KMSN Runway 18/36 — Dane County Regional Truax Field
9,006 × 150 ft concrete · true headings 182° / 002° · field elevation 887 ft
Runway 18/36 at Dane County Regional Truax Field (KMSN) in Madison, WI is 9,006 ft long and 150 ft wide, concrete, with true headings 182° and 002°. The FAA record lists ILS/DME (CAT I) and MALSR approach lights on runway 18 and a LAHSO hold-short point at Runway 03/21 intersection. Over 2005–2025 the wind gave runway 18 the headwind 49.3% of the time and runway 36 50.7%, with a crosswind above 15 kt in 0.6% of wind hours. KMSN has no digital ATIS, so the active runway is not known; the wind-favored end and the ATIS Alerts prediction are estimates.
Runway 18/36 — current operational status
What the D-ATIS, the tower and current NOTAMs state now. The published FAA baseline (NASR) is a separate line in the overview below and does not reflect temporary closures.
- NOTAM 10/127: !MSN 10/127 MSN RWY 18 FICON 5/5/5 100 PCT WET OBS AT 2610290419. 2610290419-2610300419
Sources: Published FAA baseline (OurAirports/NASR record) · FAA NOTAMs. 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.
NOTAMs for runway 18/36
Official text as issued; grouped for reading only. “Scheduled” means not yet in effect. 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.
- 10/127 · DOM10/29 0419Z (11:19 PM CDT) → 10/30 0419Z (11:19 PM CDT)
!MSN 10/127 MSN RWY 18 FICON 5/5/5 100 PCT WET OBS AT 2610290419. 2610290419-2610300419
- 6/1983 · INTL10/23 1850Z (1:50 PM CDT) → 10/23 1850Z (1:50 PM CDT)
!FDC 6/1983 MSN IAP U.S. DOD DANE COUNTY RGNL/TRUAX FLD, MADISON, WI. HI - TACAN RWY 18, AMDT 1B... S-18 CAT C/D/E MDA 1400/HAT 536. 2610231850-2810231850EST
Current runway assignment is not available from D-ATIS at KMSN. The wind components below show which end the wind favors; the section after it is an ATIS Alerts prediction. Neither is an ATC assignment.
Current wind on Runway 18/36
Wind from the north-northwest (340°) at 6 kt
- Tailwind
- 6 kt
- Crosswind
- 2 ktfrom right
- Headwind
- 6 kt
- Crosswind
- 2 ktfrom left
- arrivals
- departures
- LAHSO hold-short
- closed
Layout from FAA NASR runway-end coordinates; the selected runway is highlighted and no active source exists here. Not for navigation. Official FAA diagram ↗
Wind-favored runway at KMSN right now: 32 (6 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.
Runway 18/36 outlook
Where runway 18/36 stands now and which runway at KMSN is likely over the next 12 hours — an estimate, not an ATC assignment.
Time · runway 18/36 · airport-wide outlook · confidence · forecast wind · why
- Now1253Z · 7:53 AM CDT·18/36: 36 likely·airport-wide likely 36 then 32·North flow·6 kt headwind, 2 kt crosswind·Low 53%·wind 340° at 6 kt·Why Current METAR wind 340° at 6 kt favors north-facing runway ends: 6 kt headwind and 2 kt crosswind on 36 versus 6 kt headwind on 32.|No known runway closure prevents this configuration.
- +1 h1353Z · 8:53 AM CDT·18/36: not favored·airport-wide likely 32 then 36·Northwest flow·5 kt headwind, 3 kt crosswind·Medium 64%·wind 290° at 6 kt·Why TAF forecast wind 290° at 6 kt favors west-facing runway ends: 5 kt headwind and 3 kt crosswind on 32 versus 2 kt headwind on 36.|No known runway closure prevents this configuration.|A TEMPO group is in effect at this hour (confidence lowered).|Confidence falls with forecast distance (+1 h).
- +2 h1453Z · 9:53 AM CDT·18/36: not favored·airport-wide likely 32 then 36·Northwest flow·8 kt headwind, 0 kt crosswind·Medium 61%·wind 320° at 8 kt·Why TAF forecast wind 320° at 8 kt favors northwest-facing runway ends: 8 kt headwind and 0 kt crosswind on 32 versus 6 kt headwind on 36.|No known runway closure prevents this configuration.|Confidence falls with forecast distance (+2 h).
- +3 h1553Z · 10:53 AM CDT·18/36: not favored·airport-wide likely 32 then 36·Northwest flow·8 kt headwind, 0 kt crosswind·Low 58%·wind 320° at 8 kt·Why TAF forecast wind 320° at 8 kt favors northwest-facing runway ends: 8 kt headwind and 0 kt crosswind on 32 versus 6 kt headwind on 36.|No known runway closure prevents this configuration.|Confidence falls with forecast distance (+3 h).
- +6 h1853Z · 1:53 PM CDT·18/36: not favored·airport-wide likely 32 then 36·Northwest flow·8 kt headwind, 0 kt crosswind·Low 49%·wind 320° at 8 kt·Why TAF forecast wind 320° at 8 kt favors northwest-facing runway ends: 8 kt headwind and 0 kt crosswind on 32 versus 6 kt headwind on 36.|No known runway closure prevents this configuration.|Confidence falls with forecast distance (+6 h).
- +12 h0053Z · 7:53 PM CDT·18/36: not favored·airport-wide likely 32 then 36·Northwest flow·5 kt headwind, 1 kt crosswind·Low 27%·wind 310° at 5 kt·Why TAF forecast wind 310° at 5 kt favors northwest-facing runway ends: 5 kt headwind and 1 kt crosswind on 32 versus 3 kt headwind on 36.|No known runway closure prevents this configuration.|Confidence falls with forecast distance (+12 h).
ATIS Alerts Predicted Runway is an estimate from the TAF wind forecast, runway geometry (most headwind, crosswind penalised, tailwind over 5 kt avoided, longest runway breaks ties), the current stated configuration and any stated closures. Each row lists its reasons; “no runway favored” is a genuine answer under variable or light wind, never replaced by a guess. It is not an ATC assignment and does not know about noise abatement or traffic flow unless the recorded history shows them. TAF issued 1120Z (6:20 AM CDT).
Runway 18/36 equipment and lighting
What the FAA record lists for each end, annotated with current NOTAM and D-ATIS outages.
- Approach lighting
- MALSR
- Visual glide slope
- PAPI (4-box, left side)
- Runway edge lighting
- HIRL (high intensity)
- Centerline lighting
- Available
- Touchdown zone lighting
- Not available
- REIL
- Not available
- ILS
- ILS/DME
- Localizer
- Available
- Glideslope
- Available
- DME
- Available
- Marker beacons
- Not available
- RVR
- touchdown, midpoint, rollout
- Runway markings
- Precision instrument
- Arresting system
- BAK-14
- Approach lighting
- ALSF-2
- Visual glide slope
- PAPI (4-box, left side)
- Runway edge lighting
- HIRL (high intensity)
- Centerline lighting
- Available
- Touchdown zone lighting
- Not available
- REIL
- Not available
- ILS
- ILS/DME
- Localizer
- Available
- Glideslope
- Available
- DME
- Available
- Marker beacons
- Not available
- RVR
- touchdown, midpoint, rollout
- Runway markings
- Precision instrument
- Arresting system
- BAK-14
Source: FAA NASR 28-day subscription, cycle effective 2026-10-01 (equipment on record) · FAA NOTAMs via SWIM (live)and the current D-ATIS (outages). “Not available” means the FAA record lists no such equipment for the end; nothing here is inferred. An outage annotation is only ever a reading of the official text shown with it. Declared distances are not shown in this phase.
Land and hold short operations
LAHSO hold-short points and available landing distances on the FAA record, and whether the current D-ATIS reports LAHSO in effect.
- Hold short
- Runway 03/21 intersection
- Available landing distance
- 4,800 ft
- Hold short
- Runway 14/32 intersection
- Available landing distance
- 7,050 ft
A hold-short point on record means LAHSO can be conducted to this end; it is active only when ATC says so. This airport has no D-ATIS, so the current LAHSO state is not known here. Source: FAA NASR cycle 2026-10-01; D-ATIS text read by ATIS Alerts.
Frequencies for runway 18/36
Tower, ground, clearance, ATIS and approach frequencies from the FAA record, labelled by what they apply to.
| Service | Frequency | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Tower | 119.3 | Airport-wide |
| Tower | 257.8 | Airport-wide |
| Ground | 121.9 | Airport-wide |
| Ground | 348.6 | Airport-wide |
| Clearance delivery | 121.625 | Airport-wide |
| ATIS | 124.65 | Airport-wide |
| ATIS | 278.3 | Airport-wide |
Show all frequencies (7 more: approach and departure sectors, secondary and other)
| Service | Frequency | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| CTAF | 119.3 | Airport-wideACTVT MALSR RWY 18 & 21; REIL RWY 03, 14 & 32; HIRL RWY 03/21, 14/32 & 18/36 - CTAF. WHEN ATCT CLSD HIRL RWY 18/36 PRESET LOW INTST; INCR INTST - CTAF. |
| UNICOM | 122.95 | Airport-wide |
| Approach / departure | 120.1 | Sector: EAST |
| Approach / departure | 135.45 | Sector: WEST |
| Approach / departure | 318.1 | Airport-wide |
| Approach / departure | 343.7 | Sector: WEST |
| Approach / departure | 350.3 | Sector: EAST |
The FAA record does not sectorize KMSN's frequencies by runway; every row applies airport-wide. Source: FAA NASR FRQ, cycle 2026-10-01. Verify on the current chart supplement before use.
Runway 18/36 overview
Physical characteristics from the FAA-derived runway record.
- Length
- 9,006 ft
- Width
- 150 ft
- Surface
- Concrete · Fair condition
- Surface treatment
- Grooved
- Weight bearing (lb)
- S 120k · D 230k · 2D 380k · 2D/2D2 870k
- PCN
- 780
- Runway lights
- Lighted
- Airport elevation
- 887 ft
- Published FAA baseline
- Open
- Published NASR record; does not reflect temporary closures or restrictions. Current operational status is the card at the top of the page.
- True heading
- 182°
- Magnetic
- 185°
- Published FAA baseline
- Open
- Threshold elevation
- 860 ft
- TDZ elevation
- 864 ft
- Displaced threshold
- 400 ft
- Threshold crossing height
- 57 ft
- Visual glide path
- 3°
- Traffic pattern
- Left
- Controlling obstruction
- hill, 50 ft, 1,634 ft from threshold, 28:1 slope
- True heading
- 002°
- Magnetic
- 005°
- Published FAA baseline
- Open
- Threshold elevation
- 862 ft
- TDZ elevation
- 862 ft
- Displaced threshold
- 1,001 ft
- Threshold crossing height
- 59 ft
- Visual glide path
- 3°
- Traffic pattern
- Left
Runway 18/36 numbers are magnetic; the stored geometry and every wind calculation on this page are TRUE north, so they never need a variation correction. Magnetic headings use the FAA's published variation for this airport, 3.0°W (2020), the same value printed on the FAA airport diagram. Surface condition, treatment, weight bearing, thresholds and traffic pattern are from the FAA NASR record (cycle 2026-10-01); lighting, ILS and LAHSO are in their own sections above. Declared distances are not shown in this phase.
Wind-favored runway at KMSN — last 30 days
Which runway end had the most headwind each hour, from ATIS Alerts' collected wind history — an estimate, not ATC use.
Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.
- 18
- 45%
- 32
- 14%
- 21
- 12%
- 14
- 11%
- 03
- 11%
- 36
- 7%
Historical wind and crosswind on runway 18/36
20-year hourly climatology from the ASOS archive, computed per runway end.
From 175,301 hourly observations at KMSN (2005–2025), 133,790 with a steady wind direction (23.7% calm, variable or direction-less). One observation per clock hour; TRUE headings against TRUE wind.
Crosswind on runway 18/36 (either end)
| Crosswind (kt) | Share of wind hours |
|---|---|
| 0–5 | 67.4% |
| 5–10 | 27.3% |
| 10–15 | 4.8% |
| 15–20 | 0.5% |
| 20–25 | 0% |
| 25+ | 0% |
Strongest-crosswind month on average: Apr; calmest: Aug. Percentiles are streaming approximations (t-digest), accurate to about 0.1 kt.
Runway 18
Runway 36
“Most wind-favored end” is meteorological analysis: the share of steady-wind hours (2005–2025) in which this end had the most headwind of every open runway end at KMSN. It does not mean ATC selected the runway that often (parallel ends with the same heading share the credit equally). Observed runway use, where available, is the configuration-history section above.
By wind direction
| Wind from | Share of wind hours | 18 favored | 36 favored | Mean crosswind | Crosswind > 15 kt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N 338–023° | 14% | 0% | 85.7% | 1.7 kt | 0% |
| NE 023–068° | 8% | 0% | 0% | 5.5 kt | 0.5% |
| E 068–113° | 9% | 0% | 0% | 7.7 kt | 4.1% |
| SE 113–158° | 8% | 0% | 0% | 5.7 kt | 0.6% |
| S 158–203° | 24% | 82.7% | 0% | 1.5 kt | 0% |
| SW 203–248° | 10% | 0% | 0% | 4.3 kt | 0% |
| W 248–293° | 10% | 0% | 0% | 6.5 kt | 0.7% |
| NW 293–338° | 16% | 0% | 0% | 5.2 kt | 0.1% |
By time of day (airport-local)
Seasonal runway conditions
| Month | Mean crosswind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 4.2 kt |
| Feb | 4.5 kt |
| Mar | 4.7 kt |
| Apr | 5.5 kt |
| May | 4.5 kt |
| Jun | 4.0 kt |
| Jul | 3.4 kt |
| Aug | 3.3 kt |
| Sep | 3.4 kt |
| Oct | 4.0 kt |
| Nov | 4.0 kt |
| Dec | 4.3 kt |
| Month | Prevailing | Mean wind | Gusty | Mean xw | xw > 10 | xw > 15 | xw > 20 | 18 tail > 5 | 36 tail > 5 | IFR | TS | Fog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | NW | 6.4 kt | 15.3% | 4.2 kt | 3.9% | 0.3% | 0% | 23.1% | 22.5% | 16.7% | 0.05% | 17.9% |
| Feb | NW | 6.7 kt | 16.5% | 4.5 kt | 6.2% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 26.7% | 20.1% | 12.4% | 0.1% | 14.1% |
| Mar | S | 7.1 kt | 18% | 4.7 kt | 8.5% | 1.1% | 0.1% | 27% | 24.4% | 10.6% | 0.3% | 13.1% |
| Apr | S | 7.8 kt | 24.2% | 5.5 kt | 13.5% | 2.1% | 0.3% | 26.6% | 23.8% | 7.8% | 0.82% | 9.4% |
| May | S | 6.6 kt | 16.4% | 4.5 kt | 6.9% | 0.6% | 0% | 20.1% | 26.2% | 6.8% | 1.24% | 8% |
| Jun | S | 5.6 kt | 12.4% | 4 kt | 3.5% | 0.2% | 0% | 15% | 27.1% | 4.8% | 2.29% | 6.9% |
| Jul | S | 4.9 kt | 8% | 3.4 kt | 1% | 0% | 0% | 15.4% | 26.4% | 3.1% | 1.95% | 5.2% |
| Aug | S | 4.6 kt | 6.9% | 3.3 kt | 1.4% | 0.1% | 0% | 14.3% | 25.6% | 5.8% | 1.73% | 9.9% |
| Sep | S | 5.2 kt | 9.9% | 3.4 kt | 2.5% | 0.1% | 0% | 17.8% | 29.4% | 6.6% | 1.03% | 9.9% |
| Oct | S | 6 kt | 17.3% | 4 kt | 4.5% | 0.3% | 0% | 20.7% | 27.9% | 6.9% | 0.36% | 9.1% |
| Nov | S | 6.7 kt | 18.8% | 4 kt | 4.7% | 0.4% | 0% | 19.7% | 32.3% | 9.3% | 0.08% | 12.4% |
| Dec | S | 6.4 kt | 15.2% | 4.3 kt | 5.3% | 0.7% | 0% | 18.7% | 25.5% | 18.7% | 0.02% | 20.6% |
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 18/36 closure history
Kept per source with its provenance: D-ATIS-observed, NOTAM-observed and the FAA published baseline are never merged.
KMSN has no D-ATIS, so there is no broadcast-observed closure record.
- 10/095 · partial closure (partial) · runway 18/36effective 2026-10-24 05:30Z → 2026-10-24 09:30Z · first seen 2026-10-22 20:15Z · last seen 2026-10-24 09:10Z · cancelled 2026-10-24 09:10Z
!MSN 10/095 MSN RWY 18/36 CLSD EXC 1HR PPR 608-235-1001 2610240530-2610240930
- 10/093 · partial closure (partial) · runway 18/36effective 2026-10-23 06:00Z → 2026-10-23 09:00Z · first seen 2026-10-22 17:03Z · last seen 2026-10-22 20:12Z · cancelled 2026-10-22 20:13Z
!MSN 10/093 MSN RWY 18/36 CLSD EXC 1HR PPR 608-235-1001 2610230600-2610230900
- 10/093 · partial closure (partial) · runway 18/36effective 2026-10-23 06:00Z → 2026-10-23 09:00Z · first seen 2026-10-22 20:13Z · last seen 2026-10-22 20:13Z
RWY 18/36 CLSD EXC 1HR PPR 608-235-1001
- 09/153 · closure (full) · runway 18/36effective 2026-09-25 20:32Z → 2026-10-02 17:00Z · first seen 2026-09-25 20:32Z · last seen 2026-09-25 20:33Z
!MSN 09/153 MSN RWY 18/36 CLSD 2609252032-2610021700
- 09/040 · closure (full) · runway 18/36effective 2026-09-08 17:00Z → 2026-09-26 10:00Z · first seen 2026-09-25 20:32Z · last seen 2026-09-25 20:32Z · cancelled 2026-09-25 20:32Z
!MSN 09/040 MSN RWY 18/36 CLSD 2609081700-2609261000
Runway 18/36: Open on the published record — a baseline that does not reflect temporary closures or restrictions, not the current operational status.
Recent pilot reports involving runway 18/36
Official PIREPs that name this runway explicitly, past 6 hours.
No pilot report in the last 6 hours names runway 18/36 at KMSN explicitly. Reports near the airport that do not name a runway are on the airport page.
Instrument approaches to runway 18/36
From the FAA d-TPP, linked to the official plates.
Runway 18
- TACANHI-TACAN RWY 18 ↗
- ILSILS OR LOC RWY 18 ↗precision
- ILSILS RWY 18 (SA CAT I - II) ↗precision
- RNAV (GPS)RNAV (GPS) RWY 18 ↗
Runway 36
- TACANHI-TACAN RWY 36 ↗
- ILSILS OR LOC/DME RWY 36 ↗precision
- ILSILS RWY 36 (CAT II - III) ↗precision
- ILSILS RWY 36 (SA CAT I) ↗precision
- RNAV (GPS)RNAV (GPS) RWY 36 ↗
No departure procedures · FAA hot spots page ↗ · LAHSO page ↗ · FAA d-TPP cycle 2611. 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; 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.
- Flowis the compass direction of the stated arrival ends (eight sectors, named only when every arrival end points within 30° of the others and clear of a sector edge); a tower's own configuration name is used when it carries a direction word. Stored separately from the runway sets.
- Equipment, LAHSO and frequencies come from the FAA NASR 28-day subscription (cycle 2026-10-01): approach lights, visual glide slope, edge / centerline / touchdown-zone lights, REIL, ILS components with FAA status, RVR, markings, LAHSO hold-short points and available landing distances, and facility frequencies with their published sectorization. Outage annotations are readings of the NOTAM or D-ATIS text shown beside them. Blank FAA fields read “Not available”.
- 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), excludes stated closures, and — once a wind sector has 24 h of recorded use — adjusts confidence by what the facility did under similar wind; every row lists its reasons. It does not model noise abatement or flow programs beyond what the record shows.
- History thresholds: usage shares need 12 / 48 / 168 recorded hours for the 24-hour / 7-day / 30-day windows; a wind sector needs 24 h and 5 days; time-of-day needs 7 days and 20 h per daypart; flow shares need 48 h. Below a bar the module says so instead of showing a percentage.
- 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.
- PIREPs: official reports from aviationweather.gov are attached only when the text names this runway and the report is tied to KMSN by identifier or by position within 15 NM. 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 3 min ago; usage rollups every 3 h; climatology through 2025-12-31.
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KMSN airport diagram
Official FAA taxiway and runway layout. Tap to zoom.
Official FAA airport diagram · d-TPP cycle 2611 · Not for navigation. Download the official FAA PDF ↗
⚠️ ATIS Alerts provides informational runway analysis based on available weather, the tower's TFDM configuration and NOTAMs received through FAA SWIM, D-ATIS text, FAA data and historical observations. Active runways shown here are what the tower or its D-ATIS stated and may lag or be misread; NOTAM coverage is not complete; predicted runways are an ATIS Alerts estimate, not an ATC assignment; equipment states are readings of the official text shown with them. Not an FAA product. Not for operational use. Always verify with official FAA-approved preflight weather sources before flight.