Shoals Creek Seaplane Base (AL46) Area Aviation Weather & Runway Winds
As of 7:53 AM CDT, Oct 28, based on the nearest station (KMSL), AL46 is currently VFR with winds from 120° at 4 knots, visibility 7 statute miles, and no ceiling reported.
Aviation weather near Shoals Creek Seaplane Base in Florence, AL, decoded from the nearest reporting station (KMSL): conditions and runway crosswinds.
Shoals Creek Seaplane Base (AL46) is a seaplane base in Florence, AL. AL46 has no weather station of its own. Conditions here are decoded from KMSL, about 10 nm away, the nearest reporting station, and local conditions can differ. It has 6 physical runways (02W, 08W, 17W, 20W, 26W, …), the longest 11,000 ft. The nearest TAF is issued for KMSL.
No weather station at this airport: showing the nearest station KMSL, 9.5 nm away.
Wind from the east-southeast (120°) at 4 kt, visibility 7 statute miles, no cloud data, temperature 9°C (48°F), altimeter 30.29 inHg. Conditions are Visual Flight Rules (VFR).
METAR KMSL 281253Z AUTO 12004KT 7SM CLR 09/08 A3029 RMK AO2 SLP255 T00890083 $
What changed at KMSL (nearest station)?
Since the 1153Z (6:53 AM CDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.
- Visibility moved from 10 SM to 7 SM.
Current pilot readout for AL46
Based on the nearest station (KMSL), AL46 is currently VFR with winds from 120° at 4 knots, visibility 7 statute miles, and no ceiling reported. Density altitude is approximately -550 ft (field elevation 510 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02WFAV | 6,200 ft | WATER | 2 kt tail | 3 kt right |
| 08W | 6,500 ft | WATER | 2 kt tail | 3 kt right |
| 17W | 11,000 ft | WATER | 2 kt tail | 3 kt right |
| 20W | 6,200 ft | WATER | 2 kt tail | 3 kt right |
| 26W | 6,500 ft | WATER | 2 kt tail | 3 kt right |
| 35W | 11,000 ft | WATER | 2 kt tail | 3 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.
Over the last 23 h: wind 0→4 kt, ceiling 200 ft → unlimited.
AL46 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 AL46
Reported by pilots in flight over the past 6 hours, via aviationweather.gov.
Show raw report
BHM UA /OV VUZ/TM 1255/FL300/TP A321/SK TOP 300/RM ZTLFD-03
BHM UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV VUZLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1255Reported at 12:55 UTC.FL300Altitude: 30,000 ft MSL.TP A321Aircraft type reporting.SK TOP 300Sky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.RM ZTLFD-03Remarks.Show raw report
BNA UA /OV SYI045020/TM 1225/FL140/TP BE20/TB LGT-MOD CHOP 125-140/RM ZME 60
BNA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV SYI045020Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1225Reported at 12:25 UTC.FL140Altitude: 14,000 ft MSL.TP BE20Aircraft type reporting.TB LGT-MOD CHOP 125-140Turbulence: light to moderate chop 12,500–14,000 ft.RM ZME 60Remarks.Show raw report
M54 UA /OV M54/TM 1204/FL210/TP CL35/SK TOP210/TB CONS LGT CAT 160-210/RM ZME 41
M54 UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV M54Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1204Reported at 12:04 UTC.FL210Altitude: 21,000 ft MSL.TP CL35Aircraft type reporting.SK TOP210Sky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.TB CONS LGT CAT 160-210Turbulence: continuous light clear-air turbulence 16,000–21,000 ft.RM ZME 41Remarks.Show raw report
BNA UA /OV BNA180020/TM 1110/FL130/TP B738/TB CONS MOD CHOP 130-210/RM ZME60
BNA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV BNA180020Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1110Reported at 11:10 UTC.FL130Altitude: 13,000 ft MSL.TP B738Aircraft type reporting.TB CONS MOD CHOP 130-210Turbulence: continuous moderate chop 13,000–21,000 ft.RM ZME60Remarks.Show raw report
BNA UA /OV BNA135040/TM 0859/FL310/TP A321/TB CONS LGT OCNL MOD/RM ZME62
BNA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV BNA135040Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 0859Reported at 08:59 UTC.FL310Altitude: 31,000 ft MSL.TP A321Aircraft type reporting.TB CONS LGT OCNL MODTurbulence: continuous light occasional moderate.RM ZME62Remarks.⚠️ PIREPs are unverified pilot reports. Not for operational use: conditions change between reports.
Recent aviation weather trends at AL46
From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.
Over the past 24 hours, the nearest station KMSL reported mostly VFR across 27 observations, with 1 flight-category change. The lowest ceiling was 200 ft. Wind most often came from the E.
Most recent change: LIFR → VFR
Most recent change: LIFR → VFR
Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.
- 02W/08W/17W/20W/26W/35W
- 100%
TAF | Terminal Aerodrome Forecast
Issued 1130Z (6:30 AM CDT)
TAF KMSL 281130Z 2812/2912 VRB03KT P6SM SCT250
New to TAFs? How to read one →
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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
- Fuel
- 100LL
- Attended
- Unattended
- Landing fee
- No
- Control tower
- None
- Wind indicator
- Unlighted
Airport
- Type
- Seaplane base
- FAA LID
- AL46
- City
- Florence
- State
- Alabama
- Country
- United States
- Elevation
- 510 ft
- Coordinates
- 34.9026, -87.5872
- Runways
- 6 physical runways · 6 runway ends
- Longest runway
- 11,000 ft
- Weather reporting
- Nearest station KMSL
- TAF
- Nearest KMSL
- Time zone
- America/Chicago
- Sunset in
- 9h 23m
Run a flight school, FBO, or club here? Embed AL46'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
5 airports25–50 NM
9 airports+3 more within 50 NM
50–100 NM
7 airports+1 more within 100 NM
RC flying fields nearby
AMA model-aircraft club fields around this airport: live wind, crosswind & flyability on each page.
- Quad Cities Radio Control - Colbert County Landfill , Tuscumbia, AL · 15 mi
Pilot PIREPs for Shoals Creek Seaplane Base (AL46)
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 Shoals Creek 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 AL46 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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