Louisville Muhammad Ali International to Duluth International SDF → DLH
593 nautical miles (683 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 333°, about 338° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5W). At 120 knots that is 4 h 52 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 2-knot tailwind), arriving about 2:45 pm CDT (19:45 UTC). Right now SDF is VFR, wind from the southeast (130°) at 4 knots; DLH is low IFR, wind from the east (080°) at 15 knots, gusting to 25. 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: 1 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 last 59 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 SDF.
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 14:00–21:00 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 (LOU, IND, JOT, DBQ, LSE, DLH). 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 | 240° at 17 kt | −2 kt | 122 kt | 4 h 52 min | 2:45 pm CDT (19:45 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 240° at 23 kt | +1 kt | 16 °C | 119 kt | 4 h 59 min | 2:52 pm CDT (19:52 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 250° at 25 kt | +6 kt | 12 °C | 114 kt | 5 h 12 min | 3:05 pm CDT (20:05 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 260° at 27 kt | +10 kt | 8 °C | 110 kt | 5 h 23 min | 3:16 pm CDT (20:16 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 270° at 28 kt | +14 kt | 4 °C | 106 kt | 5 h 36 min | 3:29 pm CDT (20:29 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 270° at 29 kt | +15 kt | -1 °C | 105 kt | 5 h 39 min | 3:32 pm CDT (20:32 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 270° at 30 kt | +16 kt | -5 °C | 104 kt | 5 h 42 min | 3:35 pm CDT (20:35 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 31 kt | +16 kt | -8 °C | 104 kt | 5 h 42 min | 3:35 pm CDT (20:35 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 270° at 37 kt | +18 kt | -21 °C | 102 kt | 5 h 49 min | 3:42 pm CDT (20:42 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 270° at 40 kt | +19 kt | -36 °C | 101 kt | 5 h 52 min | 3:45 pm CDT (20:45 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 48 kt | +32 kt | -38 °C | 88 kt | 6 h 44 min | 4:37 pm CDT (21:37 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 290° at 57 kt | +41 kt | -47 °C | 79 kt | 7 h 30 min | 5:23 pm CDT (22:23 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 12:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 18:00 UTC for use 14:00 to 21:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOU | used from 0 nm out; 24 nm from the line | 260/17 | 270/15 15° | 260/19 10° | 280/27 5° | 280/30 -7° | 280/29 -18° | 280/44 -34° | 290/56 -39° | 310/56 -48° |
| IND | used from 49 nm out; 28 nm from the line | 260/18 | 250/20 15° | 260/26 9° | 290/28 5° | 290/30 -7° | 280/40 -20° | 280/46 -35° | 290/53 -38° | 300/58 -47° |
| JOT | used from 148 nm out; 57 nm from the line | 230/30 | 250/26 16° | 270/27 11° | 280/34 5° | 290/32 -8° | 280/37 -21° | 280/40 -36° | 290/46 -37° | 290/56 -47° |
| DBQ | used from 297 nm out; 81 nm from the line | 250/26 | 240/32 19° | 250/35 11° | 260/37 5° | 270/35 -9° | 270/40 -21° | 270/43 -35° | 280/49 -37° | 280/58 -46° |
| LSE | used from 346 nm out; 75 nm from the line | 240/16 | 230/27 20° | 250/35 12° | 260/28 5° | 260/30 -9° | 260/37 -21° | 260/38 -36° | 280/44 -37° | 280/52 -47° |
| DLH | used from 494 nm out; 74 nm from the line | 090/34 | 210/13 14° | 240/14 11° | 250/20 4° | 250/38 -10° | 260/39 -22° | 250/41 -37° | 270/53 -41° | 280/68 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDF Louisville, KY | departure | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 20,000 feet, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet | from the southeast (130°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 500 ft | 9:56 am EDT (13:56 UTC) |
| BAK Columbus, IN | 59 nm out, 23 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (190°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 656 ft | 14:45 UTC |
| BMG Bloomington, IN | 69 nm out, 10 nm west of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 845 ft | 13:53 UTC |
| LAF Lafayette, IN | 148 nm out, 12 nm east of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 605 ft | 13:54 UTC |
| LOT Chicago/Romeoville, IL | 237 nm out, 5 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the southwest (220°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | none | 679 ft | 14:45 UTC |
| DPA Chicago/West Chicago, IL | 247 nm out, 5 nm north of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 758 ft | 13:52 UTC |
| MSN Madison, WI | 336 nm out, 7 nm west of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 23,000 feet | from the south-southwest (200°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | 23,000 ft | 886 ft | 13:53 UTC |
| DAF Necedah, WI | 405 nm out, 9 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 919 ft | ||||
| MFI Marshfield, WI | 435 nm out, 6 nm northeast of the line | VFR | from the south (190°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,277 ft | 13:54 UTC |
| RCX Ladysmith, WI | 494 nm out, 4 nm north of the line | marginal VFR Weather: haze | from the north (360°) at 6 knots | 5 mi | none | 1,239 ft | 14:35 UTC |
| HYR Hayward, WI | 534 nm out, 2 nm north of the line | IFR Sky: overcast at 600 feet | from the northeast (040°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | 600 ft | 1,215 ft | 14:30 UTC |
| DLH Duluth, MN | destination | low IFR Sky: overcast at 300 feet Weather: light drizzle, mist | from the east (080°) at 15 knots, gusting to 25 | 0.75 mi | 300 ft | 1,427 ft | 8:55 am CDT (13:55 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,427 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At DLH when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:45 pm CDT (19:45 UTC)
Wind from the east at 15 knots, gusting to 26, visibility 1½ miles, light drizzle, mist, overcast at 400 feet low IFR
The whole forecast for DLH
- From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the east at 15 knots, gusting to 26, visibility 1½ miles, light drizzle, mist, overcast at 400 feet
- From Mon 5:00 pm CDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the east-northeast at 16 knots, gusting to 27, visibility 4 miles, light rain showers, mist, overcast at 200 feet
- 30% chance between Mon 5:00 pm CDT (22:00 UTC) and 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): visibility 3 miles, light thunderstorms with rain, a broken layer at 400 feet (thunderheads), overcast at 800 feet
- From Mon 11:00 pm CDT (04:00 UTC): wind from the east-northeast at 14 knots, gusting to 23, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, overcast at 300 feet
- From Tue 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the northeast at 11 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 300 feet
- From Tue 6:00 am CDT (11:00 UTC): wind from the north at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 500 feet
The forecast for SDF, the departure
- From Mon 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility 6 miles, mist, clear skies
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 2:00 pm EDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Tue 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
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 SDF 7:09 pm EDT (23:09 UTC), at DLH 6:27 pm CDT (23:27 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:58 pm CDT (23:58 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: Louisville Muhammad Ali International, Duluth International.