XWA.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- UNKN , 38 nm southwest, 10:10 am CDT (15:10 UTC): no icing. At the departure end, 38 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
SDY UA /OV SDY/TM 1510/FLUNKN/TP UNKN/SK BASE027 TOP057/IC NEG/ZLC
- Report
- a routine report filed through SDY
- Where
- over SDY
- Time
- 15:10 UTC
- Height
- height not given
- Aircraft
- UNKN
- Sky
- BASE027 TOP057
- Icing
- neg/zlc
- B38M at 34,000 ft, 35 nm southeast, 9:49 am CDT (14:49 UTC): no turbulence. At the destination end, 35 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
MOT UA /OV MOT120035/TM 1449/FL340/TP B38M/TB NEG
- Report
- a routine report filed through MOT
- Where
- 35 nm southeast (120°) of MOT
- Time
- 14:49 UTC
- Height
- at 34,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B38M
- Turbulence
- none
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 14:00–21:00 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 (MOT). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,500 ft | light and variable | 0 | 2 °C | 120 kt | 50 min | 11:35 am CDT (16:35 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 220° at 6 kt | −4 kt | 2 °C | 124 kt | 48 min | 11:33 am CDT (16:33 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 220° at 14 kt | −9 kt | 2 °C | 129 kt | 46 min | 11:31 am CDT (16:31 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 220° at 24 kt | −16 kt | 0 °C | 136 kt | 44 min | 11:29 am CDT (16:29 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 220° at 29 kt | −19 kt | -3 °C | 139 kt | 43 min | 11:28 am CDT (16:28 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 220° at 32 kt | −21 kt | -7 °C | 141 kt | 42 min | 11:27 am CDT (16:27 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 220° at 35 kt | −23 kt | -11 °C | 143 kt | 42 min | 11:27 am CDT (16:27 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 36 kt | −23 kt | -12 °C | 143 kt | 42 min | 11:27 am CDT (16:27 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 33 kt | −25 kt | -24 °C | 145 kt | 41 min | 11:26 am CDT (16:26 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 39 kt | −30 kt | -34 °C | 150 kt | 40 min | 11:25 am CDT (16:25 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 230° at 50 kt | −39 kt | -39 °C | 159 kt | 37 min | 11:22 am CDT (16:22 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 250° at 63 kt | −59 kt | -46 °C | 179 kt | 33 min | 11:18 am CDT (16:18 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 12:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 18:00 UTC for use 14:00 to 21:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT | used from 0 nm out; 74 nm from the line | L/V 2° | 220/12 2° | 220/27 0° | 220/36 -12° | 230/33 -24° | 230/39 -34° | 230/50 -39° | 250/63 -46° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XWA Williston, ND | departure | IFR Sky: a broken layer at 500 feet, overcast at 1,100 feet Weather: rain, mist | from the north-northeast (030°) at 6 knots | 2.5 mi | 500 ft | 2,356 ft | 10:41 am CDT (15:41 UTC) |
| MOT Minot, ND | destination | marginal VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 400 feet, overcast at 1,000 feet Weather: rain, mist | from the north-northwest (340°) at 7 knots | 4 mi | 1,000 ft | 1,715 ft | 10:16 am CDT (15:16 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,356 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MOT when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:18 am CDT (16:18 UTC)
Wind from the north-northeast at 10 knots, visibility 3 miles, light rain, mist, overcast at 600 feet IFR
The whole forecast for MOT
- From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 12 knots, visibility 6 miles, light rain, mist, scattered clouds at 900 feet, overcast at 1,500 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 10 knots, visibility 3 miles, light rain, mist, overcast at 600 feet
- From Mon 3:00 pm CDT (20:00 UTC): wind from the north at 10 knots, visibility 4 miles, light rain, mist, overcast at 600 feet
- From Mon 5:00 pm CDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 600 feet
The forecast for XWA, the departure
- From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the northeast at 10 knots, visibility 6 miles, light rain, mist, a broken layer at 700 feet, overcast at 1,100 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 10 knots, visibility 2 miles, light rain, mist, overcast at 400 feet
- 30% chance between Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC) and 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): visibility 1 mile, light rain snow, mist
- From Mon 1:00 pm CDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the north at 10 knots, visibility 4 miles, light rain, mist, overcast at 500 feet
- From Mon 4:00 pm CDT (21:00 UTC): wind from the north at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 600 feet
- From Mon 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 500 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 XWA 7:10 pm CDT (00:10 UTC), at MOT 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:31 pm CDT (00:31 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: Williston Basin International, Minot International.