Asheville Regional to Chicago Midway International AVL → MDW
453 nautical miles (521 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 329°, about 336° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7W). At 120 knots that is 4 h 26 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 18-knot headwind), arriving about 8:05 am CDT (13:05 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: 115 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 TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 29,000 ft to 40,000 ft. Over the first 39 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 10,000 ft. Over the first 30 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the first 118 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, fog). Over the route from 10 to 295 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 AVL.
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 5 forecast points nearest it (TRI, LOU, CVG, IND, 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 | 310° at 19 kt | +18 kt | 11 °C | 102 kt | 4 h 26 min | 8:05 am CDT (13:05 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 310° at 20 kt | +19 kt | 13 °C | 101 kt | 4 h 29 min | 8:08 am CDT (13:08 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 320° at 20 kt | +20 kt | 9 °C | 100 kt | 4 h 32 min | 8:11 am CDT (13:11 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 320° at 20 kt | +20 kt | 7 °C | 100 kt | 4 h 32 min | 8:11 am CDT (13:11 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 320° at 20 kt | +20 kt | 4 °C | 100 kt | 4 h 32 min | 8:11 am CDT (13:11 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 310° at 23 kt | +23 kt | 0 °C | 97 kt | 4 h 40 min | 8:19 am CDT (13:19 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 310° at 26 kt | +25 kt | -4 °C | 95 kt | 4 h 46 min | 8:25 am CDT (13:25 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 310° at 28 kt | +27 kt | -7 °C | 93 kt | 4 h 52 min | 8:31 am CDT (13:31 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 300° at 34 kt | +31 kt | -19 °C | 89 kt | 5 h 05 min | 8:44 am CDT (13:44 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 310° at 36 kt | +34 kt | -33 °C | 86 kt | 5 h 16 min | 8:55 am CDT (13:55 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 310° at 52 kt | +50 kt | -42 °C | 70 kt | 6 h 28 min | 10:07 am CDT (15:07 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 53 kt | +49 kt | -51 °C | 71 kt | 6 h 23 min | 10:02 am CDT (15:02 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRI | used from 0 nm out; 46 nm from the line | 340/25 11° | 350/37 9° | 350/34 6° | 340/39 -7° | 340/43 -19° | 340/55 -32° | 330/58 -42° | 320/37 -50° | |
| LOU | used from 148 nm out; 63 nm from the line | 300/16 | 310/19 15° | 310/17 9° | 300/15 4° | 300/26 -6° | 280/34 -19° | 290/30 -34° | 310/49 -42° | 310/58 -51° |
| CVG | used from 197 nm out; 32 nm from the line | 300/19 | 310/23 15° | 320/20 9° | 310/18 3° | 300/26 -6° | 290/36 -19° | 310/32 -34° | 310/53 -43° | 310/61 -51° |
| IND | used from 295 nm out; 16 nm from the line | 270/22 | 290/19 15° | 270/19 8° | 270/18 4° | 290/28 -7° | 280/35 -20° | 270/37 -34° | 300/51 -42° | 300/61 -51° |
| JOT | used from 394 nm out; 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVL Asheville, NC | departure | no report just now | 2,163 ft | ||||
| MOR Morristown, TN | 59 nm out, 11 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,312 ft | ||||
| LOZ London, KY | 128 nm out, 12 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,212 ft | ||||
| RGA Richmond, KY | 157 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,002 ft | ||||
| LEX Lexington, KY | 187 nm out, 3 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 979 ft | ||||
| OVO North Vernon, IN | 266 nm out, 10 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 757 ft | ||||
| BAK Columbus, IN | 276 nm out, 14 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 656 ft | ||||
| GUS Peru, IN | 354 nm out, 22 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 810 ft | ||||
| LAF Lafayette, IN | 364 nm out, 16 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 605 ft | ||||
| GYY Gary/Chicago, IN | 433 nm out, 7 nm northeast 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 2,163 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, 8:05 am CDT (13:05 UTC)
MDW has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8029 Cincinnati, OH, Friday, October 9, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 23 nm from the route, 236 nm along the route · a VIP movement · until 12 October · ZID
Daylight
Sunset at AVL 6:59 pm EDT (22:59 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: Asheville Regional, Chicago Midway International.