Denali National Park Airport (PAIN) Aviation Weather: METAR
As of 12:56 AM AKDT, Oct 28, PAIN has no current flight category, but is reporting with variable winds at 3 knots, visibility not reported, and no ceiling reported.
Live aviation weather for Denali National Park Airport in Denali Park, AK, including METAR, flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling, altimeter and runway crosswinds.
Denali National Park Airport (PAIN) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around Denali Park, AK at a field elevation of 1,720 ft. PAIN reports its own METAR, decoded live on this page as flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling and altimeter. It has one runway (16/34), the longest 3,000 ft.
Wind variable at 3 kt, visibility visibility not reported, no cloud data, temperature -7°C (19°F), altimeter 30.39 inHg.
METAR PAIN 280856Z AUTO VRB03KT CLR M07/M08 A3039 RMK AO2 SLP323 T10721083 58006 PWINO FZRANO TSNO $
What changed at PAIN?
Since the 0756Z (11:56 PM AKDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.
No significant changes since the 0756Z (11:56 PM AKDT) report, conditions are holding steady.
Current pilot readout for PAIN
PAIN has no current flight category, but is reporting with variable winds at 3 knots, visibility not reported, and no ceiling reported. Density altitude is approximately -1,100 ft (field elevation 1,720 ft). PAIN does not publish a TAF. The nearest TAF station is PAFA, about 71 nm away.
PAIN by the numbers
What the long-run records say about flying here, computed for this airport alone.
PAIN reported VFR in 90% of daylight observations over 20 years, about 248 flyable days a year. May is the most reliable month and October the least, with IFR or worse 8% of the time. When conditions drop it is usually fog and low visibility rather than low ceilings (visibility under 3 miles 3% of hours, ceilings under 1,000 ft 2%).
Over 20 years of hourly winds, runway 16 had the best headwind 50% of the time, runway 34 50%, and winds were calm 53% of hours. Winds most often blow from the north. Crosswind on the best available runway topped 15 kt in 0% of hours.
Snow fell on about 50 days a year. From December to February PAIN was IFR or worse 6% of the time, against 1% 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 40 kt. 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 variable at 3 kt: light and variable wind like this is generally not a factor for runway selection, and with no steady direction 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 3,000 ft | GRAVEL-G | - | - |
| 34 | 3,000 ft | GRAVEL-G | - | - |
Open the crosswind calculator to try your own wind and runway numbers →
PAIN 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 16/343,000 × 68 ft · GRAVEL-GCurrent useno stated-runway source at PAINWind
- 16
- no steady wind
- 34
- 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→3 kt, ceiling 1,000 ft → unlimited.
PAIN 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 PAIN
Reported by pilots in flight over the past 6 hours, via aviationweather.gov.
Show raw report
FAI UA /OV FAI271037/TM 0454/FL390/TP B737/TB OCNL MOD LGT AT 370/RM ZAN
FAI UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV FAI271037Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 0454Reported at 04:54 UTC.FL390Altitude: 39,000 ft MSL.TP B737Aircraft type reporting.TB OCNL MOD LGT AT 370Turbulence: occasional moderate light at 370.RM ZANRemarks.⚠️ PIREPs are unverified pilot reports. Not for operational use: conditions change between reports.
Recent aviation weather trends at PAIN
From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.
Over the past 24 hours, PAIN reported a mix of conditions, most often marginal VFR across 34 observations, with 9 flight-category changes. The lowest ceiling was 100 ft. Wind most often came from the S.
Most recent change: LIFR → IFR
Most recent change: IFR → LIFR
Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.
- 34
- 62%
- 16
- 38%
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Live crosswind meter
Measured by PAIN's own weather station.
Wind is calm or variable. Either end works.
Gravel · 3,000 ft. Headings from FAA runway data. Not for navigation.
Field aerial
North up
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
- Attended
- Unattended
- Transient parking
- Tie-downs
- Landing fee
- No
- Other services
- Charter
- Control tower
- None
- Wind indicator
- Unlighted
Airport
- Type
- General aviation airport
- ICAO
- PAIN
- IATA
- MCL
- FAA LID
- INR
- City
- Denali Park
- State
- Alaska
- Country
- United States
- Elevation
- 1,720 ft
- Coordinates
- 63.7325, -148.9113
- Runways
- 1 physical runway · 2 runway ends
- Longest runway
- 3,000 ft
- Weather reporting
- Reports METAR
- TAF
- Nearest PAFA
- Time zone
- America/Anchorage
- Next sunset
- 16h 44m
Run a flight school, FBO, or club here? Embed PAIN'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
7 airports+1 more within 25 NM
25–50 NM
5 airports50–100 NM
8 airports+2 more within 100 NM
Historical Flying Weather at PAIN
2006–2025 · ATIS Alerts Flying Weather Index
Based on historical observations from 2006–2025, PAIN reported VFR conditions during about 89.5% of valid daylight observations, with an estimated 248 VFR flying days a year. May had the most VFR weather; October had the most instrument conditions. Surface winds averaged 3.3 kt, calm 42.5% of the time.
Full historical breakdown
Flight category by month
| Month | VFR % | MVFR % | IFR % | LIFR % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 83.3 | 10.8 | 4.8 | 1.1 |
| Feb | 85.7 | 8.7 | 4.8 | 0.9 |
| Mar | 88.0 | 7.6 | 3.8 | 0.6 |
| Apr | 90.7 | 5.9 | 2.8 | 0.7 |
| May | 95.2 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| Jun | 95.0 | 4.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| Jul | 91.8 | 6.9 | 1.1 | 0.2 |
| Aug | 91.4 | 7.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Sep | 85.5 | 10.9 | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Oct | 77.4 | 14.4 | 5.3 | 2.9 |
| Nov | 79.2 | 13.4 | 6.4 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 84.1 | 9.9 | 5.1 | 0.9 |
Average wind by month
| Month | Mean wind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 2.7 kt |
| Feb | 3.3 kt |
| Mar | 4.0 kt |
| Apr | 4.2 kt |
| May | 4.0 kt |
| Jun | 3.5 kt |
| Jul | 3.2 kt |
| Aug | 3.0 kt |
| Sep | 3.2 kt |
| Oct | 3.3 kt |
| Nov | 2.7 kt |
| Dec | 2.8 kt |
Historical summary of past observations: not a forecast or safety rating. Always check the current METAR, TAF, and a weather briefing before flight.
Pilot PIREPs for Denali National Park Airport (PAIN)
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 Denali National Park 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 PAIN 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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