Chicago/Rockford International to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall RFD → BWI
594 nautical miles (683 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 104°, about 107° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 41 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 41-knot tailwind), arriving about 6:44 am EDT (10:44 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: 215 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 504 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 406 to 534 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the last 109 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 RFD.
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 02:00–09:00 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 6 forecast points nearest it (JOT, FWA, CMH, CLE, AGC, PSB). 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 | 310° at 13 kt | −13 kt | 133 kt | 4 h 28 min | 7:31 am EDT (11:31 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 320° at 16 kt | −13 kt | 13 °C | 133 kt | 4 h 28 min | 7:31 am EDT (11:31 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 330° at 16 kt | −13 kt | 11 °C | 133 kt | 4 h 28 min | 7:31 am EDT (11:31 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 330° at 15 kt | −12 kt | 8 °C | 132 kt | 4 h 30 min | 7:33 am EDT (11:33 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 330° at 13 kt | −11 kt | 4 °C | 131 kt | 4 h 32 min | 7:35 am EDT (11:35 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 320° at 15 kt | −12 kt | 0 °C | 132 kt | 4 h 30 min | 7:33 am EDT (11:33 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 320° at 18 kt | −15 kt | -4 °C | 135 kt | 4 h 24 min | 7:27 am EDT (11:27 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 320° at 21 kt | −18 kt | -8 °C | 138 kt | 4 h 18 min | 7:21 am EDT (11:21 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 320° at 22 kt | −19 kt | -9 °C | 139 kt | 4 h 16 min | 7:19 am EDT (11:19 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 320° at 28 kt | −25 kt | -21 °C | 145 kt | 4 h 06 min | 7:09 am EDT (11:09 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 37 kt | −30 kt | -36 °C | 150 kt | 3 h 58 min | 7:01 am EDT (11:01 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 310° at 45 kt | −41 kt | -42 °C | 161 kt | 3 h 41 min | 6:44 am EDT (10:44 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 46 kt | −41 kt | -49 °C | 161 kt | 3 h 41 min | 6:44 am EDT (10:44 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; 39 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° |
| FWA | used from 99 nm out; 69 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° |
| CMH | used from 247 nm out; 61 nm from the line | 330/15 | 340/22 14° | 340/24 9° | 340/23 4° | 340/35 -9° | 340/49 -20° | 340/58 -37° | 330/70 -42° | 340/55 -47° |
| CLE | used from 297 nm out; 44 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° |
| AGC | used from 346 nm out; 58 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° |
| PSB | used from 495 nm out; 76 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° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFD Chicago/Rockford, IL | departure | no report just now | 742 ft | ||||
| ORD Chicago, IL | 59 nm out, 5 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 680 ft | ||||
| GYY Gary/Chicago, IN | 79 nm out, 15 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 596 ft | ||||
| SBN South Bend, IN | 129 nm out, 3 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 798 ft | ||||
| GWB Auburn, IN | 188 nm out, 5 nm south of the line | no report just now | 880 ft | ||||
| FDY Findlay, OH | 257 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 812 ft | ||||
| MFD Mansfield, OH | 307 nm out, 1 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,297 ft | ||||
| HLG Wheeling, WV | 396 nm out, 9 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,194 ft | ||||
| AGC Pittsburgh, PA | 425 nm out, 13 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,251 ft | ||||
| MRB Martinsburg, WV | 534 nm out, 10 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 564 ft | ||||
| FDK Frederick, MD | 554 nm out, 4 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 308 ft | ||||
| BWI Baltimore, MD | destination | no report just now | 143 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,297 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At BWI when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:44 am EDT (10:44 UTC)
BWI has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8829 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 15 nm from the route, 376 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB
- 6/8587 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 15 nm from the route, 376 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB
- 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 13 nm from the route, 564 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZDC
- 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA 11 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · ZDC
- 6/8800 Baltimore, MD, Saturday, October 17, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 6 nm from the route, at the destination end · drones kept away from a public gathering · starts Saturday 17 October · ZDC
Daylight
Sunset at RFD 6:19 pm CDT (23:19 UTC), at BWI 6:32 pm EDT (22:32 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:59 pm EDT (22:59 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at BWI is before sunrise there (7:13 am EDT (11:13 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: Chicago/Rockford International, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall.