KDCA Runway 15/33 — Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Name: KDCA Runway 15/33 wind climatology 2005–2025
Creator: ATIS Alerts

5,204 × 150 ft asphalt · true headings 143° / 323° · field elevation 15 ft

Runway 15/33 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) in Washington, DC is 5,204 ft long and 150 ft wide, asphalt, with true headings 143° and 323°. Over 2005–2025 the wind gave runway 15 the headwind 50.4% of the time and runway 33 49.6%, with a crosswind above 15 kt in 0.7% of wind hours. KDCA publishes a digital ATIS, so this page shows the runway the tower is actually using right now and builds a record of how often each end is assigned.

Runway 15/33 — current status

EQUIPMENT OUTAGE (D-ATIS)

RWY 15 PAPI OTS, DCA VOR OTS.

Sources: FAA runway record (OurAirports) · FAA NOTAMs · Tower TFDM configuration (FAA SWIM) · D-ATIS · Tower TFDM 0220Z (10:20 PM EDT) · D-ATIS 0152Z (9:52 PM EDT). Runway NOTAMs stream live from the FAA NOTAM Management Service (SWIM); the official text is shown verbatim below the card. Always confirm with a current briefing.

No received NOTAM currently names runway 15/33 at KDCA. NOTAMs are received live from the FAA NOTAM Management Service through SWIM and recorded since Sep 19, 2026; a NOTAM issued before that and not re-issued since may be missing. Get a full briefing before flight.

Current active runways at KDCA

As stated by the tower — its TFDM surface system and its D-ATIS broadcast. Not an estimate.

Information Romeo · 0152Z (9:52 PM EDT)

Tower configuration (TFDM)

“NORTH_1s” · updated recently

Arrivals

330104

Departures

330104

Airport rates: 32 arrivals / 32 departures per hour. In effect since 2026-09-17 2010Z (4:10 PM EDT).

D-ATIS broadcast

Arrivals

0133

Departures

013304

This D-ATIS configuration has been stated since 1652Z (12:52 PM EDT).

Show the D-ATIS text

DCA ATIS INFO R 0152Z. 03007KT 10SM FEW041 SCT055 BKN090 25/17 A3010 (THREE ZERO ONE ZERO) RMK AO2 SLP191 T02500172. ARRIVALS EXPECT ILS RWY 1. LNDG RWYS 1, 33, DEPG RWYS 1, 33, 4. NOTICE TO AIRMEN. RWY 15 PAPI OTS, DCA VOR OTS. NUMEROUS CRANES IN VICINITY OF AIRPORT. BIRD ACTIVITY. READBACK ALTITUDE ASSIGNMENTS. DEPARTURES TURN ON TRANSPONDERS  BEFORE TAXI. READBACK ALL RWY ASSIGNMENTS AND HOLD SHORT INSTRUCTIONS. DO NOT ENTER PROHIBITED AIRSPACE N OF ARPT. RWY 19 PAPI OTS UFN. ...ADVS YOU HAVE INFO R.

Current wind on Runway 15/33

Wind from the north-northeast (020°) at 7 kt

METAR 0152Z (9:52 PM EDT)

Runway 15

Tailwind: 4 kt
Crosswind: 6 ktfrom left

Runway 33

FAVORED BY WIND

Headwind: 4 kt
Crosswind: 6 ktfrom right

Wind-favored runway at KDCA right now: 04 (7 kt headwind) — a different runway than this one.

Components use TRUE runway headings and TRUE METAR wind. “Favored by wind” is arithmetic, not an ATC assignment.

ATIS Alerts Predicted Runway

Which runway at KDCA is likely to be in use over the next 12 hours — an estimate, not an ATC assignment.

Time	Likely runway	Confidence	Wind
Now0229Z · 10:29 PM EDT	33, 01 and 04active · tower TFDM stated by the tower (TFDM)	stated	020° at 7 kt
+1 h0329Z · 11:29 PM EDT	04then 01	Low51%	020° at 7 kt
+2 h0429Z · 12:29 AM EDT	04then 01	Low48%	020° at 7 kt
+3 h0529Z · 1:29 AM EDT	04then 01	Low45%	020° at 7 kt
+6 h0829Z · 4:29 AM EDT	04then 01	Low36%	020° at 7 kt
+12 h1429Z · 10:29 AM EDT	04then 01	Low26%	040° at 7 kt

ATIS Alerts Predicted Runway is an estimate from the TAF wind forecast and runway geometry (most headwind, crosswind penalised, tailwind over 5 kt avoided, longest runway breaks ties). It is not an ATC assignment and does not know about noise abatement, traffic flow or construction unless the D-ATIS states them. TAF issued 2340Z (7:40 PM EDT).

Tower demand plan (TFDM) · 0215Z–0430Z41 arrivals · 22 departures expected at KDCA

01arr 41 dep 2133arr 0 dep 115arr 0 dep 0

Counts the tower's surface system expects per runway over the next two hours — the tower's plan, not an ATIS Alerts estimate and not an ATC assignment. A runway with zero expected demand is not in the plan for that period. During a runway change the plan can lag the configuration above for a few minutes (flights already assigned to the old runways stay counted there until reassigned).

Traffic management restrictions at KDCA (tower TFDM)as of 0220Z

GDP → DEN · since 09/18 2200Z · by DCC · Weather:Thunderstorms: — ground delay program
GDP → SAN · since 09/19 0000Z · by DCC · Volume/Terminal:Volume: — ground delay program
GDP → SFO · since 09/19 0200Z · by DCC · Volume/Terminal:Volume: — ground delay program
APREQ (2 programs) · since 09/18 1010Z · until further notice · by ZID — approval request — departures need a release time
MINIT · 15 MIT · 3 MINIT · since 09/19 0200Z · by PCT · VOL:COMPACTED DEMAND — minutes-in-trail spacing

Restrictions on departures from KDCAtoward the named airports or fixes, as recorded by the tower's surface system; they change the departure flow, not the runway in use. Not an FAA product.

Runway 15/33 overview

Physical characteristics from the FAA-derived runway record.

Length: 5,204 ft
Width: 150 ft
Surface: Asphalt
Runway lights: Lighted
Airport elevation: 15 ft
FAA record status: Open

Runway 15

True heading: 143°
Magnetic (approx.): ≈ 153°
FAA record: Open

Runway 33

True heading: 323°
Magnetic (approx.): ≈ 333°
FAA record: Open

Runway 15/33 numbers are magnetic; the stored geometry and every wind calculation on this page are TRUE north, so they never need a variation correction. Magnetic variation here is about 10.7°W (World Magnetic Model). Displaced thresholds, declared distances (TORA/TODA/ASDA/LDA), approach lighting, PAPI/VASI, ILS equipment and traffic-pattern direction are FAA NASR fields not yet loaded — they are omitted rather than guessed.

Recorded runway use at KDCA — last 30 days

How often the tower's TFDM configuration listed each end for arrivals and departures (the tower's own statement, via FAA SWIM).

Over the last 30 days ATIS Alerts captured 30 hours of stated runway configuration at KDCA (1.3 days, 1 configuration change). Shares are the fraction of those hours in which the tower's TFDM system listed each end.

Runway 15

Arrivals: 0% (0 h)
Departures: 0% (0 h)

Runway 33

Arrivals: 100% (30 h)
Departures: 100% (30 h)

Recorded arrival share of runway 15 and 33 by wind direction at the time of each D-ATIS configuration
Wind from	Hours	15 arrivals	33 arrivals	15 departures	33 departures
Calm / light (< 5 kt)	30	0%	100%	0%	100%

night (8 h)

15 arr 0% · 33 arr 100%

morning (6 h)

15 arr 0% · 33 arr 100%

afternoon (8 h)

15 arr 0% · 33 arr 100%

evening (8 h)

15 arr 0% · 33 arr 100%

Time of day is airport-local.This is the facility's stated configuration, not an estimate from wind.

Historical wind and crosswind on runway 15/33

20-year hourly climatology from the ASOS archive, computed per runway end.

From 174,958 hourly observations at KDCA (2005–2025), 156,708 with a steady wind direction (10.4% calm, variable or direction-less). One observation per clock hour; TRUE headings against TRUE wind.

Crosswind on runway 15/33 (either end)

Mean crosswind

4.5 kt

median 3.9 kt

90th / 95th percentile

8.7 / 10.5 kt

max 36.3 kt

Above 10 kt

6.1%

> 15 kt: 0.7% · > 20 kt: 0.1%

Gust crosswind > 15 kt

3.4%

90th pct gust 9.7 kt

Strongest-crosswind month on average: Apr; calmest: Aug. Percentiles are streaming approximations (t-digest), accurate to about 0.1 kt.

Runway 15

Headwind

50.4%

of wind hours

Tailwind > 5 kt

29.5%

> 10 kt: 11.8%

Wind-favored end

8.3%

most headwind of all runways

Runway 33

Headwind

49.6%

of wind hours

Tailwind > 5 kt

19.8%

> 10 kt: 1.9%

Wind-favored end

22.1%

most headwind of all runways

“Wind-favored” counts the hours this end had the most headwind of every open runway at KDCA — wind arithmetic, not an ATC assignment (parallel runways with the same heading share the credit equally). Recorded D-ATIS use, where available, is the section above.

By wind direction

Wind-favored share of runway 15 and 33 by wind sector, 2005–2025
Wind from	Share of wind hours	15 favored	33 favored	Mean crosswind	Crosswind > 15 kt
N 338–023°	16%	0%	0%	4.4 kt	0.3%
NE 023–068°	11%	0%	0%	7 kt	1.9%
E 068–113°	6%	51.9%	0%	5 kt	0.4%
SE 113–158°	5%	100%	0%	1.1 kt	0%
S 158–203°	29%	0%	0%	4.7 kt	0.4%
SW 203–248°	9%	0%	0%	6.3 kt	2.3%
W 248–293°	8%	0%	71.7%	6.1 kt	1.1%
NW 293–338°	17%	0%	100%	1.8 kt	0%

By time of day (airport-local)

morning

15 favored 6.1% · 33 21.2%

mean crosswind 4.6 kt · calm 10.9%

afternoon

15 favored 9.3% · 33 25.5%

mean crosswind 5 kt · calm 7.9%

evening

15 favored 13.6% · 33 21.5%

mean crosswind 4.3 kt · calm 7.2%

night

15 favored 6.2% · 33 20.2%

mean crosswind 4.2 kt · calm 13.6%

Seasonal runway conditions

Monthly wind and weather statistics for runway 15/33 at KDCA, 2005–2025
Month	Prevailing	Mean wind	Gusty	Mean xw	xw > 10	xw > 15	xw > 20	15 tail > 5	33 tail > 5	IFR	TS	Fog
Jan	NW	7.9 kt	19.4%	4.3 kt	5.5%	0.7%	0.1%	41.4%	13.7%	8.5%	0.03%	8.7%
Feb	S	8.1 kt	19.1%	4.5 kt	6.5%	0.8%	0%	38.9%	17%	8.3%	0.06%	8.2%
Mar	S	8.7 kt	21%	4.8 kt	9%	1.3%	0.2%	39.1%	20.4%	6.6%	0.07%	6.6%
Apr	S	8.2 kt	19.2%	5 kt	9.4%	1.2%	0.1%	30.6%	24.2%	4.8%	0.42%	5%
May	S	7.2 kt	11.3%	4.7 kt	6.8%	0.8%	0.1%	21.9%	25.1%	6%	1.13%	5.8%
Jun	S	7.1 kt	9.3%	4.5 kt	5.2%	0.5%	0%	22.7%	25.3%	3.6%	1.66%	2.8%
Jul	S	6.5 kt	5.7%	4.3 kt	3.9%	0.3%	0%	18%	25.2%	1.5%	2.03%	1.7%
Aug	S	6.3 kt	5.3%	4.2 kt	3.9%	0.3%	0.1%	18.8%	23.4%	2%	1.53%	1.8%
Sep	S	6.6 kt	6.4%	4.7 kt	6.4%	0.7%	0.1%	21.8%	18.9%	4.6%	0.6%	3.9%
Oct	S	6.9 kt	11.5%	4.6 kt	6.9%	0.7%	0%	29.1%	16.9%	5.6%	0.11%	5.9%
Nov	S	7 kt	14.3%	4.2 kt	4.6%	0.4%	0%	37.5%	13.4%	4.6%	0.03%	5.7%
Dec	S	7 kt	14.1%	4.2 kt	4.9%	0.4%	0%	35.2%	13.1%	10.1%	0.01%	10.7%

IFR, thunderstorm (TS) and fog columns are airport-wide shares of hours; the crosswind and tailwind columns are specific to this runway. Prevailing = most common 45° wind sector among wind hours.

Runway 15/33 closure history

Runway NOTAM history begins when the NOTAM feed goes live (next phase).

D-ATIS broadcasts recorded since Sep 17, 2026 declared runway 15 closed on 0 days and runway 33 closed on 0 days in the last 30 days. Scheduled and unscheduled closure NOTAMs, with start and end times and the official text, will appear here once ATIS Alerts records runway NOTAMs; there is no retrievable archive, so history accrues from that date forward.

Instrument approaches to runway 15/33

From the FAA d-TPP, linked to the official plates.

Runway 15

RNAV (GPS)RNAV (GPS) RWY 15 ↗

Runway 33

RNAV (GPS)RNAV (GPS) RWY 33 ↗

20 departure procedures · 13 STARs · FAA hot spots page ↗ · FAA d-TPP cycle 2610. Plates open on aeronav.faa.gov (public domain); ATIS Alerts does not reproduce charts or minimums.

Methodology and sources

Short version below; the full write-up is at Runway Intelligence methodology, and every launched airport is listed on the Runway Intelligence hub.

Active runwayscome first from the tower's TFDM (Terminal Flight Data Manager) airport configuration, received as structured data through the FAA SWIM Cloud Distribution Service at towers that have it (KDCA does); otherwise from the airport's D-ATIS text (community relay of the FAA broadcast) with an open, tested parser, and the broadcast text is always shown. Every change is recorded, so “recorded use” is what the facility stated, never an inference. ATIS Alerts is not an FAA product and this is not FAA data; SWIM content is for non-operational use.
Wind components use the current METAR (aviationweather.gov) against TRUE runway headings from the OurAirports/FAA runway record.
Runway visual range, tower demand and traffic-management restrictions come from FAA SWIM: STDDS Airport Data (RVR and light settings, about 130 airports) and TFDM (15-minute runway demand, APREQ/MIT restrictions). Each block is stamped with its own time; none of it is an FAA product or a clearance.
Predicted runway scores each open end from the TAF wind (headwind, crosswind penalty, tailwind avoidance, longest-runway tie-break); confidence falls with forecast distance, gusts and TAF age. It does not model noise abatement or flow programs.
Climatology: Iowa Environmental Mesonet ASOS archive, one observation per hour, 45° wind sectors, percentiles via t-digest; runway geometry is today's record applied to all years. Methodology v1.
Approaches: FAA d-TPP metafile, current charting cycle; plates link to aeronav.faa.gov. No minimums are reproduced.
Data freshness: METAR and D-ATIS refresh every minute on this page; the D-ATIS recorder ran 4 min ago; the tower TFDM feed last delivered 9 min ago; climatology through 2025-12-31.

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Tools for this runway

⚠️ ATIS Alerts provides informational runway analysis based on available weather, D-ATIS, FAA data and historical observations. Active runways shown here are read from D-ATIS text and may lag or be misread; predicted runways are an ATIS Alerts estimate, not an ATC assignment. Not for operational use. Always verify with official FAA-approved preflight weather sources before flight.

Runway page score 73/100 · indexed (rollout wave gate).

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Crosswind (kt)	Share of wind hours
0–5	64.3%
5–10	29.6%
10–15	5.4%
15–20	0.6%
20–25	0.1%
25+	0%