ATIS Alerts

Chester Catawba Regional Airport (KDCM) Aviation Weather, METAR, TAF & ATIS Alerts

Live aviation weather for Chester Catawba Regional Airport in Chester, SC, including METAR, TAF, flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling, altimeter, runway crosswinds, and Telegram airport alerts.

Chester Catawba Regional Airport (KDCM) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around Chester, SC at 656 ft. KDCM reports its own METAR, decoded live on this page as flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling and altimeter. Its 6 runways (05, 11, 17, 23), longest 5,000 ft, are checked against the current wind in the crosswind table below. Track KDCM in the ATIS Alerts Telegram bot to get a message when a new METAR changes the picture: flight category, wind, or ceiling past your selected minimums.

LIFR
Observed 0655Z (2:55 AM EDT)live · refreshes every 60s
Wind
Calm
Visibility
10+ sm
Ceiling
300 ft
Altimeter
30.00"
Temp / Dew
72°F / 22°C
dew 72°F / 22°C

Wind calm, visibility 10+ statute miles, overcast at 300 ft, temperature 22°C (72°F), altimeter 30.00 inHg. Conditions are Low IFR (LIFR), ceiling 300 ft.

Raw METAR
METAR KDCM 130655Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM OVC003 22/22 A3000 RMK AO2

What changed at KDCM?

Since the 0635Z (2:35 AM EDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.

  • Flight category dropped from MVFR to LIFR.
  • Ceiling dropped from 1,500 ft to 300 ft.

This is exactly what ATIS Alerts watches for you: get a Telegram message when KDCM's weather changes, free →

Current pilot readout for KDCM

KDCM is currently LIFR with calm winds, visibility 10+ statute miles, and a 300 ft ceiling. Density altitude is approximately 1,550 ft (field elevation 656 ft). KDCM does not publish a TAF. The nearest TAF station is KCLT, about 28 nm away.

⚠️ Not for operational use. Always verify with official FAA-approved preflight weather sources before flight.

New to aviation weather? How to read a METAR → · What VFR/MVFR/IFR mean → · Decode any METAR/TAF → · Density altitude calculator →

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Runway wind check

Estimated head/tailwind and crosswind for each runway end from the current reported wind.

Use this section to quickly compare current wind alignment across available runways at KDCM. This is intended as a planning aid only and should not replace official performance calculations or pilot judgment.

Current wind is calm: calm wind is not a factor for runway selection, and with no wind there is no head/tail or crosswind component to compute. Live numbers return automatically once a report includes a wind direction.

RunwayHead / TailCrosswind
05--
17--
23--
35--

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
081607Z19Z06Z

Over the last 24 h: wind 00 kt, ceiling unlimited300 ft.

KDCM weather radar

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

Live weather radar around Chester Catawba Regional Airport in Chester, SC: the NOAA/NWS NEXRAD composite updates about every five minutes, with NOAA lightning strike density overlaid. The loop plays the past 50 minutes, then continues into a future-radar forecast (+1 to +4 hours, NOAA HRRR model) so you can see where precipitation around KDCM is headed.

Loading…
Loading radar…

Radar: NOAA/NWS via IEM · Forecast: NOAA HRRR · Lightning: NOAA · Map © Stadia Maps © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap

Forecast frames (amber label) are HRRR model guidance, not observed radar. Lightning strike density appears as a blue-white glow when strikes are detected in view. Radar and lightning coverage are limited in parts of Alaska, Hawaii, and offshore areas. Not for navigation.

Pilot reports (PIREPs) within 100 NM of KDCM

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

PIREP0242Z (10:42 PM EDT) · 96 NM S of KDCM · 33,000 ft MSL · B789
Show raw report
CAE UA /OV CAE180040/TM 0242/FL330/TP B789/TB NEG
CAE UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV CAE180040Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0242Reported at 02:42 UTC.
FL330Altitude: 33,000 ft MSL.
TP B789Aircraft type reporting.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
URGENT0153Z (9:53 PM EDT) · 96 NM NE of KDCM · during descent · CRJ9
low-level wind shear
Show raw report
GSO UUA /OV GSO/TM 0153/FLDURD/TP CRJ9/RM LLWS +/- 10KT DURD RY 23R
GSO UUAHeader: reporting station and UUA: an URGENT pilot report (severe conditions, wind shear, or similar).
OV GSOLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0153Reported at 01:53 UTC.
FLDURDReported during descent.
TP CRJ9Aircraft type reporting.
RM LLWS +/- 10KT DURD RY 23RRemarks.
PIREP0131Z (9:31 PM EDT) · 93 NM E of KDCM · 6,000 ft MSL · C172
Show raw report
FLO UA /OV DLC/TM 0131/FL060/TP C172/RM VFR
FLO UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV DLCLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0131Reported at 01:31 UTC.
FL060Altitude: 6,000 ft MSL.
TP C172Aircraft type reporting.
RM VFRRemarks.

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

Recent aviation weather trends at KDCM

From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.

Over the past 24 hours, KDCM reported mostly VFR across 72 observations, with 11 flight-category changes. The strongest gust reached 14 kt, the lowest ceiling was 300 ft. Wind most often came from the S.

Last 24 hours
VFR 76%MVFR 10%IFR 1%LIFR 13%
Wind avg/max: 1/10 kt
Max gust: 14 kt
Lowest ceiling: 300 ft
Lowest vis: -
Prevailing wind: S
Category changes: 11

Most recent change: MVFRLIFR

Last 7 days
VFR 91%MVFR 5%IFR 2%LIFR 2%
Wind avg/max: 3/17 kt
Max gust: 27 kt
Lowest ceiling: 300 ft
Lowest vis: 1.5 sm
Prevailing wind: E
Category changes: 19

Most recent change: VFRLIFR

Active Runway - past 30 days
05
59%
35
20%
17
16%
23
5%

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Airport facts

Reference data from the OurAirports dataset.

Type
General aviation airport
ICAO
KDCM
FAA LID
DCM
City
Chester
State
South Carolina
Country
United States
Elevation
656 ft
Coordinates
34.7893, -81.1958
Runways
6
Longest runway
5,000 ft
Weather reporting
Reports METAR
TAF
Nearest KCLT
Time zone
America/New_York
Next sunset
16h 22m

Run a flight school, FBO, or club here? Embed KDCM's live status on your website, free →

Nearby airports

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

RC flying fields nearby

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

All RC flying fields →

See all South Carolina airports →

Historical Flying Weather at KDCM

2006–2025 · ATIS Alerts Flying Weather Index

Based on historical observations from 2006–2025, KDCM reported VFR conditions during about 79.3% of valid daylight observations, with an estimated 241 VFR flying days a year. July had the most VFR weather; December had the most instrument conditions. Surface winds averaged 3.6 kt, calm 32.5% of the time.

VFR Score
45
Wind Score
84
Reliability Score
37
National VFR rank
#870 of 1,400
Regional rank
#109
State rank
#30
Full historical breakdown
Daylight VFR
79.3%
MVFR
9.2%
IFR
4.6%
LIFR
6.4%
Est. VFR days/yr
241
Most VFR month
July
Fewest VFR month
December
Median ceiling
2,400 ft
Median visibility
10 sm
Calm wind
32.5%
Median wind
3 kt
Gusty hours
6.9%
Crosswind >15 kt
0.0%
Fog/mist days/yr
127
Thunderstorm days/yr
116
Summer density alt
2,489 ft

Flight category by month

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
VFRMVFRIFRLIFR
KDCM monthly flight-category distribution, 2006–2025
MonthVFR %MVFR %IFR %LIFR %
Jan75.89.25.010.0
Feb75.89.85.88.7
Mar78.58.65.27.7
Apr83.88.24.43.6
May81.39.64.64.5
Jun85.17.43.54.0
Jul85.27.53.24.1
Aug79.710.34.35.7
Sep81.69.44.64.4
Oct81.89.34.24.8
Nov79.29.44.46.9
Dec70.811.35.812.1

Average wind by month

035JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
KDCM average wind by month, 2006–2025
MonthMean wind (kt)
Jan3.7 kt
Feb4.1 kt
Mar4.5 kt
Apr4.3 kt
May3.7 kt
Jun3.1 kt
Jul2.9 kt
Aug2.8 kt
Sep3.7 kt
Oct3.5 kt
Nov3.7 kt
Dec3.4 kt

Historical summary of past observations: not a forecast or safety rating. Always check the current METAR, TAF, and a weather briefing before flight.

KDCM weather: frequently asked

What runways are available at KDCM?+

KDCM has 6 runways: 05, 11, 17, 23, 29, 35; the longest is 5,000 ft. This page computes the live crosswind for each runway end from the current wind.

Does KDCM report its own weather?+

Yes. Chester Catawba Regional Airport has its own weather station and publishes METAR observations, which this page decodes live.

Does KDCM have a TAF?+

No. KDCM does not publish its own TAF. The nearest TAF station is KCLT, about 28 nm away.

Does KDCM broadcast D-ATIS?+

No. KDCM does not broadcast D-ATIS. Alerts for KDCM from the ATIS Alerts bot (@atisalerts_bot) are based on its METAR instead.

Pilot PIREPs for Chester Catawba Regional Airport (KDCM)

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 Chester Catawba Regional Airport, 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 KDCM 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.

From the ATIS Alerts team

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⚠️ Not for operational use. Always verify with official FAA-approved preflight weather sources before flight.

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