Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall to Raleigh-Durham International BWI → RDU
222 nautical miles (256 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 208°, about 219° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11W). At 120 knots that is 2 h 20 min at the quickest height in today's winds (6,500 ft, a 25-knot headwind), arriving about 12:16 am EDT (04:16 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: 3,536 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 135 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the first 58 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 BWI.
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 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 2 forecast points nearest it (RIC, RDU). 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 27 kt | +27 kt | 93 kt | 2 h 23 min | 12:19 am EDT (04:19 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 210° at 25 kt | +25 kt | 13 °C | 95 kt | 2 h 20 min | 12:16 am EDT (04:16 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 220° at 29 kt | +29 kt | 12 °C | 91 kt | 2 h 26 min | 12:22 am EDT (04:22 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 220° at 34 kt | +34 kt | 9 °C | 86 kt | 2 h 35 min | 12:31 am EDT (04:31 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 220° at 38 kt | +38 kt | 5 °C | 82 kt | 2 h 42 min | 12:38 am EDT (04:38 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 220° at 40 kt | +38 kt | 1 °C | 82 kt | 2 h 42 min | 12:38 am EDT (04:38 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 230° at 42 kt | +39 kt | -3 °C | 81 kt | 2 h 44 min | 12:40 am EDT (04:40 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 43 kt | +40 kt | -6 °C | 80 kt | 2 h 46 min | 12:42 am EDT (04:42 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 68 kt | +64 kt | -16 °C | 56 kt | 3 h 58 min | 1:54 am EDT (05:54 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 84 kt | +82 kt | -29 °C | 38 kt | 5 h 51 min | 3:47 am EDT (07:47 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 85 kt | +84 kt | -40 °C | 36 kt | 6 h 10 min | 4:06 am EDT (08:06 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 220° at 79 kt | +77 kt | -52 °C | 43 kt | 5 h 10 min | 3:06 am EDT (07:06 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIC | used from 0 nm out; 81 nm from the line | 190/33 | 200/29 14° | 210/31 12° | 210/38 6° | 230/42 -7° | 230/68 -16° | 220/84 -29° | 220/86 -40° | 220/81 -52° |
| RDU | used from 145 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 240/28 | 250/22 10° | 230/30 11° | 230/40 7° | 230/45 -4° | 220/69 -15° | 220/83 -29° | 210/84 -40° | 220/75 -52° |
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, 7 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 14 ft | ||||
| EZF Fredericksburg, VA | 68 nm out, 8 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 85 ft | ||||
| RIC Richmond, VA | 106 nm out, 19 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 167 ft | ||||
| BKT Blackstone, VA | 135 nm out, 6 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 437 ft | ||||
| HNZ Oxford, NC | 193 nm out, 3 nm north of the line | no report just now | 526 ft | ||||
| RDU Raleigh/Durham, NC | destination | no report just now | 435 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 526 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At RDU when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:16 am EDT (04:16 UTC)
RDU 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, 19 nm along the route · security · ZDC
- 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 19 nm from the route, 19 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZDC
Daylight
Sunset at BWI 6:32 pm EDT (22:32 UTC), at RDU 6:43 pm EDT (22:43 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:09 pm EDT (23:09 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at RDU is before sunrise there (7:19 am EDT (11:19 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, Raleigh-Durham International.