John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK, KJFK) serves New York, USA and has 4 runways. Below you can see the latest wind and weather report, how that wind lines up with every runway end, and what the layout means for how the airport works.
The runways fall into two groups, running north-west to south-east and north-east to south-west. With two directions to choose from, one group usually points reasonably close to the wind. Headings are true (not magnetic), so they differ from the runway number by the local magnetic variation.
| Runway | Length | Width | True headings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13R / 31L | 4,423 m (14,511 ft) | 61 m | 121° / 301° |
| 04L / 22R | 3,682 m (12,080 ft) | 61 m | 031° / 211° |
| 13L / 31R | 3,048 m (10,000 ft) | 61 m | 121° / 301° |
| 04R / 22L | 2,560 m (8,399 ft) | 61 m | 031° / 211° |
Aircraft take off and land into the wind whenever they can. A headwind slows the ground speed at touchdown, shortens the runway needed and gives better control. A tailwind does the opposite, so airports normally limit it to a few knots. A crosswind (wind across the runway) is harder on the pilots, and large jets have a limit on how much they can accept.
Each runway has two ends, numbered by compass heading divided by ten, so 27 points west and 09 points east. The same strip of tarmac is used in either direction depending on the wind, and parallel runways add L, C and R (left, centre, right) to tell them apart.
JFK's four runways form two crossing pairs, one pair running north-west to south-east and the other north-east to south-west. That crossing layout is what lets the airport keep working when the wind swings: whichever way it blows, one of the pairs usually points close to it. The longest, 13R/31L, nicknamed the Bay Runway, is about 14,500 ft (4.4 km) long, among the longest at any US airport. Sea breezes off the Atlantic make the wind direction change through the day, especially in summer.
AeroGaze can't see air traffic control's runway plan. It shows the latest wind from the KJFK METAR set against each of the 4 runways: aircraft take off and land into the wind where they can, so the runway ends with the strongest headwind are the likely candidates. Noise rules, traffic and the forecast also play a part, so treat it as a guide, not a fact.
John F. Kennedy International Airport has 4 runways: 13R/31L, 04L/22R, 13L/31R, 04R/22L. The runways fall into two groups, running north-west to south-east and north-east to south-west. With two directions to choose from, one group usually points reasonably close to the wind.
Runway 13R/31L, at 4,423 m (14,511 ft) long and 61 m wide.
There is no single limit. Each aircraft type has a demonstrated crosswind figure, commonly in the range of 30 to 40 knots for large jets, airlines set their own limits (often lower on wet or contaminated runways), and the pilots decide on the day. When a strong wind blows across the runways at JFK Airport, you see more go-arounds and diversions.
From the METAR reports that NOAA's Aviation Weather Center publishes for KJFK, refreshed about every ten minutes. A METAR is usually issued once an hour, and sooner if conditions change, so the observation time on the page shows how fresh the report is.
They are flight categories based on cloud height and visibility. VFR: cloud base above 3,000 ft and visibility over 5 miles. MVFR (marginal): 1,000 to 3,000 ft or 3 to 5 miles. IFR: 500 to 1,000 ft or 1 to 3 miles. LIFR: below 500 ft or under 1 mile. The lower the category, the more spacing between aircraft and the more delays.
Airport runways and wind today · LAX Airport runways and wind · Chicago O'Hare runways and wind · Atlanta Airport runways and wind · Dallas/Fort Worth Airport runways and wind · Airport delays and weather · London to New York · Edinburgh to New York · Manchester to New York · New York to Los Angeles · New York to Paris · New York to Amsterdam
Airport runways and wind today · Live aircraft tracker
Sources: wind and weather from the NOAA Aviation Weather Center (METAR). Runway coordinates from OurAirports (public domain); runway notes are editorial. AeroGaze is an independent site, not affiliated with any airport or air traffic service.