Cottonwood Lake Seaplane Base (3H3) Area Aviation Weather & Runway Winds
As of 9:41 AM AKDT, Oct 28, based on the nearest station (PAAQ), 3H3 is currently LIFR with winds from 110° at 3 knots, visibility 1/4 statute mile, and a 100 ft ceiling.
Aviation weather near Cottonwood Lake Seaplane Base in Wasilla, AK, decoded from the nearest reporting station (PAAQ): conditions and runway crosswinds.
Cottonwood Lake Seaplane Base (3H3) is a seaplane base in Wasilla, AK. 3H3 has no weather station of its own. Conditions here are decoded from PAAQ, about 7 nm away, the nearest reporting station, and local conditions can differ. It has one runway (06/24), the longest 4,000 ft. The nearest TAF is issued for PAAQ.
No weather station at this airport: showing the nearest station PAAQ, 6.5 nm away.
Wind from the east-southeast (110°) at 3 kt, visibility 1/4 statute mile, sky obscured at 100 ft, temperature -6°C (21°F), altimeter 30.32 inHg. Conditions are Low IFR (LIFR), ceiling 100 ft.
SPECI PAAQ 281741Z 11003KT M1/4SM FZFG VV001 M06/M07 A3032 RMK AO2 T10611072
What changed at PAAQ (nearest station)?
Since the 1718Z (9:18 AM AKDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.
No significant changes since the 1718Z (9:18 AM AKDT) report, conditions are holding steady.
The latest report is an off-schedule special (SPECI), issued because conditions changed significantly. What is a SPECI? →
Current pilot readout for 3H3
Based on the nearest station (PAAQ), 3H3 is currently LIFR with winds from 110° at 3 knots, visibility 1/4 statute mile, and a 100 ft ceiling. the wind favors east-facing runway ends (06). Density altitude is approximately -2,650 ft (field elevation 300 ft). Review the latest TAF below for forecast changes before departure.
New to aviation weather? How to read a METAR → · What VFR/MVFR/IFR mean → · Decode any METAR/TAF → · Density altitude calculator →
Runway wind check
Estimated head/tailwind and crosswind for each runway end from the current reported wind.
| Runway | Length | Surface | Head / Tail | Crosswind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06FAV | 4,000 ft | WATER | 3 kt head | 1 kt right |
| 24 | 4,000 ft | WATER | 3 kt tail | 1 kt left |
Open the crosswind calculator to try your own wind and runway numbers →
3H3 runways
1 physical runway · 2 runway ends. Each card opens the runway's intelligence page: equipment and lighting, LAHSO, frequencies, today's configuration, predicted use, history and approaches.
- Status not monitoredRunway 06/244,000 × 800 ft · WATERCurrent useno stated-runway source at 3H3Wind
- 06
- 3 kt headwind · 1 kt crosswind from right
- 24
- 3 kt tailwind · 1 kt crosswind from left
no active equipment NOTAM receivedView Runway Intelligence →
“Current use” is what the facilitystates; wind components are arithmetic on the current METAR against TRUE headings; status reflects NOTAMs received through SWIM, the tower's TFDM record and the D-ATIS — a runway reads “Open” only with a complete NOTAM picture.
24-hour trend
Wind, ceiling and flight category over the last 24 hours.
Over the last 24 h: wind 9→3 kt, ceiling unlimited → 100 ft.
3H3 weather radar
Live NEXRAD + lightning, with a 4-hour future-radar forecast. Drag to pan, tap ⚡ to toggle lightning.
Radar: NOAA/NWS via IEM · Forecast: NOAA HRRR · Lightning: NOAA · Map © Stadia Maps © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap
NOAA NEXRAD composite and lightning, updated about every five minutes; amber frames are HRRR model guidance, not observed radar. Not for navigation.
Pilot reports (PIREPs) within 100 NM of 3H3
Reported by pilots in flight over the past 6 hours, via aviationweather.gov.
Show raw report
ENA UA /OV 10N ENA/TM 1725/FL040/TP C208/SK CLR/TB NEG
ENA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV 10N ENALocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1725Reported at 17:25 UTC.FL040Altitude: 4,000 ft MSL.TP C208Aircraft type reporting.SK CLRSky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.Show raw report
ANC UA /OV TED020010/TM 1721/FL080/TP B739/SK VMC/TB NEG/IC NEG/RM DURC
ANC UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV TED020010Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1721Reported at 17:21 UTC.FL080Altitude: 8,000 ft MSL.TP B739Aircraft type reporting.SK VMCSky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.IC NEGIcing: none reported.RM DURCRemarks.Show raw report
MRI UA /OV MRI/TM 1715/FLDURC/TP C208/SK SCT0-BKN002 TOPS007/WX FZFG
MRI UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV MRILocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1715Reported at 17:15 UTC.FLDURCReported during climb.TP C208Aircraft type reporting.SK SCT0-BKN002 TOPS007Sky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.WX FZFGWeather and flight visibility observed.Show raw report
ANC UA /OV TED360010/TM 1650/FL050/TP PC12/SK TOPS 007, VMC ABV/TB NEG/IC NEG/RM DURC
ANC UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV TED360010Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1650Reported at 16:50 UTC.FL050Altitude: 5,000 ft MSL.TP PC12Aircraft type reporting.SK TOPS 007, VMC ABVSky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.IC NEGIcing: none reported.RM DURCRemarks.Show raw report
ANC UA /OV TED190005/TM 1627/FL040/TP B190/SK TOPS 003-004, VMC ABV/TB LGT 015-030, SMOOTH ABOVE/IC NEG/RM DURC
ANC UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV TED190005Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1627Reported at 16:27 UTC.FL040Altitude: 4,000 ft MSL.TP B190Aircraft type reporting.SK TOPS 003-004, VMC ABVSky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.TB LGT 015-030, SMOOTH ABOVETurbulence: light 1,500–3,000 ft, smooth above.IC NEGIcing: none reported.RM DURCRemarks.Show raw report
ANC UA /OV TED020005/TM 1552/FL010/TP BE99/SK TOPS 004, VMC ABV/TB NEG/IC NEG/RM VERY THIN LAYER OVER MRI AND DOWNTOWN
ANC UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV TED020005Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1552Reported at 15:52 UTC.FL010Altitude: 1,000 ft MSL.TP BE99Aircraft type reporting.SK TOPS 004, VMC ABVSky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.IC NEGIcing: none reported.RM VERY THIN LAYER OVER MRI …Remarks.Show raw report
MRI UA /OV MRI/TM 1547/FL005/TP BE99/SK OVC002-TOP005/WX FZFG
MRI UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV MRILocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1547Reported at 15:47 UTC.FL005Altitude: 500 ft MSL.TP BE99Aircraft type reporting.SK OVC002-TOP005Sky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.WX FZFGWeather and flight visibility observed.Show raw report
ANC UA /OV TED 25006/TM 1545/FL006/TP B737/RM NEG TURB, NEG ICE, TOPS 004, APPROACH LIGHTS IN SIGHT003 DURD RWY 7R ANC
ANC UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV TED 25006Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1545Reported at 15:45 UTC.FL006Altitude: 600 ft MSL.TP B737Aircraft type reporting.RM NEG TURB, NEG ICE, TOPS 0…Remarks.⚠️ PIREPs are unverified pilot reports. Not for operational use: conditions change between reports.
Recent aviation weather trends at 3H3
From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.
Over the past 24 hours, the nearest station PAAQ reported a mix of conditions, most often VFR across 38 observations, with 11 flight-category changes. The lowest ceiling was 100 ft. Wind most often came from the N.
Most recent change: IFR → LIFR
Most recent change: VFR → LIFR
Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.
- 06
- 69%
- 24
- 31%
TAF | Terminal Aerodrome Forecast
Issued 1737Z (9:37 AM AKDT)
TAF PAAQ 281737Z 2818/2918 VRB02KT 2SM BR SCT002 TEMPO 2818/2819 1/2SM FZFG VV002 FM282000 35006KT P6SM SCT045 BKN180 FM290700 01007KT P6SM FEW050 BKN100 FM291200 34015KT P6SM -RA BKN050
New to TAFs? How to read one →
Get 3H3 weather alerts in Telegram
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Live crosswind meter
3H3 has no weather feed online, so the wind comes from PAAQ, 6.5 nm away.
Wind is 27° off runway 06, the end with the most headwind right now.
Have a weather station at 3H3? Help us make your field's weather available to every pilot, free. Add your field's wx station →Water · 4,000 ft. Headings from FAA runway data. Not for navigation.
Field aerial
North up
Imagery: USGS The National Map (public domain). Something off? ✏️ Suggest an edit
Airport info
From the FAA airport record (cycle 2026-10-01) and OurAirports.
Services
- Attended
- Unattended
- Control tower
- None
Airport
- Type
- Seaplane base
- FAA LID
- 3H3
- City
- Wasilla
- State
- Alaska
- Country
- United States
- Elevation
- 300 ft
- Coordinates
- 61.5976, -149.3160
- Runways
- 1 physical runway · 2 runway ends
- Longest runway
- 4,000 ft
- Weather reporting
- Nearest station PAAQ
- TAF
- Nearest PAAQ
- Time zone
- America/Anchorage
- Sunset in
- 8h 23m
Run a flight school, FBO, or club here? Embed 3H3's live status on your website, free →
Nearby airports
Compare nearby METAR/TAF stations within 25, 50 and 100 NM before departure or arrival.
Within 25 NM
9 airports+3 more within 25 NM
25–50 NM
5 airports50–100 NM
8 airports+2 more within 100 NM
RC flying fields nearby
AMA model-aircraft club fields around this airport: live wind, crosswind & flyability on each page.
- Alaska Drone Racing League, Alaska Fairgrounds , Palmer, AK · 6 mi
- Mat-Su RC Modelers Club - Moffit Field , Palmer, AK · 6 mi
- Mack Dr. - City of Wasilla , Wasilla, AK · 7 mi
Pilot PIREPs for Cottonwood Lake Seaplane Base (3H3)
Community-submittedCommunity-submitted airport notes from pilots about runway conditions, wildlife, FBOs, fuel, turbulence, ramp access, and local tips.
Read recent community-submitted pilot notes for Cottonwood Lake Seaplane Base, including runway conditions, wildlife activity, FBO/fuel notes, turbulence, ramp access, and local airport tips.
⚠️ Pilot PIREPs on ATIS Alerts are community-submitted airport notes for situational awareness only. They are not official FAA PIREPs, NOTAMs, weather briefings, airport advisories, or flight-planning guidance. Always verify with official FAA/NWS sources, airport management, ATC, and current publications.
No Pilot PIREPs have been submitted for 3H3 yet. Recently flew here? Help the next pilot by leaving a quick airport note.
Pilot PIREPs are community pilot notes for situational awareness only, not official FAA PIREPs or advisories. Verify with official sources. Notes are moderated before they appear; helpful marks and reports help us keep them useful.
⚠️ Not for operational use. Always verify with official FAA-approved preflight weather sources before flight.
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