Tucson International to Chicago Midway International TUS → MDW
1,249 nautical miles (1,438 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 056°, about 047° magnetic at the departure end (variation 9E). At 120 knots that is 6 h 52 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 62-knot tailwind), arriving about 8:37 am CDT (13:37 UTC). 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: 569 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 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Near the route, 100 nm along the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the route from 140 to 440 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 35,000 ft to 45,000 ft. Over the route from 320 to 380 nm out.
- 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 450 to 1079 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, 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 TUS.
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 9 forecast points nearest it (TUS, ABQ, TCC, AMA, GCK, SLN, MKC, BRL, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,500 ft | 230° at 32 kt | −31 kt | 17 °C | 151 kt | 8 h 16 min | 10:01 am CDT (15:01 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 230° at 28 kt | −27 kt | 14 °C | 147 kt | 8 h 30 min | 10:15 am CDT (15:15 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 230° at 24 kt | −25 kt | 11 °C | 145 kt | 8 h 37 min | 10:22 am CDT (15:22 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 230° at 24 kt | −24 kt | 7 °C | 144 kt | 8 h 40 min | 10:25 am CDT (15:25 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 230° at 25 kt | −25 kt | 3 °C | 145 kt | 8 h 37 min | 10:22 am CDT (15:22 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 230° at 28 kt | −28 kt | -1 °C | 148 kt | 8 h 26 min | 10:11 am CDT (15:11 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 230° at 31 kt | −31 kt | -6 °C | 151 kt | 8 h 16 min | 10:01 am CDT (15:01 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 31 kt | −32 kt | -7 °C | 152 kt | 8 h 13 min | 9:58 am CDT (14:58 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 240° at 42 kt | −42 kt | -19 °C | 162 kt | 7 h 43 min | 9:28 am CDT (14:28 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 240° at 59 kt | −60 kt | -29 °C | 180 kt | 6 h 56 min | 8:41 am CDT (13:41 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 250° at 62 kt | −62 kt | -38 °C | 182 kt | 6 h 52 min | 8:37 am CDT (13:37 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 260° at 56 kt | −55 kt | -49 °C | 175 kt | 7 h 08 min | 8:53 am CDT (13:53 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TUS | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 210/13 13° | 200/35 9° | 210/40 5° | 220/50 -7° | 220/59 -18° | 230/79 -26° | 230/84 -35° | 230/84 -48° | |
| ABQ | used from 150 nm out; 106 nm from the line | 220/27 11° | 210/35 5° | 220/46 -9° | 230/62 -20° | 240/78 -25° | 240/80 -35° | 240/56 -47° | ||
| TCC | used from 350 nm out; 52 nm from the line | 210/42 | 230/33 14° | 230/32 6° | 220/35 -6° | 230/49 -19° | 240/72 -27° | 250/62 -36° | 250/52 -48° | |
| AMA | used from 500 nm out; 91 nm from the line | 210/38 | 230/29 14° | 240/29 7° | 220/27 -5° | 240/37 -18° | 240/66 -28° | 250/59 -37° | 260/47 -49° | |
| GCK | used from 550 nm out; 50 nm from the line | 220/48 21° | 230/37 14° | 250/30 8° | 230/37 -6° | 240/37 -20° | 240/69 -28° | 250/67 -37° | 260/58 -48° | |
| SLN | used from 700 nm out; 40 nm from the line | 210/53 | 230/41 20° | 240/26 14° | 230/16 8° | 240/25 -7° | 240/35 -19° | 250/61 -30° | 260/65 -38° | 260/56 -49° |
| MKC | used from 850 nm out; 38 nm from the line | 220/44 | 250/28 18° | 250/18 13° | 240/12 6° | 280/24 -6° | 240/34 -18° | 260/47 -30° | 260/51 -40° | 270/58 -50° |
| BRL | used from 999 nm out; 61 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° |
| JOT | used from 1149 nm out; 52 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TUS Tucson, AZ | departure | no report just now | 2,643 ft | ||||
| SAD Safford, AZ | 80 nm out, 0 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 3,178 ft | ||||
| ONM Socorro, NM | 230 nm out, 16 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 4,875 ft | ||||
| BRG Belen, NM | 260 nm out, 15 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 5,199 ft | ||||
| CAO Clayton, NM | 470 nm out, 15 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 4,969 ft | ||||
| LBL Liberal, KS | 580 nm out, 7 nm south of the line | no report just now | 2,885 ft | ||||
| HUT Hutchinson, KS | 730 nm out, 20 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,542 ft | ||||
| TOP Topeka, KS | 860 nm out, 12 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 881 ft | ||||
| STJ St Joseph, MO | 900 nm out, 13 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 826 ft | ||||
| BRL Burlington, IA | 1089 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 698 ft | ||||
| LOT Chicago/Romeoville, IL | 1229 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 679 ft | ||||
| MDW Chicago, IL | destination | no report just now | 619 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 5,199 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, 8:37 am CDT (13:37 UTC)
MDW has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
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 TUS 5:55 pm MST (00:55 UTC), at MDW 6:14 pm CDT (23:14 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:42 pm CDT (23:42 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: Tucson International, Chicago Midway International.