Plan a flight · Sun 8:09 pm CDT (01:09 UTC)

Chicago O'Hare International to Bismarck Municipal ORD → BIS

621 nautical miles (714 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 302°, about 305° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 5 h 21 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 4-knot headwind), arriving about 1:30 am CDT (06:30 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now ORD is VFR, wind from the south (180°) at 7 knots; BIS is marginal VFR, wind from the north-northeast (030°) at 13 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: 548 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 4E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 424 to 433 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 ORD.

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

B39M at 35,000 ft, 32 nm southeast, 7:29 pm CDT (00:29 UTC): no turbulence, remarks: smooth. At the departure end, 32 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
IKK UA /OV CGT/TM 0029/FL350/TP B39M/TB NEG/RM SMOOTH
```
Report
a routine report filed through IKK
Where
over CGT
Time
00:29 UTC
Height
at 35,000 ft
Aircraft
B39M
Turbulence
none
Remarks
smooth
CRJ7 at 17,000 ft, 41 nm east, 7:04 pm CDT (00:04 UTC): no turbulence. At the departure end, 41 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
BEH UA /OV ELX270040/TM 0004/FL170/TP CRJ7/TB NEG
```
Report
a routine report filed through BEH
Where
40 nm west (270°) of ELX
Time
00:04 UTC
Height
at 17,000 ft
Aircraft
CRJ7
Turbulence
none
E295 at 37,000 ft, 49 nm northeast, 7:53 pm CDT (00:53 UTC): light chop turbulence. 49 nm along the route, 49 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
UES UA /OV BAE/TM 0053/FL370/TP E295/TB OCNL LGT CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through UES
Where
over BAE
Time
00:53 UTC
Height
at 37,000 ft
Aircraft
E295
Turbulence
occasional light chop
B738 at 36,000 ft, 49 nm northeast, 5:11 pm CDT (22:11 UTC): no turbulence. 49 nm along the route, 49 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
UES UA /OV BAE/TM 2211/FL360/TP B738/TB NEG
```
Report
a routine report filed through UES
Where
over BAE
Time
22:11 UTC
Height
at 36,000 ft
Aircraft
B738
Turbulence
none
B737 at 32,000 ft, 35 nm northeast, 5:42 pm CDT (22:42 UTC): light clear-air turbulence. 79 nm along the route, 35 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
UES UA /OV BAE270030/TM 2242/FL320/TP B737/TB OCNL LGT CAT
```
Report
a routine report filed through UES
Where
30 nm west (270°) of BAE
Time
22:42 UTC
Height
at 32,000 ft
Aircraft
B737
Turbulence
occasional light clear-air turbulence
B39M at 34,000 ft, 4 nm east, 6:25 pm CDT (23:25 UTC): light chop turbulence. 315 nm along the route, 4 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
MSP UA /OV MSP240040/TM 2325/FL340/TP B39M/TB LGT CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through MSP
Where
40 nm southwest (240°) of MSP
Time
23:25 UTC
Height
at 34,000 ft
Aircraft
B39M
Turbulence
light chop
B39M at 35,000 ft, 47 nm southwest, 6:28 pm CDT (23:28 UTC): light chop turbulence. 502 nm along the route, 47 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ABR UA /OV ABR230015/TM 2328/FL350/TP B39M/TB LGT CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through ABR
Where
15 nm southwest (230°) of ABR
Time
23:28 UTC
Height
at 35,000 ft
Aircraft
B39M
Turbulence
light chop
CRJ2 at 11,000 ft, 43 nm northeast, 7:53 pm CDT (00:53 UTC): no turbulence, no icing. 552 nm along the route, 43 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
JMS UA /OV JMS/TM 0053/FL110/TP CRJ2/SK BASE020-TOP040/TB NEG/IC NEG
```
Report
a routine report filed through JMS
Where
over JMS
Time
00:53 UTC
Height
at 11,000 ft
Aircraft
CRJ2
Sky
BASE020-TOP040
Turbulence
none
Icing
none

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 (JOT, DBQ, LSE, MSP, AXN, ABR, DIK). 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	230° at 13 kt	+4 kt	6 °C	116 kt	5 h 21 min	1:30 am CDT (06:30 UTC)
6,500 ft	240° at 18 kt	+9 kt	15 °C	111 kt	5 h 36 min	1:45 am CDT (06:45 UTC)
8,500 ft	240° at 19 kt	+10 kt	12 °C	110 kt	5 h 39 min	1:48 am CDT (06:48 UTC)
10,500 ft	240° at 20 kt	+11 kt	8 °C	109 kt	5 h 42 min	1:51 am CDT (06:51 UTC)
12,500 ft	250° at 21 kt	+13 kt	4 °C	107 kt	5 h 48 min	1:57 am CDT (06:57 UTC)
14,500 ft	250° at 23 kt	+16 kt	-1 °C	104 kt	5 h 58 min	2:07 am CDT (07:07 UTC)
16,500 ft	260° at 25 kt	+19 kt	-6 °C	101 kt	6 h 09 min	2:18 am CDT (07:18 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	260° at 26 kt	+21 kt	-10 °C	99 kt	6 h 16 min	2:25 am CDT (07:25 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	270° at 32 kt	+29 kt	-20 °C	91 kt	6 h 49 min	2:58 am CDT (07:58 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	280° at 40 kt	+38 kt	-35 °C	82 kt	7 h 34 min	3:43 am CDT (08:43 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	280° at 47 kt	+47 kt	-45 °C	73 kt	8 h 30 min	4:39 am CDT (09:39 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	280° at 70 kt	+67 kt	-53 °C	53 kt	11 h 43 min	7:52 am CDT (12:52 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
JOT	used from 0 nm out; 42 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°
DBQ	used from 49 nm out; 63 nm from the line	220/23	240/22 16°	240/24 10°	260/18 5°	270/16 -8°	290/27 -19°	310/42 -35°	320/55 -44°	300/71 -52°
LSE	used from 148 nm out; 26 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°
MSP	used from 246 nm out; 38 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°
AXN	used from 345 nm out; 52 nm from the line	L/V	220/23 17°	230/24 12°	240/25 5°	260/32 -11°	260/40 -21°	270/50 -35°	270/57 -45°	270/81 -55°
ABR	used from 443 nm out; 46 nm from the line	030/24	220/5 16°	230/18 12°	230/32 5°	240/38 -10°	250/37 -20°	240/40 -35°	240/56 -44°	250/72 -52°
DIK	used from 591 nm out; 99 nm from the line		110/15 6°	200/17 5°	230/31 1°	240/47 -10°	240/52 -20°	230/52 -36°	240/57 -45°	250/67 -51°

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
ORD Chicago, IL	departure	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)
JVL Janesville, WI	59 nm out, 8 nm north of the line, tower	VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 25,000 feet	from the south (190°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	807 ft	00:45 UTC
MRJ Mineral Point, WI	118 nm out, 7 nm south of the line	no report just now				1,170 ft
OVS Boscobel, WI	138 nm out, 4 nm west of the line	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	672 ft	00:53 UTC
RST Rochester, MN	236 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (180°) at 11 knots	8 mi	none	1,317 ft	00:54 UTC
FBL Faribault, MN	276 nm out, 3 nm northeast of the line	VFR	from the south (190°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	1,060 ft	00:55 UTC
OVL Olivia, MN	355 nm out, 7 nm south of the line	VFR	from the northwest (310°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	none	1,079 ft	00:43 UTC
AQP Appleton, MN	404 nm out, 2 nm south of the line	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 15,000 feet, scattered clouds at 20,000 feet	from the north-northwest (330°) at 8 knots	9 mi	none	1,021 ft	00:34 UTC
BTN Britton, SD	483 nm out, 2 nm southwest of the line	IFR Sky: overcast at 700 feet	from the north-northeast (020°) at 15 knots	10+ mi	700 ft	1,318 ft	00:50 UTC
ASY Ashley, ND	552 nm out, 18 nm south of the line	no report just now				2,034 ft
BIS Bismarck, ND	destination	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,200 feet	from the north-northeast (030°) at 13 knots	10+ mi	1,200 ft	1,661 ft	7:52 pm CDT (00:52 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 2,034 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At BIS when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:30 am CDT (06:30 UTC)

Wind from the northeast at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 800 feet IFR

30% chance between Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC) and 4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC): visibility 5 miles, light rain, mist marginal VFR

The whole forecast for BIS

From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 12 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,400 feet
From Sun 11:00 pm CDT (04:00 UTC): wind from the northeast at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 800 feet
30% chance between Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC) and 4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC): visibility 5 miles, light rain, mist
From Mon 4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC): wind from the northeast at 7 knots, visibility 5 miles, light rain, mist, overcast at 600 feet
From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 900 feet
30% chance between Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC) and 4:00 pm CDT (21:00 UTC): visibility 5 miles, light rain, mist

The forecast for ORD, the departure

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

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 ORD 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC), at BIS 7:01 pm CDT (00:01 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:32 pm CDT (00:32 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at BIS is before sunrise there (7:56 am CDT (12:56 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 upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the northern Rockies · 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: Chicago O'Hare International, Bismarck Municipal.