Pierce County-Thun Field (KPLU) Aviation Weather, METAR, TAF & ATIS Alerts
Live aviation weather for Pierce County-Thun Field in Puyallup, WA, including METAR, TAF, flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling, altimeter, runway crosswinds, and Telegram airport alerts.
Pierce County-Thun Field (KPLU) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around Puyallup, WA at 538 ft. KPLU reports its own METAR, decoded live on this page as flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling and altimeter. Its 2 runways (17, 35), longest 3,651 ft, are checked against the current wind in the crosswind table below. Track KPLU 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.
Wind calm, visibility 5 statute miles, scattered clouds at 4,900 ft, overcast at 6,000 ft, temperature 13°C (55°F), altimeter 29.92 inHg. Conditions are Marginal VFR (MVFR), ceiling 6,000 ft.
METAR KPLU 130535Z AUTO 00000KT 5SM -RA SCT049 OVC060 13/13 A2992 RMK AO2
What changed at KPLU?
Since the 0515Z (10:15 PM PDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.
- Flight category dropped from VFR to MVFR.
- Visibility dropped from 9 SM to 5 SM.
- Rain began (-RA).
- Drizzle ended (-DZ).
This is exactly what ATIS Alerts watches for you: get a Telegram message when KPLU's weather changes, free →
Current pilot readout for KPLU
KPLU is currently MVFR with calm winds, visibility 5 statute miles, and a 6,000 ft ceiling. Density altitude is approximately 450 ft (field elevation 538 ft). KPLU does not publish a TAF. The nearest TAF station is KTCM, about 8 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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Stop refreshing aviation weather manually. Track KPLU 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 KPLU free on TelegramRunway 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 KPLU. 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.
| Runway | Length | Surface | Head / Tail | Crosswind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 3,651 ft | ASPH-G | - | - |
| 35 | 3,651 ft | ASPH-G | - | - |
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.
Over the last 24 h: wind 0→0 kt, ceiling unlimited → 6,000 ft.
KPLU weather radar
Live NEXRAD + lightning, with a 4-hour future-radar forecast. Drag to pan, tap ⚡ to toggle lightning.
Live weather radar around Pierce County-Thun Field in Puyallup, WA: 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 KPLU is headed.
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 KPLU
Reported by pilots in flight over the past 6 hours, via aviationweather.gov.
Show raw report
SEA UA /OV SEA140002/TM 0520/FL014/TP B739/SK BKN014
SEA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV SEA140002Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 0520Reported at 05:20 UTC.FL014Altitude: 1,400 ft MSL.TP B739Aircraft type reporting.SK BKN014Sky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.Show raw report
SEA UA /OV SEA150050/TM 0504/FL240/TP E75L/TB LGT OCNL MOD 220-240/RM DURC SUMMA ZSE
SEA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV SEA150050Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 0504Reported at 05:04 UTC.FL240Altitude: 24,000 ft MSL.TP E75LAircraft type reporting.TB LGT OCNL MOD 220-240Turbulence: light occasional moderate 22,000–24,000 ft.RM DURC SUMMA ZSERemarks.Show raw report
OLM UA /OV OLM150030/TM 0501/FL180/TP B737/TB LGT OCNL MOD 280-180/RM DURD HAWKZ ZSE
OLM UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV OLM150030Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 0501Reported at 05:01 UTC.FL180Altitude: 18,000 ft MSL.TP B737Aircraft type reporting.TB LGT OCNL MOD 280-180Turbulence: light occasional moderate 28,000–18,000 ft.RM DURD HAWKZ ZSERemarks.Show raw report
PDX UA /OV BTG070020/TM 0451/FL100/TP B738/TA M06/IC LGT RIME/RM DURC 100-180-ZSE
PDX UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV BTG070020Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 0451Reported at 04:51 UTC.FL100Altitude: 10,000 ft MSL.TP B738Aircraft type reporting.TA M06Outside air temperature, °C.IC LGT RIMEIcing: light rime.RM DURC 100-180-ZSERemarks.Show raw report
SEA UA /OV SEA120048/TM 0412/FL145/TP B738/TA M14/IC LGT RIME 160-090/RM DURD MARNR8 ARR
SEA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV SEA120048Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 0412Reported at 04:12 UTC.FL145Altitude: 14,500 ft MSL.TP B738Aircraft type reporting.TA M14Outside air temperature, °C.IC LGT RIME 160-090Icing: light rime 16,000–9,000 ft.RM DURD MARNR8 ARRRemarks.Show raw report
SEA UA /OV SEA312048/TM 0406/FL145/TP B738/TA -14/IC LGT RIME 160-145/RM DURD MARNR8 ARR
SEA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV SEA312048Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 0406Reported at 04:06 UTC.FL145Altitude: 14,500 ft MSL.TP B738Aircraft type reporting.TA -14Outside air temperature, °C.IC LGT RIME 160-145Icing: light rime 16,000–14,500 ft.RM DURD MARNR8 ARRRemarks.Show raw report
SEA UA /OV SEA310080/TM 0359/FL290/TP B748/TB MOD 290-150/RM DURD MARNR ARVL VIXOR TRANSITION-ZSE
SEA UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV SEA310080Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 0359Reported at 03:59 UTC.FL290Altitude: 29,000 ft MSL.TP B748Aircraft type reporting.TB MOD 290-150Turbulence: moderate 29,000–15,000 ft.RM DURD MARNR ARVL VIXOR TRA…Remarks.Show raw report
PAE UA /OV PAE340015/TM 0355/FL180/TP E75L/TB LGT-MOD 180-150 LGT CHOP 150-120/RM DURD GRIZZ ARVL-ZSE
PAE UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV PAE340015Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 0355Reported at 03:55 UTC.FL180Altitude: 18,000 ft MSL.TP E75LAircraft type reporting.TB LGT-MOD 180-150 LGT CHOP …Turbulence: light to moderate 18,000–15,000 ft light chop 15,000–12,000 ft.RM DURD GRIZZ ARVL-ZSERemarks.⚠️ PIREPs are unverified pilot reports. Not for operational use: conditions change between reports.
Recent aviation weather trends at KPLU
From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.
Over the past 24 hours, KPLU reported mostly VFR across 70 observations, with 3 flight-category changes. The strongest gust reached 11 kt, the lowest ceiling was 2,600 ft.
Most recent change: VFR → MVFR
Most recent change: MVFR → VFR
- 17
- 90%
- 35
- 10%
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Nearby TFRs
Active FAA TFRs near KPLU
FAA TFR data shows an active temporary flight restriction near KPLU.
View all active US TFRs → · Official FAA TFR ↗
Verify with official FAA TFR sources before flight.
Airport facts
Reference data from the OurAirports dataset.
- Type
- General aviation airport
- ICAO
- KPLU
- FAA LID
- PLU
- City
- Puyallup
- State
- Washington
- Country
- United States
- Elevation
- 538 ft
- Coordinates
- 47.1039, -122.2870
- Runways
- 2
- Longest runway
- 3,651 ft
- Weather reporting
- Reports METAR
- TAF
- Nearest KTCM
- Time zone
- America/Los_Angeles
- Next sunset
- 20h 36m
Run a flight school, FBO, or club here? Embed KPLU'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
10 airports+4 more within 25 NM
25–50 NM
6 airports50–100 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.
- Northwest Skyraiders - Pierce County Airport , Puyallup, WA · 0 mi
- RAMS - Auburn Adventist Academy Airport , Auburn, WA · 14 mi
- Auburn Municipal Airport - Dick Scobee Field , Auburn, WA · 16 mi
KPLU weather: frequently asked
What runways are available at KPLU?+
KPLU has 2 runways: 17, 35; the longest is 3,651 ft. This page computes the live crosswind for each runway end from the current wind.
Does KPLU report its own weather?+
Yes. Pierce County-Thun Field has its own weather station and publishes METAR observations, which this page decodes live.
Does KPLU have a TAF?+
No. KPLU does not publish its own TAF. The nearest TAF station is KTCM, about 8 nm away.
Does KPLU broadcast D-ATIS?+
No. KPLU does not broadcast D-ATIS. Alerts for KPLU from the ATIS Alerts bot (@atisalerts_bot) are based on its METAR instead.
Pilot PIREPs for Pierce County-Thun Field (KPLU)
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 Pierce County-Thun 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 KPLU 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.
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⚠️ 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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