Plan a flight · Sun 10:56 pm EDT (02:56 UTC)

Philadelphia International to Chicago Midway International PHL → MDW

579 nautical miles (667 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 285°, about 297° magnetic at the departure end (variation 12W). At 120 knots that is 5 h 10 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 8-knot headwind), arriving about 3:06 am CDT (08:06 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now PHL is IFR, wind from the east-northeast (070°) at 11 knots, gusting to 18; MDW is VFR, wind from the south (190°) at 5 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: 2,998 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 410 nm of the route.
AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the first 240 nm of the route.
AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 13,000 ft. Over the first 60 nm of the route.
AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 90 to 230 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 PHL.

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

BCS3 at 19,000 ft, 41 nm south, 8:18 pm EDT (00:18 UTC): moderate turbulence above 17,000 ft, -9 °C. At the departure end, 41 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DOV UA /OV ENO/TM 0018/FL190/TP BCS3/TA M09/TB MOD 170
```
Report
a routine report filed through DOV
Where
over ENO
Time
00:18 UTC
Height
at 19,000 ft
Aircraft
BCS3
Temperature
−9 °C
Turbulence
moderate at 17,000 ft
E75L at 20,000 ft, 16 nm southwest, 8:41 pm EDT (00:41 UTC): moderate turbulence above 20,000 ft. At the departure end, 16 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ILG UA /OV DQO/TM 0041/FL200/TP E75L/TB MOD 200
```
Report
a routine report filed through ILG
Where
over DQO
Time
00:41 UTC
Height
at 20,000 ft
Aircraft
E75L
Turbulence
moderate at 20,000 ft
A21N at 18,000 ft, 16 nm north, 8:38 pm EDT (00:38 UTC): moderate clear-air turbulence. At the departure end, 16 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
PTW UA /OV PTW/TM 0038/FL180/TP A21N/TB MOD CAT
```
Report
a routine report filed through PTW
Where
over PTW
Time
00:38 UTC
Height
at 18,000 ft
Aircraft
A21N
Turbulence
moderate clear-air turbulence
E145 at 12,000 ft, 2 nm north, 8:43 pm EDT (00:43 UTC): moderate turbulence. 50 nm along the route, 2 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
LNS UA /OV LRP/TM 0043/FL120/TP E145/TB CONS MOD
```
Report
a routine report filed through LNS
Where
over LRP
Time
00:43 UTC
Height
at 12,000 ft
Aircraft
E145
Turbulence
continuous moderate
UAL1558 at 30,000 ft, 9 nm southwest, 10:22 pm EDT (02:22 UTC): moderate turbulence, -36 °C, wind 240° at 50 knots. 110 nm along the route, 9 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ARP UAL1558 4014N 07742W 0222 F300 MS36 240/050KT TB MODERATE SK CLEAR IC NONE
```
Report
a routine report filed through ARP
B752 at 30,000 ft, 9 nm south, 10:26 pm EDT (02:26 UTC): moderate chop turbulence, remarks: zob. 130 nm along the route, 9 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
HGR UA /OV THS010020/TM 0226/FL300/TP B752/TB MOD CHOP/RM ZOB
```
Report
a routine report filed through HGR
Where
20 nm north (010°) of THS
Time
02:26 UTC
Height
at 30,000 ft
Aircraft
B752
Turbulence
moderate chop
Remarks
zob
A320 at 34,000 ft, 39 nm south, 10:03 pm EDT (02:03 UTC): moderate chop turbulence. 420 nm along the route, 39 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
FWA UA /OV FWA115040/TM 0203/FL340/TP A320/TB MOD CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through FWA
Where
40 nm southeast (115°) of FWA
Time
02:03 UTC
Height
at 34,000 ft
Aircraft
A320
Turbulence
moderate chop
A320 at 33,000 ft, 46 nm north, 8:36 pm EDT (00:36 UTC): moderate turbulence above 33,000 ft, remarks: zob. 469 nm along the route, 46 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
JXN UA /OV JXN280030/TM 0036/FL330/TP A320/TB OCNL MOD 330/RM ZOB
```
Report
a routine report filed through JXN
Where
30 nm west (280°) of JXN
Time
00:36 UTC
Height
at 33,000 ft
Aircraft
A320
Turbulence
occasional moderate at 33,000 ft
Remarks
zob
GLF5 at 600 ft, 15 nm northeast, 9:40 pm EDT (01:40 UTC): overcast above 600 ft, remarks: during the descent runway 06 pne. At the departure end, 15 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
PNE UA /OV PNE240001/TM 0140/FL006/TP GLF5/SK OVC006/RM DURD RY06 PNE
```
Report
a routine report filed through PNE
Where
1 nm southwest (240°) of PNE
Time
01:40 UTC
Height
at 600 ft
Aircraft
GLF5
Sky
overcast from 600 ft
Remarks
during the descent runway 06 pne
A320 at 19,000 ft, 43 nm east, 9:34 pm EDT (01:34 UTC): light to moderate turbulence, remarks: flight level from 19,000 ft to 22,000 ft. At the departure end, 43 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
MJX UA /OV CYN045010/TM 0134/FL190/TP A320/TB LGT-MOD/RM FL 190-220
```
Report
a routine report filed through MJX
Where
10 nm northeast (045°) of CYN
Time
01:34 UTC
Height
at 19,000 ft
Aircraft
A320
Turbulence
light to moderate
Remarks
flight level from 19,000 ft to 22,000 ft
E75S at 9,000 ft, 40 nm northeast, 9:22 pm EDT (01:22 UTC): light rime icing above 9,000 ft. At the departure end, 40 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
LGA UA /OV RBV/TM 0122/FL090/TP E75S/IC LGT RIME 090
```
Report
a routine report filed through LGA
Where
over RBV
Time
01:22 UTC
Height
at 9,000 ft
Aircraft
E75S
Icing
light rime at 9,000 ft
B38M at 2,300 ft, 40 nm southeast, 9:11 pm EDT (01:11 UTC): remarks: tops 2,300 ft during the descent. At the departure end, 40 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ACY UA /OV ACY/TM 0111/FL023/TP B38M/SK TOPS 023/RM TOPS 023 DURD
```
Report
a routine report filed through ACY
Where
over ACY
Time
01:11 UTC
Height
at 2,300 ft
Aircraft
B38M
Sky
tops 2,300 ft
Remarks
tops 2,300 ft during the descent
A21N at 20,000 ft, 40 nm southeast, 8:28 pm EDT (00:28 UTC): light rime icing, -10 °C. At the departure end, 40 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ACY UA /OV ACY/TM 0028/FL200/TP A21N/TA M10/IC LGT RIME
```
Report
a routine report filed through ACY
Where
over ACY
Time
00:28 UTC
Height
at 20,000 ft
Aircraft
A21N
Temperature
−10 °C
Icing
light rime
A321 climbing, 0 nm northwest, 8:20 pm EDT (00:20 UTC): light chop turbulence, sandstorm. At the departure end, 0 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
PHL UA /OV E NE PHL/TM 0020/FLDURC/TP A321/WV LOSS 15KT AT 015 /TB LGT CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through PHL
Where
east northeast phl
Time
00:20 UTC
Height
during the climb
Aircraft
A321
Wind
loss 15 knots at at 1,500 ft
Turbulence
light chop

16 more routine reports are on the map.

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 6 forecast points nearest it (ACY, PSB, AGC, CLE, FWA, JOT). 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	330° at 11 kt	+8 kt	13 °C	112 kt	5 h 10 min	3:06 am CDT (08:06 UTC)
6,500 ft	330° at 13 kt	+8 kt	13 °C	112 kt	5 h 10 min	3:06 am CDT (08:06 UTC)
8,500 ft	320° at 13 kt	+9 kt	9 °C	111 kt	5 h 13 min	3:09 am CDT (08:09 UTC)
10,500 ft	320° at 12 kt	+9 kt	6 °C	111 kt	5 h 13 min	3:09 am CDT (08:09 UTC)
12,500 ft	320° at 12 kt	+9 kt	2 °C	111 kt	5 h 13 min	3:09 am CDT (08:09 UTC)
14,500 ft	310° at 15 kt	+12 kt	-2 °C	108 kt	5 h 22 min	3:18 am CDT (08:18 UTC)
16,500 ft	310° at 17 kt	+15 kt	-7 °C	105 kt	5 h 31 min	3:27 am CDT (08:27 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	310° at 19 kt	+17 kt	-10 °C	103 kt	5 h 37 min	3:33 am CDT (08:33 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	310° at 27 kt	+24 kt	-21 °C	96 kt	6 h 02 min	3:58 am CDT (08:58 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	310° at 34 kt	+29 kt	-36 °C	91 kt	6 h 22 min	4:18 am CDT (09:18 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	300° at 43 kt	+39 kt	-42 °C	81 kt	7 h 09 min	5:05 am CDT (10:05 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	300° at 43 kt	+38 kt	-49 °C	82 kt	7 h 04 min	5:00 am CDT (10:00 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
ACY	used from 0 nm out; 63 nm from the line	220/19	220/18 14°	210/36 9°	210/35 5°	220/36 -8°	240/49 -21°	220/90 -31°	230/103 -40°	230/81 -50°
PSB	used from 50 nm out; 71 nm from the line		360/13 13°	330/14 7°	300/11 3°	290/12 -11°	240/23 -23°	270/25 -36°	250/34 -40°	250/45 -48°
AGC	used from 200 nm out; 25 nm from the line	350/14	330/20 11°	340/18 8°	330/17 3°	340/22 -11°	340/31 -22°	330/33 -36°	300/34 -41°	300/35 -47°
CLE	used from 250 nm out; 45 nm from the line	340/7	010/16 13°	350/18 8°	350/20 3°	340/31 -10°	340/46 -21°	340/54 -37°	330/62 -44°	340/65 -49°
FWA	used from 400 nm out; 46 nm from the line	300/17	320/20 16°	330/20 10°	340/15 3°	310/27 -8°	320/37 -20°	330/52 -36°	330/65 -43°	330/60 -50°
JOT	used from 549 nm out; 37 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°

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
PHL Philadelphia, PA	departure	IFR Sky: overcast at 600 feet Weather: light rain, mist	from the east-northeast (070°) at 11 knots, gusting to 18	5 mi	600 ft	35 ft	9:54 pm EDT (01:54 UTC)
LNS Lancaster, PA	50 nm out, 2 nm north of the line, tower	IFR Sky: overcast at 900 feet	from the northeast (040°) at 8 knots	10+ mi	900 ft	402 ft	02:00 UTC
MDT Harrisburg, PA	70 nm out, 3 nm northwest of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,000 feet	variable at 6 knots	9 mi	1,000 ft	310 ft	02:48 UTC
JST Johnstown, PA	170 nm out, 15 nm south of the line, tower	low IFR Sky: sky obscured at 200 feet Weather: fog	from the east-northeast (060°) at 7 knots	0.25 mi	200 ft	2,284 ft	01:54 UTC
PIT Pittsburgh, PA	230 nm out, 19 nm south of the line, tower	IFR Sky: overcast at 800 feet	from the north-northeast (030°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	800 ft	1,202 ft	02:51 UTC
BVI Beaver Falls, PA	240 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line, tower	reported, no category	calm		none	1,252 ft	19:47 UTC
CAK Akron, OH	290 nm out, 5 nm south of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: a few clouds at 1,000 feet, overcast at 1,700 feet	from the northwest (320°) at 4 knots	8 mi	1,700 ft	1,225 ft	02:51 UTC
TOL Toledo, OH	400 nm out, 15 nm north of the line, tower	low IFR Sky: overcast at 400 feet Weather: light drizzle, mist	from the west-northwest (290°) at 3 knots	5 mi	400 ft	683 ft	02:52 UTC
DFI Defiance, OH	430 nm out, 5 nm south of the line	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,400 feet	calm	10+ mi	1,400 ft	706 ft	02:35 UTC
SBN South Bend, IN	519 nm out, 6 nm northeast of the line, tower	VFR	calm	8 mi	none	798 ft	01:54 UTC
GYY Gary/Chicago, IN	559 nm out, 9 nm southwest of the line, tower	VFR	variable at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	596 ft	02:50 UTC
MDW Chicago, IL	destination	VFR	from the south (190°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	619 ft	9:53 pm CDT (02:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 2,284 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At MDW when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 3:06 am CDT (08:06 UTC)

Wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 30,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for MDW

From Sun 10:00 pm CDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 30,000 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 south-southwest at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 12,000 feet

The forecast for PHL, the departure

From Sun 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 8 knots, visibility 5 miles, light rain, mist, overcast at 500 feet
From Mon 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 10 knots, visibility 5 miles, mist, overcast at 800 feet
From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the north at 12 knots, gusting to 19, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 2,500 feet
From Mon 2:00 pm EDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the north at 12 knots, gusting to 21, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 5,000 feet
From Mon 6:00 pm EDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

6/8587 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local on the route, 240 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB
6/8888 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 21 nm from the route, 260 nm along the route · security · today · ZOB
6/8829 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 4 nm from the route, 260 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB

Daylight

Sunset at PHL 6:26 pm EDT (22:26 UTC), at MDW 6:14 pm CDT (23:14 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:42 pm CDT (23:42 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MDW is before sunrise there (6:59 am CDT (11:59 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 Northeast · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · 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: Philadelphia International, Chicago Midway International.