Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall to Charlotte/Douglas International BWI → CLT
314 nautical miles (361 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 222°, about 233° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11W). At 120 knots that is 2 h 42 min at the quickest height in today's winds (6,500 ft, a 4-knot headwind), arriving about 2:20 am EDT (06:20 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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: 5,836 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
- SIGMET E11E: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 34,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 12:55 am EDT (04:55 UTC). Over the first 78 nm of the route.
as issued
WSUS31 KKCI 120255 MKCE WST 120255 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 11E VALID UNTIL 0455Z NY NJ PA DE MD VA DC WV AND DE NJ NY MD CT VA CSTL WTRS FROM 20NE JFK-90SE SIE-20NNW ORF-30ENE EKN-10S JST-20NE JFK AREA EMBD TS MOV FROM 24020KT. TOPS TO FL340.
- 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 157 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the first 98 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 10,000 ft. Over the route from 186 to 304 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Near the route, 206 nm along 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 BWI.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- B38M at 20,000 ft, 37 nm northwest, 11:11 pm EDT (03:11 UTC): moderate clear-air turbulence from 20,000 ft to 25,000 ft. 39 nm along the route, 37 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
IAD UA /OV AML300020/TM 0311/FL200/TP B38M/TB MOD CAT 200-250
- Report
- a routine report filed through IAD
- Where
- 20 nm northwest (300°) of AML
- Time
- 03:11 UTC
- Height
- at 20,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B38M
- Turbulence
- moderate clear-air turbulence from 20,000 ft to 25,000 ft
- B712 descending, 0 nm south, 11:10 pm EDT (03:10 UTC): remarks: light rain light chop bases 50,000 ft ft. At the departure end, 0 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
BWI UA /OV RWY 15R/TM 0310/FLDURD/TP B712/RM LIGHT RAIN. LIGHT CHOP. BASES 500 FT
- Report
- a routine report filed through BWI
- Where
- runway 15R
- Time
- 03:10 UTC
- Height
- during the descent
- Aircraft
- B712
- Remarks
- light rain light chop bases 50,000 ft ft
- A320 at 2,000 ft, 5 nm south, 9:46 pm EDT (01:46 UTC): a broken layer from 30,000 ft to 4,500 ft, remarks: CONLE5 sid. At the departure end, 5 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
BWI UA /OV BAL180005/TM 0146/FL020/TP A320/SK BKN003-TOP045/RM CONLE5 SID
- Report
- a routine report filed through BWI
- Where
- 5 nm south (180°) of BAL
- Time
- 01:46 UTC
- Height
- at 2,000 ft
- Aircraft
- A320
- Sky
- a broken layer from 300 ft, tops 4,500 ft
- Remarks
- CONLE5 sid
- B738 at 2,000 ft, 3 nm southwest, 9:43 pm EDT (01:43 UTC): a broken layer from 40,000 ft to 7,200 ft, remarks: TERPZ8 sid. At the departure end, 3 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
BWI UA /OV BAL260003/TM 0143/FL20/TP B738/SK BKN004-TOP072/RM TERPZ8 SID
- Report
- a routine report filed through BWI
- Where
- 3 nm west (260°) of BAL
- Time
- 01:43 UTC
- Height
- at 2,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B738
- Sky
- a broken layer from 400 ft, tops 7,200 ft
- Remarks
- TERPZ8 sid
- B38M at 400 ft, 4 nm northeast, 9:15 pm EDT (01:15 UTC): overcast above 40,000 ft. 29 nm along the route, 4 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
DCA UA /OV DCA/TM 0115/FL004/TP B38M/SK OVC004
- Report
- a routine report filed through DCA
- Where
- over DCA
- Time
- 01:15 UTC
- Height
- at 400 ft
- Aircraft
- B38M
- Sky
- overcast from 400 ft
- FA8X climbing, 23 nm northwest, 8:34 pm EDT (00:34 UTC): overcast above 1,000 ft. 39 nm along the route, 23 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
IAD UA /OV AML300005/TM 0034/FLDURC/TP FA8X/SK OVC010
- Report
- a routine report filed through IAD
- Where
- 5 nm northwest (300°) of AML
- Time
- 00:34 UTC
- Height
- during the climb
- Aircraft
- FA8X
- Sky
- overcast from 1,000 ft
- E145 at 4,000 ft, 49 nm northwest, 8:36 pm EDT (00:36 UTC): overcast above 4,000 ft, remarks: during the climb runway 06 KROA. 186 nm along the route, 49 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
ROA UA /OV ROA/TM 0036/FL040/TP E145/SK OVC040/RM DURGC RY06 KROA
- Report
- a routine report filed through ROA
- Where
- over ROA
- Time
- 00:36 UTC
- Height
- at 4,000 ft
- Aircraft
- E145
- Sky
- overcast from 4,000 ft
- Remarks
- during the climb runway 06 KROA
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 02:00–09:00 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 4 forecast points nearest it (RIC, ROA, RDU, GSP). 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 | 290° at 23 kt | +8 kt | 112 kt | 2 h 48 min | 2:26 am EDT (06:26 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 300° at 21 kt | +4 kt | 10 °C | 116 kt | 2 h 42 min | 2:20 am EDT (06:20 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 300° at 21 kt | +5 kt | 8 °C | 115 kt | 2 h 44 min | 2:22 am EDT (06:22 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 290° at 20 kt | +8 kt | 6 °C | 112 kt | 2 h 48 min | 2:26 am EDT (06:26 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 270° at 21 kt | +13 kt | 3 °C | 107 kt | 2 h 56 min | 2:34 am EDT (06:34 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 260° at 25 kt | +19 kt | -1 °C | 101 kt | 3 h 07 min | 2:45 am EDT (06:45 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 260° at 30 kt | +24 kt | -4 °C | 96 kt | 3 h 16 min | 2:54 am EDT (06:54 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 34 kt | +28 kt | -7 °C | 92 kt | 3 h 25 min | 3:03 am EDT (07:03 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 240° at 44 kt | +42 kt | -19 °C | 78 kt | 4 h 02 min | 3:40 am EDT (07:40 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 59 kt | +58 kt | -31 °C | 62 kt | 5 h 04 min | 4:42 am EDT (08:42 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 230° at 68 kt | +66 kt | -39 °C | 54 kt | 5 h 49 min | 5:27 am EDT (09:27 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 51 kt | +48 kt | -49 °C | 72 kt | 4 h 22 min | 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 00:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 06:00 UTC for use 02:00 to 09:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIC | used from 0 nm out; 83 nm from the line | 270/23 | 280/19 11° | 270/18 8° | 240/22 4° | 230/39 -7° | 220/55 -18° | 220/75 -30° | 230/83 -39° | 230/64 -50° |
| ROA | used from 147 nm out; 47 nm from the line | 310/29 | 330/31 13° | 340/28 7° | 330/25 3° | 310/32 -8° | 300/32 -22° | 290/32 -31° | 270/35 -38° | 270/32 -47° |
| RDU | used from 196 nm out; 55 nm from the line | 280/33 | 300/23 11° | 300/28 8° | 290/28 4° | 260/41 -6° | 240/52 -18° | 230/66 -31° | 230/76 -39° | 240/52 -49° |
| GSP | used from 294 nm out; 73 nm from the line | 320/22 | 340/19 13° | 320/18 8° | 310/24 5° | 300/34 -7° | 300/36 -18° | 290/30 -33° | 300/32 -39° | 320/42 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWI Baltimore, MD | departure | no report just now | 143 ft | ||||
| DCA Washington, DC | 29 nm out, 3 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 14 ft | ||||
| HEF Washington, DC | 49 nm out, 12 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 192 ft | ||||
| CHO Charlottesville, VA | 98 nm out, 22 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 640 ft | ||||
| LYH Lynchburg, VA | 167 nm out, 17 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 938 ft | ||||
| DAN Danville, VA | 196 nm out, 9 nm south of the line | no report just now | 571 ft | ||||
| GSO Greensboro, NC | 245 nm out, 5 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 925 ft | ||||
| JQF Concord, NC | 294 nm out, 5 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 704 ft | ||||
| CLT Charlotte, NC | destination | no report just now | 747 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 938 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At CLT when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:20 am EDT (06:20 UTC)
CLT has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8800 Baltimore, MD, Saturday, October 17, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 6 nm from the route, at the departure end · drones kept away from a public gathering · starts Saturday 17 October · ZDC
- 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA on the route, 20 nm along the route · security · ZDC
- 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 14 nm from the route, 29 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZDC
Daylight
Sunset at BWI 6:32 pm EDT (22:32 UTC), at CLT 6:52 pm EDT (22:52 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:18 pm EDT (23:18 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at CLT is before sunrise there (7:27 am EDT (11:27 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: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, Charlotte/Douglas International.