Mountain Empire Airport (KMKJ) Aviation Weather: METAR
As of 9:15 PM ET, Oct 28, KMKJ is currently VFR with calm winds, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported.
Live aviation weather for Mountain Empire Airport in Rural Retreat, VA, including METAR, flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling, altimeter and runway crosswinds.
Mountain Empire Airport (KMKJ) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around Rural Retreat, VA at a field elevation of 2,558 ft. KMKJ reports its own METAR, decoded live on this page as flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling and altimeter. It has one runway (08/26), the longest 5,252 ft. Automated weather is broadcast on 123.875.
Wind calm, visibility 10+ statute miles, no cloud data, temperature 10°C (51°F), altimeter 30.37 inHg. Conditions are Visual Flight Rules (VFR).
METAR KMKJ 290115Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 10/07 A3037 RMK AO2 T01040070
What changed at KMKJ?
Since the 0055Z (8:55 PM EDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.
No significant changes since the 0055Z (8:55 PM EDT) report, conditions are holding steady.
Current pilot readout for KMKJ
KMKJ is currently VFR with calm winds, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported. Density altitude is approximately 2,050 ft (field elevation 2,558 ft). KMKJ does not publish a TAF. The nearest TAF station is KBLF, about 25 nm away.
KMKJ by the numbers
What the long-run records say about flying here, computed for this airport alone.
KMKJ reported VFR in 71% of daylight observations over 20 years, about 235 flyable days a year. April is the most reliable month and January the least, with IFR or worse 18% of the time. When conditions drop it is usually low ceilings rather than fog (ceilings under 1,000 ft 12% of hours, visibility under 3 miles 7%).
Over 20 years of hourly winds, runway 26 had the best headwind 72% of the time, runway 08 28%, and winds were calm 32% of hours. Winds most often blow from the west. Crosswind on the best available runway topped 15 kt in under 1% of hours.
Snow fell on about 24 days a year. From December to February KMKJ was IFR or worse 17% of the time, against 15% from June to August.
Thunderstorms were reported on about 47 days a year. 60% of storm hours fall in May, June and July, peaking in July when storms were in the air 2% of the time.
Field elevation is 2,558 ft, but on a median summer afternoon the air performs like 4,207 ft, 1,649 ft higher. Plan for a longer takeoff roll and a weaker climb from June to August.
Gusts showed up in 20% of hours, typically 7 kt above the steady wind, and the strongest credible gust on record was 55 kt. January is the windiest month (mean 9 kt) and August 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.
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.
| Runway | Length | Surface | Head / Tail | Crosswind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08 | 5,252 ft | ASP | - | - |
| 26 | 5,252 ft | ASP | - | - |
Open the crosswind calculator to try your own wind and runway numbers →
KMKJ 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.
- Restricted (NOTAM)Runway 08/265,252 × 75 ft · ASPCurrent useno stated-runway source at KMKJWind
- 08
- no steady wind
- 26
- no steady wind
1 active equipment NOTAMView 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 24 h: wind 4→0 kt, ceiling unlimited → unlimited.
KMKJ 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 KMKJ
Reported by pilots in flight over the past 6 hours, via aviationweather.gov.
Show raw report
GSO UA /OV GSO/TM 2208/FL230/TP B738/TB LGT CHOP/RM CHEAT SHEET 0600 L CHA GSP TRI 0615 L A80 SOUTH AREA 0630 L AVL 0645 L AGS 0700 L MGM A80 AIRPORTS DAYTIME OPS GVL JCA WDR TRI AIRPORTS DAYTIME OPS 0A9 GCY VJI29
GSO UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV GSOLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 2208Reported at 22:08 UTC.FL230Altitude: 23,000 ft MSL.TP B738Aircraft type reporting.TB LGT CHOPTurbulence: light chop.RM CHEAT SHEET 0600 L CHA GS…Remarks.Show raw report
LOZ UA /OV LOZ120040/TM 1956/FL260/TP TBM9/TB CONS LGT CHOP
LOZ UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV LOZ120040Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1956Reported at 19:56 UTC.FL260Altitude: 26,000 ft MSL.TP TBM9Aircraft type reporting.TB CONS LGT CHOPTurbulence: continuous light chop.⚠️ PIREPs are unverified pilot reports. Not for operational use: conditions change between reports.
Recent aviation weather trends at KMKJ
From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.
Over the past 24 hours, KMKJ reported mostly VFR across 72 observations, with 2 flight-category changes. Wind most often came from the E.
Most recent change: MVFR → VFR
Most recent change: IFR → VFR
Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.
- 26
- 65%
- 08
- 35%
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Live crosswind meter
Measured by KMKJ's own weather station.
Wind is calm or variable. Either end works.
Asphalt · 5,252 ft. Headings from FAA runway data. Not for navigation.
Field aerial
North up
Runway 08/26 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
- 100LL · Jet A+
- Attended
- Mon-Sat 0800-1800 local; Sun CLOSED local
- Repairs
- Airframe & engine, major
- Transient parking
- Tie-downs · Hangars
- Landing fee
- No
- Control tower
- None
- Wind indicator
- Lighted
Airport
- Type
- General aviation airport
- ICAO
- KMKJ
- FAA LID
- MKJ
- City
- Rural Retreat
- State
- Virginia
- Country
- United States
- Elevation
- 2,558 ft
- Coordinates
- 36.8949, -81.3499
- Runways
- 1 physical runway · 2 runway ends
- Longest runway
- 5,252 ft
- Weather reporting
- Reports METAR
- TAF
- Nearest KBLF
- AWOS/ASOS
- 123.875 MHz
- Time zone
- America/New_York
- Next sunset
- 20h 59m
Run a flight school, FBO, or club here? Embed KMKJ'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
6 airports25–50 NM
7 airports+1 more within 50 NM
50–100 NM
8 airports+2 more within 100 NM
RC flying fields nearby
AMA model-aircraft club fields around this airport: live wind, crosswind & flyability on each page.
- Wythe County RC Flyers - W Blue Grass Trl , Bland, VA · 14 mi
- Appalachian RC Association - Old Richlands Airport , Copper Hill, VA · 30 mi
Historical Flying Weather at KMKJ
2006–2025 · ATIS Alerts Flying Weather Index
Based on historical observations from 2006–2025, KMKJ reported VFR conditions during about 70.9% of valid daylight observations, with an estimated 235 VFR flying days a year. April had the most VFR weather; January had the most instrument conditions. Surface winds averaged 5.8 kt, calm 30.2% of the time.
Full historical breakdown
Flight category by month
| Month | VFR % | MVFR % | IFR % | LIFR % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57.7 | 24.8 | 9.5 | 8.0 |
| Feb | 62.3 | 21.3 | 9.6 | 6.7 |
| Mar | 71.7 | 17.8 | 6.0 | 4.6 |
| Apr | 77.9 | 14.6 | 4.9 | 2.6 |
| May | 70.8 | 16.2 | 6.5 | 6.4 |
| Jun | 73.4 | 14.5 | 6.3 | 5.7 |
| Jul | 69.6 | 16.5 | 6.8 | 7.1 |
| Aug | 64.3 | 17.7 | 8.6 | 9.4 |
| Sep | 62.2 | 19.0 | 8.1 | 10.7 |
| Oct | 67.8 | 18.7 | 7.3 | 6.1 |
| Nov | 71.9 | 17.9 | 5.3 | 4.9 |
| Dec | 58.8 | 23.3 | 8.7 | 9.3 |
Average wind by month
| Month | Mean wind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 8.6 kt |
| Feb | 8.2 kt |
| Mar | 7.5 kt |
| Apr | 6.7 kt |
| May | 5.1 kt |
| Jun | 4.3 kt |
| Jul | 4.0 kt |
| Aug | 3.4 kt |
| Sep | 3.5 kt |
| Oct | 5.1 kt |
| Nov | 6.2 kt |
| Dec | 7.2 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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MKJ's real runway layout on the back, elevation and tower frequency on the front. Add your tail number on the sleeve.
Pilot PIREPs for Mountain Empire Airport (KMKJ)
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 Mountain Empire 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 KMKJ 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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