KMDW Runway 04L/22R — Chicago Midway International Airport
5,507 × 150 ft asphalt · true headings 043° / 223° · field elevation 620 ft
Runway 04L/22R at Chicago Midway International Airport (KMDW) in Chicago, IL is 5,507 ft long and 150 ft wide, asphalt, with true headings 043° and 223°. Over 2005–2025 the wind gave runway 04L the headwind 39.9% of the time and runway 22R 60.1%, with a crosswind above 15 kt in 1.8% of wind hours. KMDW publishes a digital ATIS, so this page shows the runway the tower is actually using right now and builds a record of how often each end is assigned.
Runway 04L/22R — current status
NO CLOSURE REPORTED- The tower's TFDM closure record lists no closure for this runway and the current D-ATIS names no closure, restriction or outage for it. No received NOTAM closes or restricts this runway, but the NOTAM stream has no complete initial load yet — verify NOTAMs before flight.
Sources: FAA runway record (OurAirports) · FAA NOTAMs · Tower TFDM configuration (FAA SWIM) · D-ATIS · Tower TFDM 0222Z (9:22 PM CDT) · D-ATIS 0218Z (9:18 PM CDT). Runway NOTAMs stream live from the FAA NOTAM Management Service (SWIM); the official text is shown verbatim below the card. Always confirm with a current briefing.
No received NOTAM currently names runway 04L/22R at KMDW. NOTAMs are received live from the FAA NOTAM Management Service through SWIM and recorded since Sep 19, 2026; a NOTAM issued before that and not re-issued since may be missing. Get a full briefing before flight.
Current active runways at KMDW
As stated by the tower — its TFDM surface system and its D-ATIS broadcast. Not an estimate.
Airport rates: 32 arrivals / 32 departures per hour. In effect since 2026-09-17 2112Z (4:12 PM CDT).
A bare number (04) means the broadcast did not say which parallel.
This D-ATIS configuration has been stated since 1653Z (11:53 AM CDT).
Show the D-ATIS text
MDW ATIS INFO D 0218Z SPECIAL. 12008KT 10SM OVC031 22/14 A3012 (THREE ZERO ONE TWO) RMK AO2 T02170144. ILS RWY 4R APCH IN USE. LNDG AND DEPG RWYS 4. NOTICE TO AIRMEN. TWY Y3 CLSD. Y PAD CLSD. AIRCRAFT SHOULD OPERATE MODE CEE ON ALL TWYS AND RWYS. HAZD WEA INFO FOR MDW AREA AVBL ON FSS FREQ. CLEARANCE DELIVERY CLOSED. CTC GROUND 118.075 FOR CLEARANCE. MIDWAY A/C ON FREQUENCY 135.2. READBACK ALL RWY HOLD SHORT INSTRUCTIONS AND ALT ASSIGNMENTS. ...ADVS YOU HAVE INFO D.
Current wind on Runway 04L/22R
Wind from the east-southeast (120°) at 8 kt
- Headwind
- 2 kt
- Crosswind
- 8 ktfrom right
- Tailwind
- 2 kt
- Crosswind
- 8 ktfrom left
Wind-favored runway at KMDW right now: 13L (8 kt headwind) — a different runway than this one.
Components use TRUE runway headings and TRUE METAR wind. “Favored by wind” is arithmetic, not an ATC assignment.
ATIS Alerts Predicted Runway
Which runway at KMDW is likely to be in use over the next 12 hours — an estimate, not an ATC assignment.
| Time | Likely runway | Confidence | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Now0232Z · 9:32 PM CDT | 04L and 04Ractive · tower TFDM stated by the tower (TFDM) | stated | 120° at 8 kt |
| +1 h0332Z · 10:32 PM CDT | 13Lthen 13R | Low50% | 090° at 10 kt |
| +2 h0432Z · 11:32 PM CDT | 13Lthen 13R | Low47% | 090° at 10 kt |
| +3 h0532Z · 12:32 AM CDT | 13Lthen 13R | Low44% | 090° at 10 kt |
| +6 h0832Z · 3:32 AM CDT | 13Lthen 13R | Low35% | 090° at 10 kt |
| +12 h1432Z · 9:32 AM CDT | 13Lthen 13R TEMPO group in effect | Low20% | 120° at 12 kt G18 |
ATIS Alerts Predicted Runway is an estimate from the TAF wind forecast and runway geometry (most headwind, crosswind penalised, tailwind over 5 kt avoided, longest runway breaks ties). It is not an ATC assignment and does not know about noise abatement, traffic flow or construction unless the D-ATIS states them. TAF issued 2320Z (6:20 PM CDT).
Counts the tower's surface system expects per runway over the next two hours — the tower's plan, not an ATIS Alerts estimate and not an ATC assignment. A runway with zero expected demand is not in the plan for that period. During a runway change the plan can lag the configuration above for a few minutes (flights already assigned to the old runways stay counted there until reassigned).
- GDP → DEN · since 09/18 2200Z · by DCC · Weather:Thunderstorms: — ground delay program
- GDP → SAN · since 09/19 0000Z · by DCC · Volume/Terminal:Volume: — ground delay program
- GDP → SFO · since 09/19 0200Z · by DCC · Volume/Terminal:Volume: — ground delay program
- APREQ → ORD/PWK/UGN · since 07/29 1233Z · until further notice — approval request — departures need a release time
- APREQ → KGRB · since 09/19 0201Z · until further notice · by ZAU — approval request — departures need a release time
- APREQ → KYIP · since 09/19 0201Z · until further notice · by ZAU — approval request — departures need a release time
Restrictions on departures from KMDWtoward the named airports or fixes, as recorded by the tower's surface system; they change the departure flow, not the runway in use. Not an FAA product.
Runway 04L/22R overview
Physical characteristics from the FAA-derived runway record.
- Length
- 5,507 ft
- Width
- 150 ft
- Surface
- Asphalt
- Runway lights
- Lighted
- Airport elevation
- 620 ft
- FAA record status
- Open
- True heading
- 043°
- Magnetic (approx.)
- ≈ 047°
- FAA record
- Open
- True heading
- 223°
- Magnetic (approx.)
- ≈ 227°
- FAA record
- Open
Runway 04L/22R numbers are magnetic; the stored geometry and every wind calculation on this page are TRUE north, so they never need a variation correction. Magnetic variation here is about 4.1°W (World Magnetic Model). Displaced thresholds, declared distances (TORA/TODA/ASDA/LDA), approach lighting, PAPI/VASI, ILS equipment and traffic-pattern direction are FAA NASR fields not yet loaded — they are omitted rather than guessed.
Recorded runway use at KMDW — last 30 days
How often the tower's TFDM configuration listed each end for arrivals and departures (the tower's own statement, via FAA SWIM).
Over the last 30 days ATIS Alerts captured 29 hours of stated runway configuration at KMDW (1.2 days, 1 configuration change). Shares are the fraction of those hours in which the tower's TFDM system listed each end.
- Arrivals
- 100% (29 h)
- Departures
- 100% (29 h)
- Arrivals
- 0% (0 h)
- Departures
- 0% (0 h)
| Wind from | Hours | 04L arrivals | 22R arrivals | 04L departures | 22R departures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calm / light (< 5 kt) | 29 | 100% | 0% | 100% | 0% |
Time of day is airport-local.This is the facility's stated configuration, not an estimate from wind.
Historical wind and crosswind on runway 04L/22R
20-year hourly climatology from the ASOS archive, computed per runway end.
From 175,296 hourly observations at KMDW (2005–2025), 163,419 with a steady wind direction (6.8% calm, variable or direction-less). One observation per clock hour; TRUE headings against TRUE wind.
Crosswind on runway 04L/22R (either end)
| Crosswind (kt) | Share of wind hours |
|---|---|
| 0–5 | 56.1% |
| 5–10 | 32.9% |
| 10–15 | 9.2% |
| 15–20 | 1.6% |
| 20–25 | 0.2% |
| 25+ | 0% |
Strongest-crosswind month on average: Jan; calmest: Aug. Percentiles are streaming approximations (t-digest), accurate to about 0.1 kt.
Runway 04L
Runway 22R
“Wind-favored” counts the hours this end had the most headwind of every open runway at KMDW — wind arithmetic, not an ATC assignment (parallel runways with the same heading share the credit equally). Recorded D-ATIS use, where available, is the section above.
By wind direction
| Wind from | Share of wind hours | 04L favored | 22R favored | Mean crosswind | Crosswind > 15 kt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N 338–023° | 10% | 32.7% | 0% | 6 kt | 1.5% |
| NE 023–068° | 10% | 50% | 0% | 1.8 kt | 0% |
| E 068–113° | 12% | 20.9% | 0% | 5.4 kt | 0.3% |
| SE 113–158° | 6% | 0% | 0% | 7.3 kt | 2.9% |
| S 158–203° | 18% | 0% | 36.2% | 5.2 kt | 0.5% |
| SW 203–248° | 16% | 0% | 50% | 1.7 kt | 0% |
| W 248–293° | 18% | 0% | 20% | 6.9 kt | 2.9% |
| NW 293–338° | 11% | 0% | 0% | 8.9 kt | 7.3% |
By time of day (airport-local)
Seasonal runway conditions
| Month | Mean crosswind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 6.1 kt |
| Feb | 6.1 kt |
| Mar | 5.8 kt |
| Apr | 5.9 kt |
| May | 4.9 kt |
| Jun | 4.5 kt |
| Jul | 4.1 kt |
| Aug | 4.0 kt |
| Sep | 4.5 kt |
| Oct | 5.4 kt |
| Nov | 5.8 kt |
| Dec | 5.8 kt |
| Month | Prevailing | Mean wind | Gusty | Mean xw | xw > 10 | xw > 15 | xw > 20 | 04L tail > 5 | 22R tail > 5 | IFR | TS | Fog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | W | 9.3 kt | 22.3% | 6.1 kt | 16.6% | 2.2% | 0.2% | 44% | 11% | 16.1% | 0.09% | 17.9% |
| Feb | W | 9.4 kt | 21.2% | 6.1 kt | 16.5% | 3.1% | 0.4% | 36.3% | 17.6% | 11.7% | 0.21% | 14% |
| Mar | S | 9.5 kt | 25.5% | 5.8 kt | 14.8% | 2.3% | 0.2% | 28.9% | 30.8% | 8.4% | 0.52% | 10.6% |
| Apr | E | 9.7 kt | 28.2% | 5.9 kt | 15.2% | 2.9% | 0.3% | 30% | 31.2% | 7% | 0.78% | 8.9% |
| May | S | 8.4 kt | 19.9% | 4.9 kt | 8.6% | 1% | 0% | 27.5% | 32% | 5.9% | 1.2% | 6.8% |
| Jun | SW | 7.9 kt | 17.4% | 4.5 kt | 6.5% | 1% | 0.1% | 32.8% | 24.9% | 4.4% | 1.81% | 5% |
| Jul | SW | 7.2 kt | 12.8% | 4.1 kt | 3.8% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 30.4% | 22.1% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 2.7% |
| Aug | SW | 6.9 kt | 11.8% | 4 kt | 3.5% | 0.3% | 0% | 28.6% | 21.8% | 1.7% | 1.67% | 3.2% |
| Sep | S | 7.3 kt | 13.1% | 4.5 kt | 5.9% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 26.2% | 23.7% | 2.7% | 0.72% | 4.4% |
| Oct | S | 8.4 kt | 21.2% | 5.4 kt | 11% | 1.9% | 0.2% | 35.4% | 16.8% | 5.3% | 0.51% | 6.7% |
| Nov | S | 8.9 kt | 24.1% | 5.8 kt | 14.6% | 2.9% | 0.4% | 42% | 11.4% | 5.8% | 0.14% | 8.4% |
| Dec | W | 8.9 kt | 20.9% | 5.8 kt | 13.6% | 2.3% | 0.3% | 43.7% | 10% | 14.4% | 0.08% | 16.7% |
IFR, thunderstorm (TS) and fog columns are airport-wide shares of hours; the crosswind and tailwind columns are specific to this runway. Prevailing = most common 45° wind sector among wind hours.
Runway 04L/22R closure history
Runway NOTAM history begins when the NOTAM feed goes live (next phase).
D-ATIS broadcasts recorded since Sep 17, 2026 declared runway 04L closed on 0 days and runway 22R closed on 0 days in the last 30 days. Scheduled and unscheduled closure NOTAMs, with start and end times and the official text, will appear here once ATIS Alerts records runway NOTAMs; there is no retrievable archive, so history accrues from that date forward.
Instrument approaches to runway 04L/22R
From the FAA d-TPP, linked to the official plates.
Runway 04L
No straight-in instrument approach published to this end.
Runway 22R
- RNAV (GPS)RNAV (GPS) RWY 22R ↗
1 departure procedure · 5 STARs · FAA hot spots page ↗ · FAA d-TPP cycle 2610. Plates open on aeronav.faa.gov (public domain); ATIS Alerts does not reproduce charts or minimums.
Methodology and sources
Short version below; the full write-up is at Runway Intelligence methodology, and every launched airport is listed on the Runway Intelligence hub.
- Active runwayscome first from the tower's TFDM (Terminal Flight Data Manager) airport configuration, received as structured data through the FAA SWIM Cloud Distribution Service at towers that have it (KMDW does); otherwise from the airport's D-ATIS text (community relay of the FAA broadcast) with an open, tested parser, and the broadcast text is always shown. Every change is recorded, so “recorded use” is what the facility stated, never an inference. ATIS Alerts is not an FAA product and this is not FAA data; SWIM content is for non-operational use.
- Wind components use the current METAR (aviationweather.gov) against TRUE runway headings from the OurAirports/FAA runway record.
- Runway visual range, tower demand and traffic-management restrictions come from FAA SWIM: STDDS Airport Data (RVR and light settings, about 130 airports) and TFDM (15-minute runway demand, APREQ/MIT restrictions). Each block is stamped with its own time; none of it is an FAA product or a clearance.
- Predicted runway scores each open end from the TAF wind (headwind, crosswind penalty, tailwind avoidance, longest-runway tie-break); confidence falls with forecast distance, gusts and TAF age. It does not model noise abatement or flow programs.
- Climatology: Iowa Environmental Mesonet ASOS archive, one observation per hour, 45° wind sectors, percentiles via t-digest; runway geometry is today's record applied to all years. Methodology v1.
- Approaches: FAA d-TPP metafile, current charting cycle; plates link to aeronav.faa.gov. No minimums are reproduced.
- Data freshness: METAR and D-ATIS refresh every minute on this page; the D-ATIS recorder ran 2 min ago; the tower TFDM feed last delivered 10 min ago; climatology through 2025-12-31.
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Other runways at KMDW
Tools for this runway
⚠️ ATIS Alerts provides informational runway analysis based on available weather, D-ATIS, FAA data and historical observations. Active runways shown here are read from D-ATIS text and may lag or be misread; predicted runways are an ATIS Alerts estimate, not an ATC assignment. Not for operational use. Always verify with official FAA-approved preflight weather sources before flight.
Runway page score 73/100 · indexed (rollout wave gate).