Plan a flight · Sun 9:09 pm EDT (01:09 UTC)

Albany International to Chicago O'Hare International ALB → ORD

627 nautical miles (721 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 271°, about 284° magnetic at the departure end (variation 13W). At 120 knots that is 5 h 19 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 2-knot headwind), arriving about 1:28 am CDT (06:28 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now ALB is marginal VFR, wind from the north (360°) at 4 knots; ORD is VFR, wind from the south (180°) 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: 4,528 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 ZULU 1C: moderate icing up to 24,000 ft. Over the first 189 nm of the route.
AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the first 219 nm of the route.
AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 219 nm of the route.
AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the first 169 nm of the route.
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 route from 20 to 189 nm out.
AIRMET TANGO 2W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Near the route, 119 nm along the route.
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 route from 388 to 448 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 ALB.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

CRJ7 at 20,000 ft, 37 nm northeast, 8:50 pm EDT (00:50 UTC): moderate turbulence. At the departure end, 37 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ALB UA /OV CAM360020/TM 0050/FL200/TP CRJ7/TB MOD
```
Report
a routine report filed through ALB
Where
20 nm north (360°) of CAM
Time
00:50 UTC
Height
at 20,000 ft
Aircraft
CRJ7
Turbulence
moderate
GLEX at 26,000 ft, 25 nm northeast, 7:54 pm EDT (23:54 UTC): moderate clear-air turbulence. At the departure end, 25 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ALB UA /OV CAM/TM 2354/FL260/TP GLEX/TB MOD CAT 260-230 LGT MOD CAT BLO 230
```
Report
a routine report filed through ALB
Where
over CAM
Time
23:54 UTC
Height
at 26,000 ft
Aircraft
GLEX
Turbulence
moderate clear-air turbulence from 26,000 ft to 23,000 ft light moderate clear-air turbulence below 23,000 ft
E75S at 10,000 ft, 45 nm south, 7:53 pm EDT (23:53 UTC): moderate clear-air turbulence. At the departure end, 45 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
POU UA /OV PWL350015/TM 2353/FL100/TP E75S/TB MOD CAT
```
Report
a routine report filed through POU
Where
15 nm north (350°) of PWL
Time
23:53 UTC
Height
at 10,000 ft
Aircraft
E75S
Turbulence
moderate clear-air turbulence
A388 at 34,000 ft, 30 nm south, 7:19 pm EDT (23:19 UTC): moderate chop turbulence. At the departure end, 30 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
POU UA /OV PWL010030/TM 2319/FL340/TP A388/TB MOD CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through POU
Where
30 nm north (010°) of PWL
Time
23:19 UTC
Height
at 34,000 ft
Aircraft
A388
Turbulence
moderate chop
PC12 at 8,000 ft, 40 nm south, 7:29 pm EDT (23:29 UTC): moderate clear-air turbulence. At the departure end, 40 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
POU UA /OV IGN340030/TM 2329/FL080/TP PC12/TB MOD CAT
```
Report
a routine report filed through POU
Where
30 nm north (340°) of IGN
Time
23:29 UTC
Height
at 8,000 ft
Aircraft
PC12
Turbulence
moderate clear-air turbulence
E75 at 34,000 ft, 17 nm north, 7:15 pm EDT (23:15 UTC): moderate turbulence. 60 nm along the route, 17 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
RME UA /OV UCA/TM 2315/FL340/TP E75/TB CONS MOD
```
Report
a routine report filed through RME
Where
over UCA
Time
23:15 UTC
Height
at 34,000 ft
Aircraft
E75
Turbulence
continuous moderate
A21N at 35,000 ft, 17 nm north, 6:57 pm EDT (22:57 UTC): moderate turbulence. 60 nm along the route, 17 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
RME UA /OV UCA/TM 2257/FL350/TP A21N/TB CONS MOD
```
Report
a routine report filed through RME
Where
over UCA
Time
22:57 UTC
Height
at 35,000 ft
Aircraft
A21N
Turbulence
continuous moderate
CRJ7 at 33,000 ft, 15 nm south, 6:31 pm EDT (22:31 UTC): moderate turbulence. 119 nm along the route, 15 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ITH UA /OV ITH/TM 2231/FL330/TP CRJ7/TB MOD
```
Report
a routine report filed through ITH
Where
over ITH
Time
22:31 UTC
Height
at 33,000 ft
Aircraft
CRJ7
Turbulence
moderate
E75L at 31,000 ft, 15 nm south, 6:27 pm EDT (22:27 UTC): moderate turbulence. 119 nm along the route, 15 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ITH UA /OV ITH/TM 2227/FL310/TP E75L/TB CONS MOD
```
Report
a routine report filed through ITH
Where
over ITH
Time
22:27 UTC
Height
at 31,000 ft
Aircraft
E75L
Turbulence
continuous moderate
DH8D at 19,000 ft, 24 nm north, 7:35 pm EDT (23:35 UTC): moderate chop turbulence, remarks: zob. 169 nm along the route, 24 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ROC UA /OV ROC/TM 2335/FL190/TP DH8D/TB CONS MOD CHOP/RM ZOB
```
Report
a routine report filed through ROC
Where
over ROC
Time
23:35 UTC
Height
at 19,000 ft
Aircraft
DH8D
Turbulence
continuous moderate chop
Remarks
zob
E170 at 25,000 ft, 12 nm north, 6:37 pm EDT (22:37 UTC): moderate turbulence above 25,000 ft, remarks: zob. 209 nm along the route, 12 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
BUF UA /OV BUF120010/TM 2237/FL250/TP E170/TB MOD 250/RM ZOB
```
Report
a routine report filed through BUF
Where
10 nm southeast (120°) of BUF
Time
22:37 UTC
Height
at 25,000 ft
Aircraft
E170
Turbulence
moderate at 25,000 ft
Remarks
zob
A320 at 33,000 ft, 5 nm west, 8:36 pm EDT (00:36 UTC): moderate turbulence above 33,000 ft, remarks: zob. 497 nm along the route, 5 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
JXN UA /OV JXN280030/TM 0036/FL330/TP A320/TB OCNL MOD 330/RM ZOB
```
Report
a routine report filed through JXN
Where
30 nm west (280°) of JXN
Time
00:36 UTC
Height
at 33,000 ft
Aircraft
A320
Turbulence
occasional moderate at 33,000 ft
Remarks
zob
E145 at 24,000 ft, 28 nm south, 8:59 pm EDT (00:59 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. At the departure end, 28 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ALB UA /OV 1B1/TM 0059/FL240/TP E145/TB CONS MMOD CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through ALB
Where
over 1B1
Time
00:59 UTC
Height
at 24,000 ft
Aircraft
E145
Turbulence
continuous mmod chop
CRJ7 at 17,000 ft, 20 nm north, 8:53 pm EDT (00:53 UTC): light chop turbulence. At the departure end, 20 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ALB UA /OV CAM300020/TM 0053/FL170/TP CRJ7/TB ONCL LGT CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through ALB
Where
20 nm northwest (300°) of CAM
Time
00:53 UTC
Height
at 17,000 ft
Aircraft
CRJ7
Turbulence
oncl light chop

16 more routine reports are on the map.

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 7 forecast points nearest it (ALB, SYR, BUF, CLE, FWA, MKG, 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	210° at 4 kt	+2 kt		118 kt	5 h 19 min	1:28 am CDT (06:28 UTC)
6,500 ft	290° at 6 kt	+5 kt	11 °C	115 kt	5 h 27 min	1:36 am CDT (06:36 UTC)
8,500 ft	300° at 8 kt	+6 kt	8 °C	114 kt	5 h 30 min	1:39 am CDT (06:39 UTC)
10,500 ft	300° at 8 kt	+6 kt	5 °C	114 kt	5 h 30 min	1:39 am CDT (06:39 UTC)
12,500 ft	300° at 9 kt	+7 kt	1 °C	113 kt	5 h 33 min	1:42 am CDT (06:42 UTC)
14,500 ft	290° at 10 kt	+9 kt	-3 °C	111 kt	5 h 39 min	1:48 am CDT (06:48 UTC)
16,500 ft	290° at 12 kt	+10 kt	-7 °C	110 kt	5 h 42 min	1:51 am CDT (06:51 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	290° at 13 kt	+12 kt	-10 °C	108 kt	5 h 48 min	1:57 am CDT (06:57 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	280° at 17 kt	+15 kt	-22 °C	105 kt	5 h 58 min	2:07 am CDT (07:07 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	260° at 29 kt	+28 kt	-36 °C	92 kt	6 h 49 min	2:58 am CDT (07:58 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	250° at 44 kt	+41 kt	-42 °C	79 kt	7 h 56 min	4:05 am CDT (09:05 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	260° at 49 kt	+46 kt	-50 °C	74 kt	8 h 28 min	4:37 am CDT (09:37 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
ALB	used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line	160/27	190/16 9°	200/29 7°	230/21 3°	240/24 -9°	240/43 -19°	230/65 -33°	240/91 -42°	230/99 -53°
SYR	used from 50 nm out; 35 nm from the line	160/17	200/22 10°	250/10 6°	L/V 1°	270/11 -11°	220/25 -20°	220/66 -36°	230/89 -42°	240/74 -51°
BUF	used from 149 nm out; 45 nm from the line	170/19	L/V 10°	040/9 6°	220/8 2°	230/15 -11°	220/33 -22°	220/47 -35°	230/55 -41°	230/56 -50°
CLE	used from 298 nm out; 77 nm from the line	340/5	320/13 14°	300/12 8°	310/10 2°	310/14 -10°	340/14 -23°	320/27 -35°	260/28 -40°	250/36 -48°
FWA	used from 448 nm out; 87 nm from the line	350/9	350/24 15°	360/25 9°	360/29 4°	350/31 -10°	340/39 -22°	330/40 -37°	320/38 -43°	320/48 -48°
MKG	used from 497 nm out; 63 nm from the line	250/5	320/10 15°	310/19 9°	320/21 3°	310/23 -10°	330/37 -22°	330/51 -38°	320/44 -47°	300/60 -49°
JOT	used from 597 nm out; 40 nm from the line	230/11	290/12 16°	300/19 10°	320/19 4°	300/17 -9°	330/31 -20°	320/49 -37°	320/53 -45°	320/67 -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
ALB Albany, NY	departure	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,000 feet Weather: light rain, mist	from the north (360°) at 4 knots	4 mi	1,000 ft	284 ft	8:51 pm EDT (00:51 UTC)
ITH Ithaca, NY	119 nm out, 15 nm south of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: a few clouds at 500 feet, scattered clouds at 1,400 feet, a broken layer at 3,100 feet, overcast at 3,800 feet Weather: rain, mist	calm	5 mi	3,100 ft	1,099 ft	01:02 UTC
ROC Rochester, NY	169 nm out, 24 nm north of the line, tower	VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 400 feet, a broken layer at 5,000 feet, overcast at 6,500 feet	from the east-southeast (110°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	5,000 ft	558 ft	00:54 UTC
BUF Buffalo, NY	219 nm out, 16 nm north of the line, tower	VFR Sky: a broken layer at 5,000 feet, a broken layer at 10,000 feet	from the east (090°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	5,000 ft	726 ft	00:54 UTC
CYQS St Thomas,	318 nm out, 13 nm north of the line	no report just now				776 ft
DET Detroit, MI	408 nm out, 2 nm south of the line, tower	IFR Sky: overcast at 500 feet Weather: mist	calm	6 mi	500 ft	624 ft	01:01 UTC
JXN Jackson, MI	468 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line, tower	IFR Sky: overcast at 900 feet	from the west (260°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	900 ft	1,000 ft	00:56 UTC
AZO Kalamazoo, MI	517 nm out, 3 nm west of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	873 ft	00:53 UTC
GYY Gary/Chicago, IN	607 nm out, 25 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	calm	8 mi	none	596 ft	00:50 UTC
ORD Chicago, IL	destination	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 feet	from the south (180°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	none	680 ft	7:51 pm CDT (00:51 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,099 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At ORD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:28 am CDT (06:28 UTC)

Wind from the south at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR

The whole forecast for ORD

From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 13 knots, gusting to 23, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 20,000 feet
From Mon 6:00 pm CDT (23:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 12,000 feet

The forecast for ALB, the departure

From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the north at 4 knots, visibility 4 miles, light rain, mist, overcast at 2,500 feet
At times between Sun 9:00 pm EDT (01:00 UTC) and 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC): visibility 2 miles, light rain, mist, a broken layer at 800 feet, overcast at 1,500 feet
From Sun 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 5 knots, visibility 2 miles, light rain, mist, overcast at 800 feet
From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the north at 4 knots, visibility 1½ miles, light drizzle, mist, scattered clouds at 400 feet, overcast at 800 feet
From Mon 7:00 am EDT (11:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 5 knots, visibility 5 miles, mist, a broken layer at 800 feet, overcast at 1,500 feet
From Mon 11:00 am EDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet, overcast at 3,000 feet
From Mon 2:00 pm EDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 10 knots, gusting to 17, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 4,000 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 ALB 6:18 pm EDT (22:18 UTC), at ORD 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:43 pm CDT (23:43 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at ORD is before sunrise there (7:00 am CDT (12:00 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

Radar now, the Northeast · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service

Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center

Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: Albany International, Chicago O'Hare International.