Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO) Aviation Weather: METAR, TAF & ATIS
As of 12:51 AM PDT, Oct 28, KSMO is currently VFR with calm winds, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported. The FAA lists no ground stop or delay program for KSMO right now.
Live aviation weather for Santa Monica Municipal Airport in Santa Monica, CA, including METAR, TAF, ATIS, flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling, altimeter and runway crosswinds.
Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO) is a regional airport serving Santa Monica, CA at a field elevation of 170 ft. KSMO reports its own METAR and publishes a TAF, decoded live on this page as flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling and altimeter. It has one runway (03/21), the longest 3,500 ft. The official FAA airport diagram is at the bottom of the page.
Wind calm, visibility 10+ statute miles, no cloud data, temperature 17°C (62°F), altimeter 29.96 inHg. Conditions are Visual Flight Rules (VFR).
METAR KSMO 280751Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 17/13 A2996 RMK AO2 SLP143 T01670133 402330144 $
What changed at KSMO?
Since the 0651Z (11:51 PM PDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.
No significant changes since the 0651Z (11:51 PM PDT) report, conditions are holding steady.
Current pilot readout for KSMO
KSMO is currently VFR with calm winds, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported. Density altitude is approximately 350 ft (field elevation 170 ft). Review the latest TAF below for forecast changes before departure.
KSMO by the numbers
What the long-run records say about flying here, computed for this airport alone.
KSMO reported VFR in 78% of daylight observations over 20 years, about 279 flyable days a year. January is the most reliable month and June 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 9% of hours, visibility under 3 miles 2%).
Over 20 years of hourly winds, runway 21 had the best headwind 70% of the time, runway 03 30%, and winds were calm 36% of hours. Winds most often blow from the southwest. Crosswind on the best available runway topped 15 kt in under 1% of hours.
Fog was reported on about 19 days a year, and fog or mist on 111. November and December are the foggiest months, with fog in 10% of hours, against 3% in May.
Winds were calm 30% of the time and averaged 3.9 kt overall. April is the windiest month (mean 4 kt) and November 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | 3,500 ft | Asphalt | - | - |
| 21 | 3,500 ft | Asphalt | - | - |
Open the crosswind calculator to try your own wind and runway numbers →
KSMO 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.
- Status not monitoredRunway 03/213,500 × 150 ft · AsphaltCurrent useno stated-runway source at KSMOWind
- 03
- no steady wind
- 21
- 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 3→0 kt, ceiling unlimited → unlimited.
KSMO 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 KSMO
From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.
Over the past 24 hours, KSMO reported mostly VFR across 27 observations, with 2 flight-category changes. The lowest ceiling was 1,400 ft. Wind most often came from the N.
Most recent change: MVFR → VFR
Most recent change: MVFR → VFR
Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.
- 21
- 91%
- 03
- 9%
TAF | Terminal Aerodrome Forecast
Issued 0528Z (10:28 PM PDT)
TAF KSMO 280528Z 2806/2906 VRB03KT P6SM SCT250 FM280900 VRB03KT P6SM SCT025 BKN250 FM282000 22008KT P6SM SCT250 FM290400 VRB03KT P6SM BKN250
New to TAFs? How to read one →
Get KSMO weather alerts in Telegram
Stop refreshing aviation weather manually. Track KSMO 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 KSMO free on TelegramLive KSMO Weather
Live crosswind meter
Measured by KSMO's own weather station.
Wind is calm or variable. Either end works.
Asphalt · 3,500 ft. Headings from FAA runway data. Not for navigation.
Field aerial
North up
Runway 03/21 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 · UL94 unleaded
- Attended
- 24 hours
- Repairs
- Airframe & engine, major
- Oxygen
- Bottled, high pressure · Bulk, high pressure
- Transient parking
- Tie-downs
- Landing fee
- Yes
- Other services
- Avionics · Charter · Flight instruction · Aircraft rental · Aircraft sales
- Control tower
- Yes
- Wind indicator
- Lighted
Airport
- Type
- Regional airport
- ICAO
- KSMO
- IATA
- SMO
- FAA LID
- SMO
- City
- Santa Monica
- State
- California
- Country
- United States
- Elevation
- 170 ft
- Coordinates
- 34.0158, -118.4510
- Runways
- 1 physical runway · 2 runway ends
- Longest runway
- 3,500 ft
- Weather reporting
- Reports METAR
- TAF
- Published
- ATIS
- 119.15 MHz
- CTAF
- 120.1 MHz
- Time zone
- America/Los_Angeles
- Next sunset
- 16h 17m
Is there a ground stop at SMO today? Delay status and history →
Run a flight school, FBO, or club here? Embed KSMO'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
8 airports+2 more within 25 NM
25–50 NM
9 airports+3 more within 50 NM
50–100 NM
7 airports+1 more within 100 NM
RC flying fields nearby
AMA model-aircraft club fields around this airport: live wind, crosswind & flyability on each page.
- Apollo XI Field , Encino, CA · 11 mi
- Apollo XI Field , Encino, CA · 11 mi
- Apollo XI Field , Encino, CA · 11 mi
Historical Flying Weather at KSMO
2006–2025 · ATIS Alerts Flying Weather Index
Based on historical observations from 2006–2025, KSMO reported VFR conditions during about 77.7% of valid daylight observations, with an estimated 279 VFR flying days a year. January had the most VFR weather; June had the most instrument conditions. Surface winds averaged 3.9 kt, calm 30.1% of the time.
Full historical breakdown
Flight category by month
| Month | VFR % | MVFR % | IFR % | LIFR % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84.1 | 10.5 | 3.1 | 2.3 |
| Feb | 80.5 | 11.9 | 4.3 | 3.2 |
| Mar | 78.6 | 12.6 | 5.7 | 3.2 |
| Apr | 79.2 | 13.1 | 5.2 | 2.5 |
| May | 66.0 | 24.4 | 7.8 | 1.8 |
| Jun | 54.9 | 27.3 | 14.1 | 3.7 |
| Jul | 67.7 | 16.1 | 13.1 | 3.1 |
| Aug | 73.0 | 13.8 | 10.0 | 3.1 |
| Sep | 74.5 | 14.7 | 6.9 | 3.9 |
| Oct | 77.7 | 13.3 | 5.2 | 3.8 |
| Nov | 80.3 | 10.8 | 5.1 | 3.8 |
| Dec | 81.1 | 11.6 | 4.3 | 3.0 |
Average wind by month
| Month | Mean wind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 3.6 kt |
| Feb | 3.9 kt |
| Mar | 4.2 kt |
| Apr | 4.5 kt |
| May | 4.4 kt |
| Jun | 4.3 kt |
| Jul | 4.2 kt |
| Aug | 3.9 kt |
| Sep | 3.6 kt |
| Oct | 3.5 kt |
| Nov | 3.3 kt |
| Dec | 3.4 kt |
Historical summary of past observations: not a forecast or safety rating. Always check the current METAR, TAF, and a weather briefing before flight.
KSMO 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 ↗
Customize your SMO shirt or mug
SMO's real runway layout on the back, elevation and tower frequency on the front. Add your tail number on the sleeve.
Pilot PIREPs for Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO)
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 Santa Monica Municipal 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 KSMO 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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