Challis Airport (KLLJ) Aviation Weather: METAR
As of 12:55 PM MDT, Oct 28, KLLJ is currently VFR with winds from 180° at 11 knots gusting 17, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported.
Live aviation weather for Challis Airport in Challis, ID, including METAR, flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling, altimeter and runway crosswinds.
Challis Airport (KLLJ) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around Challis, ID at a field elevation of 5,076 ft. KLLJ reports its own METAR, decoded live on this page as flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling and altimeter. It has one runway (17/35), the longest 4,601 ft. Automated weather is broadcast on 119.275.
Wind from the south (180°) at 11 kt, gusting 17 kt, visibility 10+ statute miles, no cloud data, temperature 9°C (48°F), altimeter 30.01 inHg. Conditions are Visual Flight Rules (VFR).
METAR KLLJ 281855Z AUTO 18011G17KT 10SM CLR 09/M05 A3001 RMK AO2 SLP159 T00891050
What changed at KLLJ?
Since the 1755Z (11:55 AM MDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.
- Gusts began, now gusting 17 kt.
- Pressure falling: altimeter 30.03 → 30.01 inHg.
Current pilot readout for KLLJ
KLLJ is currently VFR with winds from 180° at 11 knots gusting 17, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported. the wind favors south-facing runway ends (17). Density altitude is approximately 5,450 ft (field elevation 5,076 ft). KLLJ does not publish a TAF. The nearest TAF station is KSMN, about 39 nm away.
KLLJ by the numbers
What the long-run records say about flying here, computed for this airport alone.
KLLJ reported VFR in 96% of daylight observations over 20 years, about 324 flyable days a year. June is the most reliable month and January the least, with IFR or worse 5% of the time. When conditions drop it is usually fog and low visibility rather than low ceilings (visibility under 3 miles 1% of hours, ceilings under 1,000 ft under 1%).
Over 20 years of hourly winds, runway 35 had the best headwind 54% of the time, runway 17 47%, and winds were calm 46% of hours. Winds most often blow from the north. Crosswind on the best available runway topped 15 kt in 2% of hours.
Snow fell on about 46 days a year and freezing rain or drizzle on 1. From December to February KLLJ was IFR or worse 4% of the time, against under 1% from June to August.
Thunderstorms were reported on about 22 days a year. 79% of storm hours fall in June, July and August, peaking in July when storms were in the air 1% of the time.
Field elevation is 5,076 ft, but on a median summer afternoon the air performs like 7,634 ft, 2,558 ft higher. Plan for a longer takeoff roll and a weaker climb from June to August.
Winds were calm 41% of the time and averaged 3.7 kt overall. April is the windiest month (mean 5 kt) and January the calmest.
Sources: hourly observations 2006 to 2025 and the per-runway wind climatology 2006 to 2025. Historical summaries, not a forecast: check the current METAR, TAF and a briefing before flight.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17FAV | 4,601 ft | ASP | 11 kt head | 0 kt |
| 35 | 4,601 ft | ASP | 11 kt tail | 0 kt |
Open the crosswind calculator to try your own wind and runway numbers →
KLLJ 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 17/354,601 × 60 ft · ASPCurrent useno stated-runway source at KLLJWind
- 17
- 11 kt headwind · 0 kt crosswind
- 35
- 11 kt tailwind · 0 kt crosswind
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 23 h: wind 10→11 kt, ceiling 7,000 ft → unlimited.
KLLJ 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.
Recent aviation weather trends at KLLJ
From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.
Over the past 24 hours, KLLJ reported mostly VFR across 24 observations, with 0 flight-category changes. The strongest gust reached 18 kt, the lowest ceiling was 5,000 ft. Wind most often came from the S.
Most recent change: MVFR → VFR
Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.
- 35
- 55%
- 17
- 45%
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Live crosswind meter
Measured by KLLJ's own weather station.
Wind is 0° off runway 17, the end with the most headwind right now.
Asphalt · 4,601 ft. Headings from FAA runway data. Not for navigation.
Field aerial
North up
Runway 17/35 drawn from FAA threshold coordinates.
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
- 100 (green) · Jet A
- Attended
- Mon-Fri 0700-1700 local
- Repairs
- Airframe & engine, major
- Transient parking
- Tie-downs
- Landing fee
- No
- Other services
- Charter · Flight instruction
- Control tower
- None
- Runway lights
- Sunset to sunrise
- Wind indicator
- Lighted
Airport
- Type
- General aviation airport
- ICAO
- KLLJ
- IATA
- CHL
- FAA LID
- LLJ
- City
- Challis
- State
- Idaho
- Country
- United States
- Elevation
- 5,076 ft
- Coordinates
- 44.5230, -114.2180
- Runways
- 1 physical runway · 2 runway ends
- Longest runway
- 4,601 ft
- Weather reporting
- Reports METAR
- TAF
- Nearest KSMN
- AWOS/ASOS
- 119.275 MHz
- Time zone
- America/Boise
- Sunset in
- 5h 5m
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Nearby airports
Compare nearby METAR/TAF stations within 25, 50 and 100 NM before departure or arrival.
Within 25 NM
3 airports25–50 NM
8 airports+2 more within 50 NM
50–100 NM
8 airports+2 more within 100 NM
Historical Flying Weather at KLLJ
2006–2025 · ATIS Alerts Flying Weather Index
Based on historical observations from 2006–2025, KLLJ reported VFR conditions during about 96.1% of valid daylight observations, with an estimated 324 VFR flying days a year. June had the most VFR weather; January had the most instrument conditions. Surface winds averaged 3.7 kt, calm 40.9% of the time.
Full historical breakdown
Flight category by month
| Month | VFR % | MVFR % | IFR % | LIFR % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 89.7 | 4.9 | 2.5 | 2.9 |
| Feb | 94.0 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 1.0 |
| Mar | 96.6 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 97.5 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| May | 98.0 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 99.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 99.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 94.4 | 4.8 | 0.9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 94.7 | 4.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| Oct | 97.4 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 96.7 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 91.6 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 1.7 |
Average wind by month
| Month | Mean wind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 2.0 kt |
| Feb | 3.1 kt |
| Mar | 4.2 kt |
| Apr | 5.2 kt |
| May | 5.2 kt |
| Jun | 5.0 kt |
| Jul | 4.4 kt |
| Aug | 3.9 kt |
| Sep | 3.3 kt |
| Oct | 3.1 kt |
| Nov | 2.7 kt |
| Dec | 2.3 kt |
Historical summary of past observations: not a forecast or safety rating. Always check the current METAR, TAF, and a weather briefing before flight.
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LLJ's real runway layout on the back, elevation and tower frequency on the front. Add your tail number on the sleeve.
Pilot PIREPs for Challis Airport (KLLJ)
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 Challis 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 KLLJ 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.
No D-ATIS at this airport, showing METAR.
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