Plan a flight · Mon 1:59 am CDT (06:59 UTC)

Chicago O'Hare International to Montrose Regional ORD → MTJ

937 nautical miles (1,078 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 264°, about 267° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 9 h 40 min at the quickest height in today's winds (8,500 ft, a 23-knot headwind), arriving about 10:39 am MDT (16:39 UTC). Right now ORD is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (200°) at 5 knots; MTJ is VFR, wind calm. 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: 294 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 3W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Over the route from 120 to 688 nm out.
AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 38,000 ft. Over the last 249 nm of the route.
AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 239 nm of the route.
AIRMET TANGO 1W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Over the last 140 nm of the route.
AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Near the route, at the destination end.

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

urgent E75L at 9,000 ft, 25 nm north, 11:30 pm CDT (04:30 UTC): remarks: low-level wind shear + 20K 1000-1500 above ground on approach. 877 nm along the route, 25 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ASE UUA /OV ASE/TM 0430/FL090/TP E75L/RM LLWS +/- 20K 1000-1500 AGL ON APCH
```
Report
an urgent report filed through ASE
Where
over ASE
Time
04:30 UTC
Height
at 9,000 ft
Aircraft
E75L
Remarks
low-level wind shear + 20K 1000-1500 above ground on approach
A321 at 31,000 ft, 23 nm southeast, 1:41 am CDT (06:41 UTC): moderate turbulence, remarks: mtw +/-15KT zdvwc. 787 nm along the route, 23 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
COS UA /OV BRK/TM 0641/FL310/TP A321/TB MOD/RM MTW +/-15KT. ZDVWC
```
Report
a routine report filed through COS
Where
over BRK
Time
06:41 UTC
Height
at 31,000 ft
Aircraft
A321
Turbulence
moderate
Remarks
mtw +/-15KT zdvwc
B738 descending, 27 nm north, 1:15 am CDT (06:15 UTC): light chop turbulence. 768 nm along the route, 27 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DEN UA /OV DEN/TM 0615/FLDURD/TP B738/TB LGT CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through DEN
Where
over DEN
Time
06:15 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
B738
Turbulence
light chop
A20N at 25,000 ft, 32 nm north, 1:19 am CDT (06:19 UTC): light chop turbulence up to 26,000 ft, remarks: during the climb ZDVWC-06. 817 nm along the route, 32 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DEN UA /OV DEN250045/TM 0619/FL250/TP A20N/TB OCNL LGT CHOP BLO 260/RM DURC. ZDVWC-06
```
Report
a routine report filed through DEN
Where
45 nm west (250°) of DEN
Time
06:19 UTC
Height
at 25,000 ft
Aircraft
A20N
Turbulence
occasional light chop below 26,000 ft
Remarks
during the climb ZDVWC-06
E170 at 22,500 ft, 2 nm west, 12:06 am CDT (05:06 UTC): light to moderate turbulence up to 23,000 ft, remarks: during the descent tbarr star ZDVWC-13. 817 nm along the route, 2 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DEN UA /OV DEN216057/TM 0506/FL225/TP E170/TB CONS LGT OCNL MOD BLO 230/RM DURD TBARR STAR. ZDVWC-13
```
Report
a routine report filed through DEN
Where
57 nm southwest (216°) of DEN
Time
05:06 UTC
Height
at 22,500 ft
Aircraft
E170
Turbulence
continuous light occasional moderate below 23,000 ft
Remarks
during the descent tbarr star ZDVWC-13
CRJ2 at 22,000 ft, 4 nm northeast, 1:35 am CDT (06:35 UTC): no turbulence up to 26,000 ft, no icing, clear from 22,000 ft to 60,000 ft, remarks: during the descent ZDVWC-26. 827 nm along the route, 4 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DEN UA /OV DEN220060/TM 0635/FL220/TP CRJ2/SK SKC/TB NEG BLO 260/IC NEG/RM DURD/ ZDVWC-26
```
Report
a routine report filed through DEN
Where
60 nm southwest (220°) of DEN
Time
06:35 UTC
Height
at 22,000 ft
Aircraft
CRJ2
Sky
clear
Turbulence
no below 26,000 ft
Icing
none
Remarks
during the descent ZDVWC-26
B738 at 23,000 ft, 12 nm north, 1:23 am CDT (06:23 UTC): no turbulence from 23,000 ft to 26,000 ft, clear from 23,000 ft to 60,000 ft, remarks: during the descent sskii star ZDVWC-06. 827 nm along the route, 12 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DEN UA /OV DEN230060/TM 0623/FL230/TP B738/SK SKC/TB NEG 230-260/RM DURD SSKII STAR. ZDVWC-06
```
Report
a routine report filed through DEN
Where
60 nm southwest (230°) of DEN
Time
06:23 UTC
Height
at 23,000 ft
Aircraft
B738
Sky
clear
Turbulence
no from 23,000 ft to 26,000 ft
Remarks
during the descent sskii star ZDVWC-06
PC12 at 26,000 ft, 38 nm south, 1:27 am CDT (06:27 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: ZDVWC-12. 867 nm along the route, 38 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
GUC UA /OV HBU090040/TM 0627/FL260/TP PC12/TB OCNL LGT CHOP/RM ZDVWC-12
```
Report
a routine report filed through GUC
Where
40 nm east (090°) of HBU
Time
06:27 UTC
Height
at 26,000 ft
Aircraft
PC12
Turbulence
occasional light chop
Remarks
ZDVWC-12
E170 at 4,800 ft, 47 nm northwest, 1:31 am CDT (06:31 UTC): no turbulence, no icing, clear from 4,800 ft to 60,000 ft, remarks: during the descent rnav Y 11 lgjt zdvwc. At the destination end, 47 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
GJT UA /OV GJT/TM 0631/FL048/TP E170/SK SKC/TB NEG/IC NEG/RM DURD RNAV Y 11 LGJT. ZDVWC
```
Report
a routine report filed through GJT
Where
over GJT
Time
06:31 UTC
Height
at 4,800 ft
Aircraft
E170
Sky
clear
Turbulence
none
Icing
none
Remarks
during the descent rnav Y 11 lgjt zdvwc

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 10 forecast points nearest it (JOT, DBQ, BRL, DSM, OMA, GRI, GLD, DEN, ALS, GJT). 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 36 kt	+33 kt	21 °C	87 kt	10 h 46 min	11:45 am MDT (17:45 UTC)
6,500 ft	240° at 33 kt	+31 kt	17 °C	89 kt	10 h 32 min	11:31 am MDT (17:31 UTC)
8,500 ft	240° at 24 kt	+23 kt	12 °C	97 kt	9 h 40 min	10:39 am MDT (16:39 UTC)
10,500 ft	240° at 24 kt	+23 kt	9 °C	97 kt	9 h 40 min	10:39 am MDT (16:39 UTC)
12,500 ft	240° at 24 kt	+23 kt	5 °C	97 kt	9 h 40 min	10:39 am MDT (16:39 UTC)
14,500 ft	240° at 26 kt	+25 kt	0 °C	95 kt	9 h 52 min	10:51 am MDT (16:51 UTC)
16,500 ft	240° at 27 kt	+27 kt	-4 °C	93 kt	10 h 05 min	11:04 am MDT (17:04 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	240° at 29 kt	+28 kt	-8 °C	92 kt	10 h 11 min	11:10 am MDT (17:10 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	240° at 35 kt	+34 kt	-20 °C	86 kt	10 h 54 min	11:53 am MDT (17:53 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	240° at 49 kt	+48 kt	-32 °C	72 kt	13 h 01 min	2:00 pm MDT (20:00 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	250° at 54 kt	+55 kt	-38 °C	65 kt	14 h 25 min	3:24 pm MDT (21:24 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	260° at 55 kt	+56 kt	-48 °C	64 kt	14 h 38 min	3:37 pm MDT (21:37 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
JOT	used from 0 nm out; 28 nm from the line	250/23	270/22 15°	250/16 10°	240/9 4°	280/22 -7°	280/29 -19°	300/29 -34°	290/50 -43°	300/64 -52°
DBQ	used from 50 nm out; 61 nm from the line	230/33	250/30 16°	280/15 9°	260/15 5°	260/21 -7°	260/24 -20°	250/37 -33°	270/42 -43°	280/63 -52°
BRL	used from 150 nm out; 57 nm from the line	230/24	240/29 15°	290/16 10°	280/15 4°	260/23 -7°	260/32 -19°	260/36 -33°	280/48 -41°	280/59 -52°
DSM	used from 199 nm out; 36 nm from the line	230/40	250/33 17°	250/18 12°	240/17 5°	260/28 -8°	270/34 -19°	260/41 -33°	260/55 -41°	270/62 -51°
OMA	used from 299 nm out; 39 nm from the line	220/47	240/33 19°	250/18 11°	230/17 6°	260/29 -8°	250/33 -19°	250/51 -33°	260/61 -40°	270/62 -49°
GRI	used from 399 nm out; 51 nm from the line		230/35 21°	230/23 13°	220/20 7°	240/25 -8°	240/37 -20°	250/49 -33°	260/57 -38°	260/58 -47°
GLD	used from 548 nm out; 81 nm from the line		230/49	230/42 15°	220/26 8°	240/18 -7°	230/27 -21°	240/62 -30°	240/61 -35°	250/57 -47°
DEN	used from 698 nm out; 56 nm from the line			240/21 14°	250/44 6°	220/49 -8°	220/49 -21°	230/54 -30°	240/57 -35°	240/49 -45°
ALS	used from 847 nm out; 92 nm from the line				230/37 4°	220/54 -9°	230/62 -22°	240/77 -26°	240/74 -33°	230/59 -45°
GJT	used from 897 nm out; 57 nm from the line			210/43 7°	230/45 1°	220/49 -12°	220/62 -22°	220/59 -28°	230/60 -33°	220/55 -45°

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 30,000 feet	from the south-southwest (200°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	680 ft	1:51 am CDT (06:51 UTC)
DPA Chicago/West Chicago, IL	20 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (190°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	758 ft	06:52 UTC
MLI Moline, IL	120 nm out, 17 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	from the south-southwest (200°) at 9 knots	10+ mi	none	589 ft	06:52 UTC
DSM Des Moines, IA	259 nm out, 10 nm north of the line, tower	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 21,000 feet	from the south (190°) at 10 knots	10+ mi	none	957 ft	06:54 UTC
OMA Omaha, NE	359 nm out, 15 nm north of the line, tower	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 feet	from the southeast (140°) at 9 knots	10+ mi	none	984 ft	06:52 UTC
LNK Lincoln, NE	409 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (190°) at 15 knots	10+ mi	none	1,218 ft	06:54 UTC
HSI Hastings, NE	478 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line	VFR	from the south (170°) at 8 knots	10+ mi	none	1,961 ft	06:53 UTC
MCK Mc Cook, NE	588 nm out, 5 nm east of the line	VFR	from the southwest (220°) at 10 knots	10+ mi	none	2,582 ft	06:53 UTC
RYA Wray, CO	658 nm out, 13 nm north of the line	no report just now				3,677 ft
APA Denver, CO	777 nm out, 17 nm northwest of the line, tower	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 12,000 feet, a few clouds at 22,000 feet	from the south-southwest (200°) at 11 knots	10+ mi	none	5,884 ft	06:53 UTC
ASE Aspen, CO	877 nm out, 25 nm north of the line, tower	VFR Sky: overcast at 9,500 feet	variable at 3 knots	10+ mi	9,500 ft	7,837 ft	06:53 UTC
MTJ Montrose, CO	destination	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 feet	calm	10+ mi	none	5,758 ft	12:53 am MDT (06:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 7,837 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At MTJ when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:39 am MDT (16:39 UTC)

Wind from the south at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 5,000 feet, a few clouds at 11,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for MTJ

From Mon 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 10 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 5,000 feet, scattered clouds at 12,000 feet
From Mon 2:00 am MDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet, a broken layer at 11,000 feet
From Mon 10:00 am MDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the south at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 5,000 feet, a few clouds at 11,000 feet
From Mon 1:00 pm MDT (19:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 21, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 7,000 feet, scattered clouds at 11,000 feet
From Mon 6:00 pm MDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 7,000 feet, a few clouds at 11,000 feet
30% chance between Mon 6:00 pm MDT (00:00 UTC) and 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC): visibility 4 miles, light rain showers, a broken layer at 5,000 feet, overcast at 8,000 feet

The forecast for ORD, the departure

From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 13 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 6:00 pm CDT (23:00 UTC): wind from the 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

6/8784 LAKE GEORGE, CO, Sunday, October 11, 2026 through Tuesday, October 13, 2026 UTC 8 nm from the route, 817 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · until 13 October · ZDV

Daylight

Sunset at ORD 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC), at MTJ 6:36 pm MDT (00:36 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:03 pm MDT (01:03 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

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the northern Rockies · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the southern 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, Montrose Regional.