ATIS Alerts

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.

VFR
Observed 0555Z (10:55 PM PDT)live · refreshes every 60s
Wind
Calm
Visibility
10+ sm
Ceiling
3,700 ft
Altimeter
30.07"
Temp / Dew
16°C / 61°F
dew 12°C

Wind calm, visibility 10+ statute miles, overcast at 3,700 ft, temperature 16°C (61°F), altimeter 30.07 inHg. Conditions are Visual Flight Rules (VFR), ceiling 3,700 ft.

Raw METAR
METAR KPLU 290555Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM OVC037 16/12 A3007 RMK AO2

What changed at KPLU?

Since the 0535Z (10:35 PM PDT) report — compared automatically against the latest METAR.

No significant changes since the 0535Z report — conditions are holding steady.

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 VFR with calm winds, visibility 10+ statute miles, and a 3,700 ft ceiling. Density altitude is approximately 600 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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Runway 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.

RunwayHead / TailCrosswind
17——
35——

Open the crosswind calculator — try your own wind and runway numbers →

24-hour trend

Wind, ceiling and flight category over the last 24 hours.

Wind (kt)Gusts (kt)Bottom strip — flight category:VFRMVFRIFRLIFRNo report
091706Z18Z05Z

Over the last 24 h: wind 0→0 kt, ceiling 3,700 ft → 3,700 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.

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Loading radar…

Radar: NOAA/NWS via IEM · Forecast: NOAA HRRR · Lightning: NOAA · Map © OpenStreetMap © CARTO

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.

PIREP0306Z (8:06 PM PDT) · 25 NM N of KPLU · 7,500 ft MSL · E75L
moderate 7,500–5,000 ft turbulence
Show raw report
SEA UA /OV SEA010006/TM 0306/FL075/TP E75L/TB MOD 075-050/RM CELL EXTENDING NE
SEA UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV SEA010006Location — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0306Reported at 03:06 UTC.
FL075Altitude: 7,500 ft MSL.
TP E75LAircraft type reporting.
TB MOD 075-050Turbulence: moderate 7,500–5,000 ft.
RM CELL EXTENDING NERemarks.
PIREP0305Z (8:05 PM PDT) · 32 NM N of KPLU · 2,000 ft MSL · PC12
Show raw report
BFI UA /OV BFI315007/TM 0305/FL020/TP PC12/RM SMOOTH RIDE
BFI UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV BFI315007Location — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0305Reported at 03:05 UTC.
FL020Altitude: 2,000 ft MSL.
TP PC12Aircraft type reporting.
RM SMOOTH RIDERemarks.
URGENT0133Z (6:33 PM PDT) · 26 NM N of KPLU · 300 ft MSL · BE99
low-level wind shear
Show raw report
BFI UUA /OV BFI315001/TM 0133/FL003/TP BE99/RM LLWS +/- 10KTS
BFI UUAHeader — reporting station and UUA: an URGENT pilot report (severe conditions, wind shear, or similar).
OV BFI315001Location — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0133Reported at 01:33 UTC.
FL003Altitude: 300 ft MSL.
TP BE99Aircraft type reporting.
RM LLWS +/- 10KTSRemarks.
PIREP0128Z (6:28 PM PDT) · 51 NM N of KPLU · 3,000 ft MSL · PA28
Show raw report
PAE UA /OV PAE360002/TM 0128/FL030/TP PA28/SK BKN030
PAE UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV PAE360002Location — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0128Reported at 01:28 UTC.
FL030Altitude: 3,000 ft MSL.
TP PA28Aircraft type reporting.
SK BKN030Sky condition — cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.
PIREP0123Z (6:23 PM PDT) · 28 NM N of KPLU · 1,000 ft MSL · B190
low-level wind shear
Show raw report
BFI UA /OV BFI315003/TM 0123/FL010/TP B190/RM LLWS +/- 5-7KTS
BFI UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV BFI315003Location — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0123Reported at 01:23 UTC.
FL010Altitude: 1,000 ft MSL.
TP B190Aircraft type reporting.
RM LLWS +/- 5-7KTSRemarks.
PIREP0102Z (6:02 PM PDT) · 32 NM N of KPLU · 2,000 ft MSL · DC9
low-level wind shear
Show raw report
BFI UA /OV BFI315007/TM 0102/FL020/TP DC9/RM LLWS +/- 3-5KTS
BFI UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV BFI315007Location — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0102Reported at 01:02 UTC.
FL020Altitude: 2,000 ft MSL.
TP DC9Aircraft type reporting.
RM LLWS +/- 3-5KTSRemarks.
PIREP0055Z (5:55 PM PDT) · 33 NM N of KPLU · during descent · PC12
light chop turbulence
Show raw report
BFI UA /OV BFI315008/TM 0055/FL020/TP PC12/TB LGT CHOP/RM DURD
BFI UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV BFI315008Location — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0055Reported at 00:55 UTC.
FL020Altitude: 2,000 ft MSL.
TP PC12Aircraft type reporting.
TB LGT CHOPTurbulence: light chop.
RM DURDRemarks.
PIREP0045Z (5:45 PM PDT) · 32 NM N of KPLU · during descent · C700
Show raw report
BFI UA /OV BFI315007/TM 0045/FL020/TP C700/RM SMOOTH RIDE DURD
BFI UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV BFI315007Location — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0045Reported at 00:45 UTC.
FL020Altitude: 2,000 ft MSL.
TP C700Aircraft type reporting.
RM SMOOTH RIDE DURDRemarks.

⚠️ 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 72 observations, with 4 flight-category changes. The strongest gust reached 15 kt, the lowest ceiling was 1,700 ft. Wind most often came from the W.

Last 24 hours
VFR 74%MVFR 26%
Wind avg/max: 1/8 kt
Max gust: 15 kt
Lowest ceiling: 1,700 ft
Lowest vis: —
Prevailing wind: W
Category changes: 4

Most recent change: MVFR → VFR

Last 7 days
VFR 73%MVFR 25%IFR 3%
Wind avg/max: 1/9 kt
Max gust: 14 kt
Lowest ceiling: 800 ft
Lowest vis: 9 sm
Prevailing wind: W
Category changes: 18

Most recent change: MVFR → VFR

Active Runway - past 30 days
17
81%
35
19%

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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
21h 41m

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Nearby airports

Compare nearby METAR/TAF stations within 25, 50 and 100 NM before departure or arrival.

VFRMVFRIFRLIFRNo report

RC flying fields nearby

AMA model-aircraft club fields around this airport — live wind, crosswind & flyability on each page.

All RC flying fields →

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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-submitted

Community-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.

From the ATIS Alerts team

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⚠️ Not for operational use. Always verify with official FAA-approved preflight weather sources before flight.

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