Ping Tom Memorial Park (Chinatown, South Branch) — 31 %, deep fog bank
where41.8589, -87.6325 · map
lookforeground trees and water with the skyline behind; lake fog on an east wind
featuresChicago River (South Branch), skyline viewaccessCPD page (WebFetch; curl got HTTP 202): every day "6:00 am-10:00 pm" (closes an hour earlier than the lakefront parks). Address 1700 S. Wentworth Ave. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — Chicago Park District Code ch. VII sec. C.3.a (Rev. 09/2025): "No person shall, without a permit: ... (11) bring, land or cause to ascend or descend or alight within the Park District, any airplane, helicopter, flying machine, balloon, parachute or other apparatus for aviation;". The Code never uses the word 'drone', but the Park District permit page lists "Flying Machine (e.g. drones)" among the features that need a Special Event Permit. City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3000 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA C]; MDW CLASS C 1900 MSL-3600 MSL (outer shelf, far above 400 ft AGL); ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 1.86 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 6.95 nm / 7.99 mi, KORD 14.21 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Soldier Field (0.74 nm), Rate Field (White Sox) (1.74 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 3.18 km away at bearing 7 deg; Willis Tower 2.22 km at 353 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. Only vantage inside the MDW Class C 1,900 ft MSL outer shelf; still far above 400 ft AGL.
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:08 at 103.4°, beams 07:22–08:21, burn-off 09:08–10:38 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.96 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.6 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 1.00 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 8.6 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 4.5 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 6.6 °C → -2.1 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.1 km (3 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.992, ncep_nbm_conus 0.692, ecmwf_ifs025 0.821, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.335
Adler Planetarium / Solidarity Drive (Museum Campus peninsula) — 30 %, deep fog bank
where41.8664, -87.6066 · map
lookskyline across the water: a deck cutting the towers, or lake fog rolling onto the shore
featuresLake Michigan shoreline, skyline viewaccessNortherly Island Park (WebFetch of its CPD page; direct curl got HTTP 202 challenge): "Sunday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm" ... "Saturday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm". Adler building hours are the museum's own (adlerplanetarium.org); the outdoor promenade is not separately listed. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — Chicago Park District Code ch. VII sec. C.3.a (Rev. 09/2025): "No person shall, without a permit: ... (11) bring, land or cause to ascend or descend or alight within the Park District, any airplane, helicopter, flying machine, balloon, parachute or other apparatus for aviation;". The Code never uses the word 'drone', but the Park District permit page lists "Flying Machine (e.g. drones)" among the features that need a Special Event Permit. City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3600 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA D]; MDW CLASS C 2300 MSL-3600 MSL (outer shelf, far above 400 ft AGL); ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 3.04 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 8.14 nm / 9.36 mi, KORD 15.02 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Soldier Field (0.51 nm), Rate Field (White Sox) (2.5 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 2.93 km away at bearing 323 deg; Willis Tower 2.79 km at 300 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. Skyline is 2.9 km away so the towers appear small; Soldier Field is 0.5 nm away, so Bears home games close this area and put it inside the stadium TFR.
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:08 at 103.4°, beams 07:22–08:21, burn-off 09:08–10:38 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.95 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.5 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.93 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 7.5 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.4 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 6.6 °C → -1.2 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.0 km (3 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.983, ncep_nbm_conus 0.666, ecmwf_ifs025 0.821, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.326
Museum Campus - Shedd Aquarium steps — 30 %, deep fog bank
where41.8676, -87.6137 · map
lookskyline across the water: a deck cutting the towers, or lake fog rolling onto the shore
featuresLake Michigan shoreline, skyline viewaccessGrant (Ulysses) Park CPD page (curl 200): "Park Hours ... 6:00 am-11:00 pm" each day. Shedd building hours: sheddaquarium.org. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — Chicago Park District Code ch. VII sec. C.3.a (Rev. 09/2025): "No person shall, without a permit: ... (11) bring, land or cause to ascend or descend or alight within the Park District, any airplane, helicopter, flying machine, balloon, parachute or other apparatus for aviation;". The Code never uses the word 'drone', but the Park District permit page lists "Flying Machine (e.g. drones)" among the features that need a Special Event Permit. City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3000 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA C]; MDW CLASS C 2300 MSL-3600 MSL (outer shelf, far above 400 ft AGL); ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 2.84 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 7.93 nm / 9.13 mi, KORD 14.7 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Soldier Field (0.34 nm), Rate Field (White Sox) (2.44 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 2.49 km away at bearing 331 deg; Willis Tower 2.22 km at 304 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. Soldier Field is 0.3 nm away (stadium TFR on Bears event days).
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:08 at 103.4°, beams 07:22–08:21, burn-off 09:08–10:38 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.95 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.5 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.93 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 7.5 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.4 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 6.6 °C → -1.2 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.0 km (3 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.983, ncep_nbm_conus 0.666, ecmwf_ifs025 0.82, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.326
Wolf Point (confluence of the three river branches) — 27 %, deep fog bank
where41.8868, -87.6377 · map
looktowers vanishing into a low deck from street level; mist glow from the river at dawn
featuresriver confluenceaccessunknown: no official page found for Wolf Point or Wolf Point Plaza hours or manager. A Groupon listing says 6 am-11 pm for the Riverwalk generally; that is not an official source and not used. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
droneunknown — unknown: owner/manager not identified, so the property-owner consent clause applies to an unknown party. City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3000 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA C]; no MDW Class C at this point; ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 2.7 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 7.96 nm / 9.16 mi, KORD 13.24 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Soldier Field (1.74 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 0.8 km away at bearing 86 deg; Willis Tower 0.91 km at 171 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. Salesforce Tower (333 W Wolf Point Plaza) is within 0.2 km of this point by coordinates.
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:09 at 103.4°, beams 07:23–08:22, burn-off 09:09–10:39 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.95 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.5 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.93 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 7.5 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.5 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 6.6 °C → -1.1 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.0 km (3 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.983, ncep_nbm_conus 0.721, ecmwf_ifs025 0.614, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.369
DuSable Bridge (Michigan Ave) — 26 %, deep fog bank
where41.8888, -87.6244 · map
lookriver mist and lit towers in cloud; shoot up the canyon
featuresChicago River, bridge deckaccessNo hours published; public street bridge (assumed always open to pedestrians; not stated on any page I found). CDOT raises the Main and South Branch bridges for boats in spring and fall (spring 2026 lifts began Wed 22 April, per CDOT news item); fall schedule not checked. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — No bridge-specific drone rule found. CDOT page: "CDOT is responsible for more than 300 bridge and viaduct structures, including 37 operable movable bridges". City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3000 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA C]; no MDW Class C at this point; ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 3.21 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 8.45 nm / 9.72 mi, KORD 13.73 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Soldier Field (1.63 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 0.35 km away at bearing 241 deg; Willis Tower 1.47 km at 221 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. DEM reads 175.6 m here (river surface; every bridge point returned the same value), so the deck is higher by an unmeasured amount. Trump, Wrigley, Tribune and NBC towers are within about 0.5 km.
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:08 at 103.4°, beams 07:22–08:21, burn-off 09:08–10:38 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.95 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.5 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.93 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 7.5 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.5 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 6.6 °C → -1.1 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.0 km (3 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.983, ncep_nbm_conus 0.673, ecmwf_ifs025 0.614, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.369
Kinzie Street Bridge — 26 %, deep fog bank
where41.8891, -87.6395 · map
lookriver mist and lit towers in cloud; shoot up the canyon
featuresChicago River, bridge deckaccessNo hours published; public street bridge (assumed always open to pedestrians; not stated on any page I found). CDOT raises the Main and South Branch bridges for boats in spring and fall (spring 2026 lifts began Wed 22 April, per CDOT news item); fall schedule not checked. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — No bridge-specific drone rule found. CDOT page: "CDOT is responsible for more than 300 bridge and viaduct structures, including 37 operable movable bridges". City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3000 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA C]; no MDW Class C at this point; ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 2.75 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 8.01 nm / 9.22 mi, KORD 13.11 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Soldier Field (1.9 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 0.97 km away at bearing 102 deg; Willis Tower 1.19 km at 166 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. DEM reads 175.6 m (river surface). Nominatim way is the West Kinzie Street bridge; Kinzie St Railroad Bridge is a different structure and was not geocoded.
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:09 at 103.4°, beams 07:23–08:22, burn-off 09:09–10:39 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.95 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.5 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.93 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 7.5 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.4 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 6.6 °C → -1.2 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.0 km (3 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.983, ncep_nbm_conus 0.673, ecmwf_ifs025 0.613, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.37
Clark Street Bridge — 26 %, deep fog bank
where41.8875, -87.6310 · map
lookriver mist and lit towers in cloud; shoot up the canyon
featuresChicago River, bridge deckaccessNo hours published; public street bridge (assumed always open to pedestrians; not stated on any page I found). CDOT raises the Main and South Branch bridges for boats in spring and fall (spring 2026 lifts began Wed 22 April, per CDOT news item); fall schedule not checked. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — No bridge-specific drone rule found. CDOT page: "CDOT is responsible for more than 300 bridge and viaduct structures, including 37 operable movable bridges". City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3000 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA C]; no MDW Class C at this point; ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 2.94 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 8.19 nm / 9.42 mi, KORD 13.49 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Soldier Field (1.64 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 0.25 km away at bearing 95 deg; Willis Tower 1.06 km at 203 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. DEM reads 175.6 m (river surface).
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:08 at 103.4°, beams 07:22–08:21, burn-off 09:08–10:38 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.95 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.5 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.93 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 7.5 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.2 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 6.4 °C → -1.2 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.0 km (3 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.983, ncep_nbm_conus 0.673, ecmwf_ifs025 0.614, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.369
Chicago Riverwalk - between the Clark St and DuSable bridges (State/Wabash reach) — 25 %, deep fog bank
where41.8872, -87.6272 · map
looktowers vanishing into a low deck from street level; mist glow from the river at dawn
featuresChicago River (main branch), walkway below Upper Wacker Drive (per Riverwalk FAQ)accessChicago Riverwalk FAQ: "The Riverwalk is open from 6 am to 11 pm." Home page: "Free to the public | Hours 6 am - 11 pm". ADA ramps at "East side of State Street", "West side of Clark Street". Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — No drone rule on the Riverwalk FAQ or home page (searched both for 'drone': none). City rules apply: City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3000 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA C]; no MDW Class C at this point; ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 3.06 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 8.29 nm / 9.54 mi, KORD 13.65 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Soldier Field (1.57 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 0.07 km away at bearing 276 deg; Willis Tower 1.19 km at 217 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. Elevation 178.3 m is the DEM at the polygon centroid; the riverside walkway itself is a few metres lower. Fog/low cloud: river channel air is a likely first place for pooled fog, unverified.
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:08 at 103.4°, beams 07:22–08:21, burn-off 09:08–10:38 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.95 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.5 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.93 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 7.5 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.4 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 6.6 °C → -1.2 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.0 km (3 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.983, ncep_nbm_conus 0.666, ecmwf_ifs025 0.613, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.37
Milton Lee Olive Park (Olive Park) — 25 %, deep fog bank
where41.8942, -87.6103 · map
lookskyline across the water: a deck cutting the towers, or lake fog rolling onto the shore
featuresLake Michigan shoreline, manmade peninsula (CPD Ohio Street Beach page), skyline viewaccessunknown for the park itself. Neighbouring Ohio Street Beach (CPD): "The beach is open from 6 am to 11 pm". Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
droneunknown — unknown: managed independently of the Park District per its page, so the Park Code permit rule may not apply; call (312) 744-6635 per the CPD list. City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3000 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA C]; no MDW Class C at this point; ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 3.91 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 9.11 nm / 10.49 mi, KORD 14.2 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Soldier Field (1.93 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 1.65 km away at bearing 242 deg; Willis Tower 2.73 km at 231 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. CPD's Ohio Street Beach page: "a 10-acre park that was later named for African-American war hero Milton Olive, III" (by WebFetch).
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:08 at 103.4°, beams 07:22–08:21, burn-off 09:08–10:38 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.96 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.6 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.89 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 7.2 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.7 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 7.0 °C → -1.3 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.0 km (4 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.982, ncep_nbm_conus 0.673, ecmwf_ifs025 0.614, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.368
Ohio Street Beach — 25 %, deep fog bank
where41.8935, -87.6126 · map
lookskyline across the water: a deck cutting the towers, or lake fog rolling onto the shore
featuresLake Michigan beach, skyline viewaccessCPD page (curl 200): "The beach is open from 6 am to 11 pm, but swimming is only permitted during the beach season when lifeguards are on duty from 11 am to 7 pm". Beach season: "the Friday before Memorial Day, through Labor Day". So it is closed 11 pm-6 am. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — Chicago Park District Code ch. VII sec. C.3.a (Rev. 09/2025): "No person shall, without a permit: ... (11) bring, land or cause to ascend or descend or alight within the Park District, any airplane, helicopter, flying machine, balloon, parachute or other apparatus for aviation;". The Code never uses the word 'drone', but the Park District permit page lists "Flying Machine (e.g. drones)" among the features that need a Special Event Permit. City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3000 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA C]; no MDW Class C at this point; ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 3.8 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 9.01 nm / 10.37 mi, KORD 14.12 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Soldier Field (1.88 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 1.45 km away at bearing 242 deg; Willis Tower 2.54 km at 230 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet.
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:08 at 103.4°, beams 07:22–08:21, burn-off 09:08–10:38 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.96 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.6 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.88 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 7.1 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.8 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 7.1 °C → -1.3 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.0 km (4 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.981, ncep_nbm_conus 0.664, ecmwf_ifs025 0.614, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.367
Oak Street Beach / Lakefront Trail at Oak St — 25 %, deep fog bank
where41.9030, -87.6229 · map
lookskyline across the water: a deck cutting the towers, or lake fog rolling onto the shore
featuresLake Michigan beach, Lakefront Trail, skyline viewaccessCPD page (curl 200): "The beach is open from 6 am to 11 pm". Lakefront Trail CPD page lists no hours; a notice posted 9/14-9/15/26 says repairs "will be starting in the next few weeks" in sections from the south end, with detours possible. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — Chicago Park District Code ch. VII sec. C.3.a (Rev. 09/2025): "No person shall, without a permit: ... (11) bring, land or cause to ascend or descend or alight within the Park District, any airplane, helicopter, flying machine, balloon, parachute or other apparatus for aviation;". The Code never uses the word 'drone', but the Park District permit page lists "Flying Machine (e.g. drones)" among the features that need a Special Event Permit. City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3000 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA C]; no MDW Class C at this point; ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 3.86 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 9.13 nm / 10.51 mi, KORD 13.49 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Soldier Field (2.45 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 1.79 km away at bearing 194 deg; Willis Tower 2.9 km at 202 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. Oak Street is 1.8 km from the tower centroid; 875 N Michigan is about 0.5 km away by coordinates.
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:08 at 103.4°, beams 07:22–08:21, burn-off 09:08–10:38 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.96 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.6 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.88 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 7.1 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.8 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 7.1 °C → -1.3 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.0 km (4 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.981, ncep_nbm_conus 0.665, ecmwf_ifs025 0.614, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.367
Montrose Harbor — 25 %, deep fog bank
where41.9611, -87.6392 · map
lookskyline across the water: a deck cutting the towers, or lake fog rolling onto the shore
featuresharbor, Lake Michigan shoreline, skyline viewaccessHarbor page gives no extractable hours; it says "Located Within: Lincoln (Abraham) Park", whose CPD page (curl 200) lists "6:00 am-11:00 pm". Code B.2 bars being in an unfenced park 11:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — Chicago Park District Code ch. VII sec. C.3.a (Rev. 09/2025): "No person shall, without a permit: ... (11) bring, land or cause to ascend or descend or alight within the Park District, any airplane, helicopter, flying machine, balloon, parachute or other apparatus for aviation;". The Code never uses the word 'drone', but the Park District permit page lists "Flying Machine (e.g. drones)" among the features that need a Special Event Permit. City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3000 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA C]; no MDW Class C at this point; ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 5.88 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 11.69 nm / 13.45 mi, KORD 12.04 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Wrigley Field (1.07 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 8.25 km away at bearing 174 deg; Willis Tower 9.16 km at 178 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. Inside Wrigley Field's 3 nm stadium circle (1.07 nm).
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:09 at 103.4°, beams 07:23–08:22, burn-off 09:09–10:39 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.94 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.4 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.89 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 7.2 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.8 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 9.3 °C → -3.5 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.0 km (4 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.978, ncep_nbm_conus 0.644, ecmwf_ifs025 0.614, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.364
Montrose Point (Bird Sanctuary) — 25 %, deep fog bank
where41.9630, -87.6332 · map
lookskyline across the water: a deck cutting the towers, or lake fog rolling onto the shore
featuresLake Michigan shoreline, natural area / bird sanctuary, skyline viewaccessCPD page (WebFetch; curl got HTTP 202): "Natural areas are open from dawn to dusk daily." 'Dawn' is not defined on the page, so pre-sunrise access is unconfirmed. Address 200 W. Montrose Harbor Dr. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — Chicago Park District Code ch. VII sec. C.3.a (Rev. 09/2025): "No person shall, without a permit: ... (11) bring, land or cause to ascend or descend or alight within the Park District, any airplane, helicopter, flying machine, balloon, parachute or other apparatus for aviation;". The Code never uses the word 'drone', but the Park District permit page lists "Flying Machine (e.g. drones)" among the features that need a Special Event Permit. City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. The sanctuary page itself has no drone text. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3000 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA C]; no MDW Class C at this point; ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 6.15 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 11.91 nm / 13.71 mi, KORD 12.3 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Wrigley Field (1.35 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 8.43 km away at bearing 177 deg; Willis Tower 9.37 km at 181 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. Skyline centroid is 8.4 km away.
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:09 at 103.4°, beams 07:23–08:22, burn-off 09:09–10:39 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.94 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.4 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.91 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 7.3 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.7 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 9.2 °C → -3.5 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.0 km (4 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.979, ncep_nbm_conus 0.644, ecmwf_ifs025 0.613, icon_seamless 0.672 · spread 0.366
North Avenue Beach — 24 %, deep fog bank
where41.9185, -87.6280 · map
lookskyline across the water: a deck cutting the towers, or lake fog rolling onto the shore
featuresLake Michigan beach, skyline viewaccessCPD page (curl 200): "The beach is open from 6 am to 11 pm"; lifeguards 11 am-7 pm in beach season only. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — Chicago Park District Code ch. VII sec. C.3.a (Rev. 09/2025): "No person shall, without a permit: ... (11) bring, land or cause to ascend or descend or alight within the Park District, any airplane, helicopter, flying machine, balloon, parachute or other apparatus for aviation;". The Code never uses the word 'drone', but the Park District permit page lists "Flying Machine (e.g. drones)" among the features that need a Special Event Permit. City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3000 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA C]; no MDW Class C at this point; ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 4.49 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 9.73 nm / 11.2 mi, KORD 12.99 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Wrigley Field (2.16 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 3.47 km away at bearing 180 deg; Willis Tower 4.47 km at 188 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. Not inside the Soldier Field circle but inside Wrigley Field's (2.16 nm).
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:09 at 103.4°, beams 07:23–08:22, burn-off 09:09–10:39 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 1.00 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 0.0 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 0.96 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.6 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.88 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 7.1 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.8 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 7.1 °C → -1.3 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 1.00 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 0.0 km (4 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.981, ncep_nbm_conus 0.602, ecmwf_ifs025 0.614, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.379
Northerly Island (park; former Meigs Field) — 22 %, deep fog bank
where41.8602, -87.6083 · map
lookskyline across the water: a deck cutting the towers, or lake fog rolling onto the shore
featuresLake Michigan shoreline, park and natural area, skyline viewaccessNortherly Island Park page (WebFetch; curl got HTTP 202): every day "6:00 am-11:00 pm". Natural areas (CPD natural-areas FAQ, curl 200): "Natural Areas are open from dawn to dusk." Address 1521 S. Linn White Dr. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — Chicago Park District Code ch. VII sec. C.3.a (Rev. 09/2025): "No person shall, without a permit: ... (11) bring, land or cause to ascend or descend or alight within the Park District, any airplane, helicopter, flying machine, balloon, parachute or other apparatus for aviation;". The Code never uses the word 'drone', but the Park District permit page lists "Flying Machine (e.g. drones)" among the features that need a Special Event Permit. City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. Natural areas: FAQ text found contains no drone rule. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3600 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA D]; MDW CLASS C 2300 MSL-3600 MSL (outer shelf, far above 400 ft AGL); ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 2.77 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 7.86 nm / 9.05 mi, KORD 15.12 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Soldier Field (0.4 nm), Rate Field (White Sox) (2.15 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 3.43 km away at bearing 332 deg; Willis Tower 3.08 km at 312 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. The US_Airport layer within 12 km of the Loop lists only heliports (type HP), no airport (type AD), so the former Meigs Field is not an airport now. The CPD page says the visitor center closes for Bears home games.
suncivil dawn 06:40, sunrise 07:08 at 103.4°, beams 07:22–08:21, burn-off 09:08–10:38 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 0.70 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.3 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 1.00 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 2.3 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 1.00 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 8.4 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 4.7 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 6.5 °C → -1.8 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 0.10 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 12.2 km (0 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.775, ncep_nbm_conus 0.692, ecmwf_ifs025 0.821, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.164
31st Street Beach (Margaret T. Burroughs Beach) — 21 %, deep fog bank
where41.8395, -87.6067 · map
lookskyline across the water: a deck cutting the towers, or lake fog rolling onto the shore
featuresLake Michigan beach, skyline viewaccessCPD page (curl 200): "The beach is open from 6 am to 11 pm"; Burnham Park page: "Park Hours ... 6:00 am-11:00 pm". Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — Chicago Park District Code ch. VII sec. C.3.a (Rev. 09/2025): "No person shall, without a permit: ... (11) bring, land or cause to ascend or descend or alight within the Park District, any airplane, helicopter, flying machine, balloon, parachute or other apparatus for aviation;". The Code never uses the word 'drone', but the Park District permit page lists "Flying Machine (e.g. drones)" among the features that need a Special Event Permit. City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3600 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA D]; MDW CLASS C 2300 MSL-3600 MSL (outer shelf, far above 400 ft AGL); ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 2.08 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 7.29 nm / 8.39 mi, KORD 15.79 nm. Inside the 3 nm stadium-TFR circle of: Soldier Field (1.44 nm), Rate Field (White Sox) (1.34 nm) (only on event days). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 5.6 km away at bearing 342 deg; Willis Tower 4.99 km at 331 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. Inside the circles of both Soldier Field (1.44 nm) and Rate Field (1.34 nm).
suncivil dawn 06:39, sunrise 07:08 at 103.4°, beams 07:22–08:21, burn-off 09:08–10:38 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 0.70 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 1.3 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 1.00 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 2.3 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 1 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 1.00 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 8.4 °C
- moisture: 1.00 — crossover: forecast night minimum 4.7 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 6.5 °C → -1.8 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm
- model signal: 0.10 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 12.2 km (0 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.775, ncep_nbm_conus 0.646, ecmwf_ifs025 0.821, icon_seamless 0.657 · spread 0.175
Promontory Point (Hyde Park) — 12 %, deep fog bank
where41.7959, -87.5772 · map
lookskyline across the water: a deck cutting the towers, or lake fog rolling onto the shore
featuresLake Michigan shoreline, peninsula, skyline viewaccessCPD page (curl 200): "Park Hours ... Sunday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm" ... every day 6:00 am-11:00 pm. Sun data (api.sunrise-sunset.org, 41.888,-87.625): sunrise 07:02 CDT and civil dawn 06:36 on 16 Oct; civil dawn 06:53 on 31 Oct; 05:54 CST on 1 Nov; 06:26 on 30 Nov; 06:43 on 21 Dec. So a 6:00 am opening is before civil dawn on almost every fog-season day, but only by 6 minutes on 1 Nov.
dronepermit — Chicago Park District Code ch. VII sec. C.3.a (Rev. 09/2025): "No person shall, without a permit: ... (11) bring, land or cause to ascend or descend or alight within the Park District, any airplane, helicopter, flying machine, balloon, parachute or other apparatus for aviation;". The Code never uses the word 'drone', but the Park District permit page lists "Flying Machine (e.g. drones)" among the features that need a Special Event Permit. City ordinance MCC 10-36-400(b) (substitute ordinance SO2015-5419, passed 18 Nov 2015; City Clerk PDF): no person shall operate a small unmanned aircraft in city airspace "(1) except for hobby or recreational purposes only"; "(2) directly over any person who is not involved in the operation ... without such person's consent"; "(3) over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner's consent"; "(4) at an altitude higher than 400 feet above ground level"; "(6) within five miles of any airport"; "(8) between dusk and dawn". Chicago Film Office page: "The City of Chicago does not issue permits that are specific to drone operations" but in "downtown Chicago ... the City of Chicago and Chicago Police will need to review and approve flight plans" for commercial flights. Current text of 10-36-400 on amlegal could not be fetched (Cloudflare 403), so later amendments are unchecked. source
airspaceFAA Class_Airspace point query: ORD CLASS B 3600 MSL-10000 MSL [AREA D]; MDW CLASS C 2300 MSL-3600 MSL (outer shelf, far above 400 ft AGL); ORD Mode C veil (SFC-10,000 MSL); Chicago Class E5 floor 700 ft AGL; surface is Class G. No UAS Facility Map cell at the point (FAA_UAS_FacilityMap_Data; nearest cell 2.7 nm away, ceiling 400 ft, map effective 10/1/2026). Distances to airport reference points (AirNav): KMDW 7.88 nm / 9.07 mi, KORD 18.36 nm. Outside all three stadium circles (Soldier Field 4.36 nm, Rate Field 3.25 nm, Wrigley 9.79 nm). No national-security UAS restriction polygon at the point (nearest: MCC Chicago, Surface-400 ft AGL, about 41.8766 N 87.6304 W).
notesSkyline view: centre of the 15 target towers is 11.0 km away at bearing 337 deg; Willis Tower 10.42 km at 332 deg (great-circle from the point, computed). drive_minutes_est is null: no Chicago home point exists in data/regions.json yet. Skyline is 11 km away; the farthest vantage on this list.
suncivil dawn 06:39, sunrise 07:08 at 103.4°, beams 07:22–08:21, burn-off 09:08–10:38 est.
rain 48 h0.0 mm (Open-Meteo ICON assimilated past days (model analysis, not a gauge))
- dewpoint depression: 0.20 — min T−Td in the 3 h before sunrise = 2.8 °C (≤1 °C strongly favours fog, >3 °C rarely fogs)
- wind: 1.00 — mean 10 m wind in the 3 h before sunrise = 2.9 kt (2–5 kt ideal; calm gives only shallow fog; >8 kt mixes it out)
- sky: 1.00 — overnight mid+high levels cloud = 0 % (clear sky lets the ground radiate and cool)
- cooling: 0.40 — temperature fall 18:00 → sunrise = 8.0 °C; part of this is cold advection, not radiation (discounted)
- moisture: 0.20 — crossover: forecast night minimum 5.1 °C vs afternoon dewpoint 6.6 °C → -1.5 °C; rain last 48 h = 0.0 mm; BUT dewpoint falls 4.3 °C by dawn — drier air moving in, crossover rule discounted
- model signal: 0.10 — model's own visibility minimum before sunrise = 14.6 km (0 h ≤ 1 km overnight)
per-model blend: gfs_hrrr 0.485, ncep_nbm_conus 0.665, ecmwf_ifs025 0.832, icon_seamless 0.626 · spread 0.347
