Lehigh Valley International to Chicago Midway International ABE → MDW
560 nautical miles (644 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 281°, about 293° magnetic at the departure end (variation 12W). At 120 knots that is 4 h 57 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 7-knot headwind), arriving about 1:04 pm CDT (18:04 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 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 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the first 460 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 24,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the first 180 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, mist). Over the route from 30 to 200 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 ABE.
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 6 forecast points nearest it (AVP, PSB, AGC, CLE, FWA, JOT). 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 | 330° at 12 kt | +7 kt | 12 °C | 113 kt | 4 h 57 min | 1:04 pm CDT (18:04 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 340° at 15 kt | +7 kt | 12 °C | 113 kt | 4 h 57 min | 1:04 pm CDT (18:04 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 340° at 16 kt | +8 kt | 9 °C | 112 kt | 5 h | 1:07 pm CDT (18:07 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 330° at 17 kt | +11 kt | 5 °C | 109 kt | 5 h 08 min | 1:15 pm CDT (18:15 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 330° at 20 kt | +13 kt | 1 °C | 107 kt | 5 h 14 min | 1:21 pm CDT (18:21 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 320° at 22 kt | +16 kt | -2 °C | 104 kt | 5 h 23 min | 1:30 pm CDT (18:30 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 320° at 25 kt | +18 kt | -6 °C | 102 kt | 5 h 29 min | 1:36 pm CDT (18:36 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 320° at 27 kt | +20 kt | -9 °C | 100 kt | 5 h 36 min | 1:43 pm CDT (18:43 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 320° at 31 kt | +23 kt | -21 °C | 97 kt | 5 h 46 min | 1:53 pm CDT (18:53 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 36 kt | +26 kt | -36 °C | 94 kt | 5 h 57 min | 2:04 pm CDT (19:04 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 320° at 51 kt | +40 kt | -43 °C | 80 kt | 7 h | 3:07 pm CDT (20:07 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 320° at 49 kt | +39 kt | -51 °C | 81 kt | 6 h 55 min | 3:02 pm CDT (20:02 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVP | used from 0 nm out; 38 nm from the line | 010/20 | 020/24 11° | 360/19 8° | 350/23 2° | 320/24 -11° | 330/25 -22° | 330/27 -37° | 310/28 -42° | 290/30 -50° |
| PSB | used from 50 nm out; 47 nm from the line | 020/21 12° | 360/28 7° | 360/29 1° | 350/33 -10° | 350/42 -22° | 350/49 -37° | 340/63 -43° | 350/39 -52° | |
| AGC | used from 200 nm out; 58 nm from the line | 340/11 | 350/12 11° | 360/25 7° | 340/30 2° | 340/41 -8° | 340/44 -21° | 350/59 -36° | 340/68 -42° | 340/50 -51° |
| CLE | used from 250 nm out; 19 nm from the line | 310/7 | 350/20 14° | 340/16 9° | 320/21 2° | 320/32 -8° | 330/34 -20° | 330/45 -36° | 320/60 -45° | 320/64 -51° |
| FWA | used from 350 nm out; 78 nm from the line | 270/20 | 300/16 15° | 290/14 10° | 280/17 3° | 290/25 -7° | 280/30 -19° | 280/34 -35° | 290/48 -44° | 300/64 -52° |
| JOT | used from 500 nm out; 56 nm from the line | 250/25 | 260/22 14° | 250/17 9° | 270/21 5° | 280/28 -8° | 280/36 -20° | 270/41 -35° | 280/57 -42° | 290/65 -50° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABE Allentown, PA | departure | no report just now | 393 ft | ||||
| RDG Reading, PA | 20 nm out, 21 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 343 ft | ||||
| UNV State College, PA | 110 nm out, 8 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,231 ft | ||||
| FIG Clearfield, PA | 140 nm out, 3 nm east of the line | no report just now | 1,516 ft | ||||
| AXQ Clarion, PA | 180 nm out, 6 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 1,457 ft | ||||
| YNG Youngstown/Warren, OH | 240 nm out, 2 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,191 ft | ||||
| CLE Cleveland, OH | 290 nm out, 4 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 799 ft | ||||
| TOL Toledo, OH | 380 nm out, 3 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 683 ft | ||||
| ANQ Angola, IN | 440 nm out, 1 nm south of the line | no report just now | 995 ft | ||||
| EKM Elkhart, IN | 480 nm out, 2 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 777 ft | ||||
| GYY Gary/Chicago, IN | 540 nm out, 10 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 596 ft | ||||
| MDW Chicago, IL | destination | no report just now | 619 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,516 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MDW when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:04 pm CDT (18:04 UTC)
MDW has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8587 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local on the route, 210 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB
- 6/8888 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 0 nm from the route, 240 nm along the route · security · today · ZOB
- 6/8829 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local on the route, 240 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB
- 6/8992 Monroe, MI, Thursday, October 15, 2026 Local 19 nm from the route, 370 nm along the route · a VIP movement · starts Thursday 15 October · ZOB
Daylight
Sunset at ABE 6:26 pm EDT (22:26 UTC), at MDW 6:14 pm CDT (23:14 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:42 pm CDT (23:42 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: Lehigh Valley International, Chicago Midway International.