Sumter Airport (KSMS) Aviation Weather: METAR
As of 4:35 AM ET, Oct 28, KSMS is currently VFR with calm winds, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported.
Live aviation weather for Sumter Airport in Sumter, SC, including METAR, flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling, altimeter and runway crosswinds.
Sumter Airport (KSMS) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around Sumter, SC at a field elevation of 182 ft. KSMS reports its own METAR, decoded live on this page as flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling and altimeter. It has 2 physical runways (05/23, 14/32), the longest 5,501 ft. Automated weather is broadcast on 118.075.
Wind calm, visibility 10+ statute miles, no cloud data, temperature 5°C (41°F), altimeter 30.27 inHg. Conditions are Visual Flight Rules (VFR).
METAR KSMS 280835Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 05/05 A3027 RMK AO2
What changed at KSMS?
Since the 0815Z (4:15 AM EDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.
No significant changes since the 0815Z (4:15 AM EDT) report, conditions are holding steady.
Current pilot readout for KSMS
KSMS is currently VFR with calm winds, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported. Density altitude is approximately -1,400 ft (field elevation 182 ft). KSMS does not publish a TAF. The nearest TAF station is KSSC, about 6 nm away.
KSMS by the numbers
What the long-run records say about flying here, computed for this airport alone.
KSMS reported VFR in 81% of daylight observations over 20 years, about 278 flyable days a year. June is the most reliable month and December the least, with IFR or worse 15% of the time. When conditions drop it is usually low ceilings rather than fog (ceilings under 1,000 ft 8% of hours, visibility under 3 miles 5%).
Over 20 years of hourly winds, runway 23 had the best headwind 42% of the time, runway 05 25%, and winds were calm 53% of hours. Winds most often blow from the southwest. Crosswind on the best available runway topped 15 kt in under 1% of hours.
Thunderstorms were reported on about 69 days a year. 65% of storm hours fall in June, July and August, peaking in July when storms were in the air 4% of the time.
Fog was reported on about 50 days a year, and fog or mist on 198. August and September are the foggiest months, with fog in 12% of hours, against 7% in April.
Field elevation is 182 ft, but on a median summer afternoon the air performs like 2,067 ft, 1,885 ft higher. Plan for a longer takeoff roll and a weaker climb from June to August.
Gusts showed up in 11% of hours, typically 7 kt above the steady wind, and the strongest credible gust on record was 46 kt. March is the windiest month (mean 5 kt) and August 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 | 5,501 ft | ASP | - | - |
| 14 | 3,081 ft | GRS | - | - |
| 23 | 5,501 ft | ASP | - | - |
| 32 | 3,081 ft | GRS | - | - |
Open the crosswind calculator to try your own wind and runway numbers →
KSMS 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.
- Status not monitoredRunway 05/235,501 × 100 ft · ASPCurrent useno stated-runway source at KSMSWind
- 05
- no steady wind
- 23
- no steady wind
no active equipment NOTAM receivedView Runway Intelligence → - Status not monitoredRunway 14/323,081 × 120 ft · GRSCurrent useno stated-runway source at KSMSWind
- 14
- no steady wind
- 32
- 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.
KSMS 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.
Pilot reports (PIREPs) within 100 NM of KSMS
Reported by pilots in flight over the past 6 hours, via aviationweather.gov.
Show raw report
FLO UA /OV FLO/TM 0445/FL390/TP A320/TB NEG
FLO UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV FLOLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 0445Reported at 04:45 UTC.FL390Altitude: 39,000 ft MSL.TP A320Aircraft type reporting.TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.⚠️ PIREPs are unverified pilot reports. Not for operational use: conditions change between reports.
Recent aviation weather trends at KSMS
From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.
Over the past 24 hours, KSMS reported mostly VFR across 71 observations, with 2 flight-category changes. The strongest gust reached 13 kt, the lowest ceiling was 1,600 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.
- 05
- 62%
- 23
- 17%
- 32
- 15%
- 14
- 6%
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Stop refreshing aviation weather manually. Track KSMS 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 KSMS free on TelegramLive KSMS Weather
Live crosswind meter
Measured by KSMS's own weather station.
Wind is calm or variable. Either end works.
Asphalt · 5,501 ft. Headings from FAA runway data. Not for navigation.
Field aerial
North up
Runway 05/23, 14/32 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
- Daily 0800-1800 local
- Repairs
- Airframe & engine, major
- Transient parking
- Tie-downs · Hangars
- Landing fee
- No
- Other services
- Avionics · Flight instruction · Aircraft rental
- Control tower
- None
- Wind indicator
- Lighted
Airport
- Type
- General aviation airport
- ICAO
- KSMS
- IATA
- SUM
- FAA LID
- SMS
- City
- Sumter
- State
- South Carolina
- Country
- United States
- Elevation
- 182 ft
- Coordinates
- 33.9950, -80.3613
- Runways
- 2 physical runways · 4 runway ends
- Longest runway
- 5,501 ft
- Weather reporting
- Reports METAR
- TAF
- Nearest KSSC
- AWOS/ASOS
- 118.075 MHz
- Time zone
- America/New_York
- Next sunset
- 13h 35m
Run a flight school, FBO, or club here? Embed KSMS'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.
- Carolina Sod Busters - Peach Orchard Rd , Dalzell, SC · 6 mi
- Carolina Sod Busters - Modern Turf Sod Farm Camden Hwy , Rembert, SC · 13 mi
- Kershaw County Flyers - Science Park , Camden, SC · 23 mi
Historical Flying Weather at KSMS
2006–2025 · ATIS Alerts Flying Weather Index
Based on historical observations from 2006–2025, KSMS reported VFR conditions during about 81.0% of valid daylight observations, with an estimated 278 VFR flying days a year. June had the most VFR weather; December had the most instrument conditions. Surface winds averaged 3.4 kt, calm 47.0% of the time.
Full historical breakdown
Flight category by month
| Month | VFR % | MVFR % | IFR % | LIFR % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78.2 | 10.1 | 5.6 | 6.1 |
| Feb | 75.8 | 10.9 | 6.6 | 6.7 |
| Mar | 79.7 | 10.3 | 5.7 | 4.3 |
| Apr | 83.7 | 9.3 | 4.3 | 2.6 |
| May | 80.2 | 11.2 | 5.1 | 3.6 |
| Jun | 84.2 | 10.2 | 3.3 | 2.3 |
| Jul | 81.5 | 11.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| Aug | 75.2 | 13.5 | 6.1 | 5.2 |
| Sep | 78.3 | 12.3 | 5.3 | 4.2 |
| Oct | 79.6 | 10.5 | 5.7 | 4.3 |
| Nov | 77.6 | 11.4 | 6.3 | 4.8 |
| Dec | 71.7 | 13.3 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
Average wind by month
| Month | Mean wind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 3.8 kt |
| Feb | 4.4 kt |
| Mar | 4.7 kt |
| Apr | 4.6 kt |
| May | 3.7 kt |
| Jun | 3.0 kt |
| Jul | 2.8 kt |
| Aug | 2.4 kt |
| Sep | 2.8 kt |
| Oct | 2.9 kt |
| Nov | 3.1 kt |
| Dec | 3.3 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 SMS shirt or mug
SMS's real runway layout on the back, elevation and tower frequency on the front. Add your tail number on the sleeve.
Pilot PIREPs for Sumter Airport (KSMS)
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 Sumter 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 KSMS 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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