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Cougar Mountain Airfield (49WA) Area Aviation Weather & Runway Winds

As of 12:35 AM PDT, Oct 28, based on the nearest station (KGRF), 49WA is currently MVFR with winds from 110° at 11 knots, visibility 10+ statute miles, and a 2,800 ft ceiling.

Aviation weather near Cougar Mountain Airfield in Yelm, WA, decoded from the nearest reporting station (KGRF): conditions and runway crosswinds.

Cougar Mountain Airfield (49WA) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around Yelm, WA at a field elevation of 470 ft. 49WA has no weather station of its own. Conditions here are decoded from KGRF, about 14 nm away, the nearest reporting station, and local conditions can differ. It has 2 physical runways (N, S), the longest 3,230 ft. The nearest TAF is issued for KGRF.

Ask ATIS AIAsk anything about 49WA's weather, runways or delays, or search another airport.
MVFR
Observed 0735Z (12:35 AM PDT)live · refreshes every 60s

No weather station at this airport: showing the nearest station KGRF, 14.1 nm away.

Wind
110° 11 kt
Visibility
10+ sm
Ceiling
2,800 ft
Altimeter
29.85"
Temp / Dew
48°F / 9°C
feels like 43°F

Wind from the east-southeast (110°) at 11 kt, visibility 10+ statute miles, broken clouds at 2,800 ft, overcast at 5,000 ft, temperature 9°C (48°F), altimeter 29.85 inHg. Conditions are Marginal VFR (MVFR), ceiling 2,800 ft.

Raw METAR
SPECI KGRF 280735Z AUTO 11011KT 10SM -RA BKN028 OVC050 09/07 A2985 RMK AO2 CIG 028V055 SLP112 $

What changed at KGRF (nearest station)?

Since the 0655Z (11:55 PM PDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.

  • Flight category dropped from VFR to MVFR.
  • Ceiling dropped from 5,000 ft to 2,800 ft.

The latest report is an off-schedule special (SPECI), issued because conditions changed significantly. What is a SPECI? →

Current pilot readout for 49WA

Based on the nearest station (KGRF), 49WA is currently MVFR with winds from 110° at 11 knots, visibility 10+ statute miles, and a 2,800 ft ceiling. Density altitude is approximately -50 ft (field elevation 470 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.

RunwayHead / TailCrosswind
NFAV4 kt tail10 kt right
S4 kt tail10 kt right

Open the crosswind calculator to try your own wind and runway numbers →

24-hour trend

Wind, ceiling and flight category over the last 24 hours.

Wind (kt)Gusts (kt)Bottom strip, flight category:VFRMVFRIFRLIFRNo report
091707Z15Z07Z

Over the last 24 h: wind 0→11 kt, ceiling 5,000 ft → 2,800 ft.

49WA weather radar

Live NEXRAD + lightning, with a 4-hour future-radar forecast. Drag to pan, tap ⚡ to toggle lightning.

Loading…
Loading radar…

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 49WA

Reported by pilots in flight over the past 6 hours, via aviationweather.gov.

PIREP0713Z (12:13 AM PDT) · 52 NM N of 49WA · during climb · B738
light chop turbulence
Show raw report
SEA UA /OV SEA285027/TM 0713/FL180/TP B738/SK TOP180/TB LGT CHOP/IC NEG/RM DURC-ZSE
SEA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV SEA285027Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0713Reported at 07:13 UTC.
FL180Altitude: 18,000 ft MSL.
TP B738Aircraft type reporting.
SK TOP180Sky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.
TB LGT CHOPTurbulence: light chop.
IC NEGIcing: none reported.
RM DURC-ZSERemarks.
PIREP0705Z (12:05 AM PDT) · 96 NM N of 49WA · 23,000 ft MSL · GL7T
Show raw report
PAE UA /OV PAE025035/TM 0705/FL230/TP GL7T/SK TOP230/RM ZSE
PAE UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV PAE025035Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0705Reported at 07:05 UTC.
FL230Altitude: 23,000 ft MSL.
TP GL7TAircraft type reporting.
SK TOP230Sky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.
RM ZSERemarks.
PIREP0632Z (11:32 PM PDT) · 57 NM NE of 49WA · during climb · A21N
light rime 7,000–18,000 ft icing
Show raw report
SEA UA /OV SEA070035/TM 0632/FL200/TP A21N/TA M03/TB NEG/IC LGT RIME 070-180/RM DURC-ZSE
SEA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV SEA070035Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0632Reported at 06:32 UTC.
FL200Altitude: 20,000 ft MSL.
TP A21NAircraft type reporting.
TA M03Outside air temperature, °C.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
IC LGT RIME 070-180Icing: light rime 7,000–18,000 ft.
RM DURC-ZSERemarks.
PIREP0625Z (11:25 PM PDT) · 40 NM S of 49WA · 14,000 ft MSL · E75L
light to moderate chop 19,000–14,000 ft turbulence
Show raw report
PDX UA /OV BTG005030/TM 0625/FL140/TP E75L/TB LGT-MOD CHOP 190-140/RM ZSE
PDX UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV BTG005030Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0625Reported at 06:25 UTC.
FL140Altitude: 14,000 ft MSL.
TP E75LAircraft type reporting.
TB LGT-MOD CHOP 190-140Turbulence: light to moderate chop 19,000–14,000 ft.
RM ZSERemarks.
PIREP0619Z (11:19 PM PDT) · 30 NM N of 49WA · 9,000 ft MSL · E75L
lt rime turbulence
Show raw report
SEA UA /OV SEA210008/TM 0619/FL90/TP E75L/SK BASES 50 TOPS 100/TB LT RIME
SEA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV SEA210008Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0619Reported at 06:19 UTC.
FL90Altitude: hundreds of feet MSL. UNKN = unknown; DURC/DURD = during climb/descent.
TP E75LAircraft type reporting.
SK BASES 50 TOPS 100Sky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.
TB LT RIMETurbulence: lt rime.
PIREP0522Z (10:22 PM PDT) · 27 NM N of 49WA · during descent · B738
moderate rime 17,000–8,000 ft icing
Show raw report
SEA UA /OV SEA198011/TM 0522/FL110/TP B738/TA M9/IC MOD RIME 170-080/RM DURD HAWKZ
SEA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV SEA198011Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0522Reported at 05:22 UTC.
FL110Altitude: 11,000 ft MSL.
TP B738Aircraft type reporting.
TA M9Outside air temperature, °C.
IC MOD RIME 170-080Icing: moderate rime 17,000–8,000 ft.
RM DURD HAWKZRemarks.
PIREP0520Z (10:20 PM PDT) · 34 NM NE of 49WA · during descent · B38M
light rime 16,000–9,000 ft icing
Show raw report
SEA UA /OV SEA110007/TM 0520/FL110/TP B38M/TA M1/IC LGT RIME 160-090/RM DURD CHINS
SEA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV SEA110007Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0520Reported at 05:20 UTC.
FL110Altitude: 11,000 ft MSL.
TP B38MAircraft type reporting.
TA M1Outside air temperature, °C.
IC LGT RIME 160-090Icing: light rime 16,000–9,000 ft.
RM DURD CHINSRemarks.
PIREP0505Z (10:05 PM PDT) · 32 NM N of 49WA · 3,200 ft MSL · B738
Show raw report
SEA UA /OV SEA161005/TM 0505/FL032/TP B738/SK BKN 032 CLR 060/RM BASES 032 TOPS 060
SEA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV SEA161005Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0505Reported at 05:05 UTC.
FL032Altitude: 3,200 ft MSL.
TP B738Aircraft type reporting.
SK BKN 032 CLR 060Sky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.
RM BASES 032 TOPS 060Remarks.

⚠️ PIREPs are unverified pilot reports. Not for operational use: conditions change between reports.

Recent aviation weather trends at 49WA

From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.

Over the past 24 hours, the nearest station KGRF reported a mix of conditions, most often VFR across 101 observations, with 46 flight-category changes. The strongest gust reached 15 kt, the lowest ceiling was 500 ft. Wind most often came from the SE.

Last 24 hours
VFR 50%MVFR 37%IFR 9%LIFR 5%
Wind avg/max: 4/12 kt
Max gust: 15 kt
Lowest ceiling: 500 ft
Lowest vis: -
Prevailing wind: SE
Category changes: 46

Most recent change: VFR → MVFR

Last 7 days
VFR 81%MVFR 12%IFR 1%LIFR 6%
Wind avg/max: 3/11 kt
Max gust: -
Lowest ceiling: 100 ft
Lowest vis: 0.13 sm
Prevailing wind: SE
Category changes: 27

Most recent change: MVFR → VFR

Wind-favored runway - past 30 days

Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.

N/S
100%

TAF | Terminal Aerodrome Forecast

Issued 0535Z (10:35 PM PDT)

TAF AMD KGRF 280535Z 2805/2911 18015G25KT 8000 SHRA BKN025 640507 510005 QNH2986INS BECMG 2806/2807 18015G25KT 8000 SHRA BKN010 640507 510005 QNH2986INS TEMPO 2807/2811 3200 BR SCT005 BECMG 2811/2812 20010G20KT 9999 VCSH BKN015 QNH2986INS BECMG 2819/2820 20010G20KT 9999 NSW BKN030 QNH2994INS BECMG 2905/2906 18009KT 8000 -SHRA BKN020 610406 QNH2997INS TX11/2820Z TN07/2815Z

New to TAFs? How to read one →

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Field aerial

North up

Aerial photo of Cougar Mountain Airfield (49WA)
N ↑

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
24 hours
Landing fee
No
Control tower
None
Wind indicator
Unlighted

Airport

Type
General aviation airport
FAA LID
49WA
City
Yelm
State
Washington
Country
United States
Elevation
470 ft
Coordinates
46.8470, -122.5220
Runways
2 physical runways · 2 runway ends
Longest runway
3,230 ft
Weather reporting
Nearest station KGRF
TAF
Nearest KGRF
Time zone
America/Los_Angeles
Next sunset
17h 9m

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Nearby airports

Compare nearby METAR/TAF stations within 25, 50 and 100 NM before departure or arrival.

VFRMVFRIFRLIFRNo report

RC flying fields nearby

AMA model-aircraft club fields around this airport: live wind, crosswind & flyability on each page.

All RC flying fields →

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Pilot PIREPs for Cougar Mountain Airfield (49WA)

Community-submitted

Community-submitted airport notes from pilots about runway conditions, wildlife, FBOs, fuel, turbulence, ramp access, and local tips.

Read recent community-submitted pilot notes for Cougar Mountain Airfield, 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 49WA 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.

Spotted incorrect airport info? ✏️ Suggest an edit

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