Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain Airport to Laguardia Airport MSP → LGA
884 nautical miles (1,018 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 099°, about 099° magnetic at the departure end (variation 0E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 12 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 50-knot tailwind), arriving about 3:11 am EDT (07:11 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: 3,887 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 last 437 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the route from 616 to 855 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 646 to 815 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 13,000 ft. Over the last 99 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 MSP.
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 eastbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: odd thousands plus 500 ft; above 18,000 ft the forecast levels), with the wind averaged along the line from the 9 forecast points nearest it (MSP, LSE, GRB, MKG, CLE, BUF, PSB, AVP, JFK). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 ft | 190° at 11 kt | 0 | 120 kt | 7 h 22 min | 5:21 am EDT (09:21 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 230° at 11 kt | −7 kt | 13 °C | 127 kt | 6 h 58 min | 4:57 am EDT (08:57 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 260° at 10 kt | −9 kt | 11 °C | 129 kt | 6 h 51 min | 4:50 am EDT (08:50 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 280° at 11 kt | −11 kt | 8 °C | 131 kt | 6 h 45 min | 4:44 am EDT (08:44 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 280° at 11 kt | −11 kt | 4 °C | 131 kt | 6 h 45 min | 4:44 am EDT (08:44 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 270° at 13 kt | −12 kt | 0 °C | 132 kt | 6 h 42 min | 4:41 am EDT (08:41 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 270° at 15 kt | −14 kt | -4 °C | 134 kt | 6 h 36 min | 4:35 am EDT (08:35 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 270° at 18 kt | −17 kt | -9 °C | 137 kt | 6 h 27 min | 4:26 am EDT (08:26 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 18 kt | −17 kt | -10 °C | 137 kt | 6 h 27 min | 4:26 am EDT (08:26 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 270° at 23 kt | −21 kt | -21 °C | 141 kt | 6 h 16 min | 4:15 am EDT (08:15 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 270° at 36 kt | −33 kt | -36 °C | 153 kt | 5 h 47 min | 3:46 am EDT (07:46 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 270° at 43 kt | −38 kt | -44 °C | 158 kt | 5 h 36 min | 3:35 am EDT (07:35 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 270° at 55 kt | −50 kt | -50 °C | 170 kt | 5 h 12 min | 3:11 am EDT (07:11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSP | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 200/28 | 240/30 19° | 240/24 12° | 240/17 5° | 270/24 -10° | 270/33 -20° | 280/48 -35° | 290/55 -45° | 280/84 -54° |
| LSE | used from 50 nm out; 48 nm from the line | 220/33 | 250/29 17° | 250/15 9° | 260/12 6° | 280/21 -9° | 280/33 -20° | 300/43 -36° | 310/56 -45° | 300/79 -53° |
| GRB | used from 149 nm out; 48 nm from the line | 240/24 | 260/18 16° | 270/20 11° | 290/14 4° | 280/24 -9° | 300/34 -21° | 310/51 -38° | 310/54 -48° | 300/71 -51° |
| MKG | used from 248 nm out; 58 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° |
| CLE | used from 447 nm out; 106 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° |
| BUF | used from 547 nm out; 77 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° |
| PSB | used from 696 nm out; 65 nm from the line | 260/13 13° | 220/12 8° | 220/11 4° | 230/27 -11° | 210/31 -21° | 220/73 -32° | 220/75 -40° | 230/66 -50° | |
| AVP | used from 745 nm out; 24 nm from the line | 110/36 | 190/34 13° | 230/11 8° | 230/16 4° | 230/26 -8° | 220/40 -19° | 230/73 -33° | 230/98 -41° | 230/87 -51° |
| JFK | used from 845 nm out; 28 nm from the line | 140/43 | 170/35 13° | 230/18 9° | 250/25 5° | 240/40 -7° | 230/50 -17° | 230/75 -31° | 230/78 -41° | 230/88 -53° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSP Minneapolis, MN | departure | no report just now | 841 ft | ||||
| EAU Eau Claire, WI | 70 nm out, 12 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 913 ft | ||||
| CWA Mosinee, WI | 149 nm out, 22 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,277 ft | ||||
| ATW Appleton, WI | 209 nm out, 4 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 918 ft | ||||
| RQB Big Rapids, MI | 338 nm out, 2 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 994 ft | ||||
| MBS Saginaw, MI | 398 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 668 ft | ||||
| CYZR Sarnia, | 487 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 594 ft | ||||
| CYQS St Thomas, | 537 nm out, 3 nm east of the line | no report just now | 776 ft | ||||
| ELZ Wellsville, NY | 686 nm out, 8 nm north of the line | no report just now | 2,124 ft | ||||
| AVP Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA | 795 nm out, 1 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 961 ft | ||||
| CDW Caldwell, NJ | 865 nm out, 2 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 172 ft | ||||
| LGA New York, NY | destination | no report just now | 20 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,124 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At LGA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 3:11 am EDT (07:11 UTC)
LGA has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/6656 ANOKA, MN, Monday, October 5, 2026 through Monday, October 19, 2026 Local 19 nm from the route, at the departure end · security · until 19 October · ZMP
- 5/2811 NEW YORK, NY, Monday, October 20, 2025 through Tuesday, October 20, 2026 Local 4 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · until 20 October · ZNY
Daylight
Sunset at MSP 6:33 pm CDT (23:33 UTC), at LGA 6:20 pm EDT (22:20 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:47 pm EDT (22:47 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at LGA is before sunrise there (7:03 am EDT (11:03 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: Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain Airport, Laguardia Airport.