Massena International Airport Richards Field (KMSS) Aviation Weather: METAR & TAF
As of 5:53 AM ET, Oct 28, KMSS is currently VFR with calm winds, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported.
Live aviation weather for Massena International Airport Richards Field in Massena, NY, including METAR, TAF, flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling, altimeter and runway crosswinds.
Massena International Airport Richards Field (KMSS) is a regional airport serving Massena, NY at a field elevation of 221 ft. KMSS reports its own METAR and publishes a TAF, decoded live on this page as flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling and altimeter. It has 2 physical runways (05/23, 09/27), the longest 5,601 ft. Automated weather is broadcast on 128.075.
Wind calm, visibility 10+ statute miles, no cloud data, temperature -2°C (28°F), altimeter 30.46 inHg. Conditions are Visual Flight Rules (VFR).
METAR KMSS 280953Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR M02/M03 A3046 RMK AO2 SLP319 T10221028
What changed at KMSS?
Since the 0853Z (4:53 AM EDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.
No significant changes since the 0853Z (4:53 AM EDT) report, conditions are holding steady.
Current pilot readout for KMSS
KMSS is currently VFR with calm winds, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported. Density altitude is approximately -2,450 ft (field elevation 221 ft). Review the latest TAF below for forecast changes before departure.
KMSS by the numbers
What the long-run records say about flying here, computed for this airport alone.
KMSS reported VFR in 78% of daylight observations over 20 years, about 239 flyable days a year. July is the most reliable month and December the least, with IFR or worse 17% of the time. When conditions drop it is usually a mix of low ceilings (under 1,000 ft 5% of hours) and low visibility (under 3 miles 6%).
Over 20 years of hourly winds, runway 23 had the best headwind 36% of the time, runway 27 33%, and winds were calm 22% of hours. Winds most often blow from the southwest. Crosswind on the best available runway topped 15 kt in under 1% of hours.
Snow fell on about 74 days a year and freezing rain or drizzle on 10. From December to February KMSS was IFR or worse 16% of the time, against 5% from June to August.
Fog was reported on about 50 days a year, and fog or mist on 190. January and December are the foggiest months, with fog in 18% of hours, against 7% in May.
Gusts showed up in 14% of hours, typically 8 kt above the steady wind, and the strongest credible gust on record was 55 kt. April is the windiest month (mean 8 kt) and September 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05 | 5,601 ft | ASP | - | - |
| 09 | 4,000 ft | ASP | - | - |
| 23 | 5,601 ft | ASP | - | - |
| 27 | 4,000 ft | ASP | - | - |
Open the crosswind calculator to try your own wind and runway numbers →
KMSS runways
2 physical runways · 4 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 05/235,601 × 100 ft · ASPCurrent useno stated-runway source at KMSSWind
- 05
- no steady wind
- 23
- no steady wind
1 active equipment NOTAMView Runway Intelligence → - Status not monitoredRunway 09/274,000 × 100 ft · ASPCurrent useno stated-runway source at KMSSWind
- 09
- no steady wind
- 27
- no steady wind
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 0→0 kt, ceiling unlimited → unlimited.
KMSS 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 KMSS
From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.
Over the past 24 hours, KMSS reported mostly VFR across 24 observations, with 0 flight-category changes. Wind most often came from the NW.
Most recent change: MVFR → VFR
Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.
- 23
- 39%
- 27
- 36%
- 05
- 16%
- 09
- 9%
TAF | Terminal Aerodrome Forecast
Issued 0520Z (1:20 AM EDT)
TAF KMSS 280520Z 2806/2906 00000KT P6SM SKC FM281400 07004KT P6SM OVC100
New to TAFs? How to read one →
Get KMSS weather alerts in Telegram
Stop refreshing aviation weather manually. Track KMSS in ATIS Alerts and get notified when a new METAR changes the picture: a category drop, or wind and ceiling moving toward your minimums.
Track KMSS free on TelegramLive KMSS Weather
Live crosswind meter
Measured by KMSS's own weather station.
Wind is calm or variable. Either end works.
Asphalt · 5,601 ft. Headings from FAA runway data. Not for navigation.
Field aerial
North up
Runway 05/23, 09/27 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-Fri 0400-1700 local; Sat-Sun 0700-0800 local
- Repairs
- Airframe minor
- Transient parking
- Tie-downs · Hangars
- Landing fee
- Yes
- Other services
- Air freight · Cargo handling · Charter
- Control tower
- None
- Wind indicator
- Lighted
Airport
- Type
- Regional airport
- ICAO
- KMSS
- IATA
- MSS
- FAA LID
- MSS
- City
- Massena
- State
- New York
- Country
- United States
- Elevation
- 221 ft
- Coordinates
- 44.9362, -74.8443
- Runways
- 2 physical runways · 4 runway ends
- Longest runway
- 5,601 ft
- Weather reporting
- Reports METAR
- TAF
- Published
- AWOS/ASOS
- 128.075 MHz
- Time zone
- America/New_York
- Next sunset
- 11h 43m
Run a flight school, FBO, or club here? Embed KMSS'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
2 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.
- Seaway Valley Modelaires - Robinson Bay Rd , Massena, NY · 5 mi
Historical Flying Weather at KMSS
2006–2025 · ATIS Alerts Flying Weather Index
Based on historical observations from 2006–2025, KMSS reported VFR conditions during about 77.6% of valid daylight observations, with an estimated 239 VFR flying days a year. July had the most VFR weather; December had the most instrument conditions. Surface winds averaged 6.4 kt, calm 19.9% of the time.
Full historical breakdown
Flight category by month
| Month | VFR % | MVFR % | IFR % | LIFR % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61.0 | 23.3 | 11.0 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 70.4 | 15.5 | 9.8 | 4.3 |
| Mar | 77.1 | 12.9 | 6.1 | 3.8 |
| Apr | 80.5 | 12.3 | 5.0 | 2.2 |
| May | 83.7 | 10.7 | 3.9 | 1.7 |
| Jun | 82.6 | 11.6 | 4.2 | 1.6 |
| Jul | 87.7 | 8.0 | 3.0 | 1.3 |
| Aug | 85.7 | 9.3 | 3.1 | 1.9 |
| Sep | 81.2 | 11.2 | 4.6 | 3.1 |
| Oct | 79.6 | 12.8 | 4.7 | 2.9 |
| Nov | 73.9 | 16.8 | 5.2 | 4.2 |
| Dec | 59.0 | 23.5 | 11.2 | 6.3 |
Average wind by month
| Month | Mean wind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 7.1 kt |
| Feb | 7.6 kt |
| Mar | 7.5 kt |
| Apr | 7.8 kt |
| May | 6.5 kt |
| Jun | 5.6 kt |
| Jul | 5.3 kt |
| Aug | 4.9 kt |
| Sep | 4.8 kt |
| Oct | 6.1 kt |
| Nov | 6.7 kt |
| Dec | 7.1 kt |
Historical summary of past observations: not a forecast or safety rating. Always check the current METAR, TAF, and a weather briefing before flight.
Customize your MSS shirt or mug
MSS's real runway layout on the back, elevation and tower frequency on the front. Add your tail number on the sleeve.
Pilot PIREPs for Massena International Airport Richards Field (KMSS)
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 Massena International Airport Richards Field, 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 KMSS 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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