Wales Airport (PAIW) Aviation Weather: METAR
As of 1:56 AM AKDT, Oct 28, PAIW is currently MVFR with winds from 160° at 17 knots, visibility 10+ statute miles, and a 2,600 ft ceiling.
Live aviation weather for Wales Airport in Wales, AK, including METAR, flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling, altimeter and runway crosswinds.
Wales Airport (PAIW) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around Wales, AK at a field elevation of 26 ft. PAIW reports its own METAR, decoded live on this page as flight category, wind, visibility, ceiling and altimeter. It has one runway (18/36), the longest 3,990 ft.
Wind from the south-southeast (160°) at 17 kt, visibility 10+ statute miles, a few clouds at 900 ft, overcast at 2,600 ft, temperature 4°C (39°F), altimeter 29.81 inHg. Conditions are Marginal VFR (MVFR), ceiling 2,600 ft.
METAR PAIW 280956Z AUTO 16017KT 10SM FEW009 OVC026 04/02 A2981 RMK AO2 RAB18E44 SLP094 T00390022 PNO $
What changed at PAIW?
Since the 0944Z (1:44 AM AKDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.
No significant changes since the 0944Z (1:44 AM AKDT) report, conditions are holding steady.
Current pilot readout for PAIW
PAIW is currently MVFR with winds from 160° at 17 knots, visibility 10+ statute miles, and a 2,600 ft ceiling. the wind favors south-facing runway ends (18). Density altitude is approximately -1,150 ft (field elevation 26 ft). PAIW does not publish a TAF. The nearest TAF station is PAOT, about 153 nm away.
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.
| Runway | Length | Surface | Head / Tail | Crosswind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18FAV | 3,990 ft | GRAVEL-G | 15 kt head | 8 kt left |
| 36 | 3,990 ft | GRAVEL-G | 15 kt tail | 8 kt right |
Open the crosswind calculator to try your own wind and runway numbers →
PAIW 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 18/363,990 × 75 ft · GRAVEL-GCurrent useno stated-runway source at PAIWWind
- 18
- 15 kt headwind · 8 kt crosswind from left
- 36
- 15 kt tailwind · 8 kt crosswind from right
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 24 h: wind 41→17 kt, ceiling 1,100 ft → 2,600 ft.
PAIW 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 PAIW
From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.
Over the past 24 hours, PAIW reported mostly IFR across 37 observations, with 4 flight-category changes. The strongest gust reached 49 kt, the lowest ceiling was 500 ft. Wind most often came from the S.
Most recent change: VFR → MVFR
Most recent change: MVFR → VFR
Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.
- 18
- 52%
- 36
- 48%
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Live crosswind meter
Measured by PAIW's own weather station.
Wind is 29° off runway 18, the end with the most headwind right now.
Gravel · 3,990 ft. Headings from FAA runway data. Not for navigation.
Field aerial
North up
Runway 18/36 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
- Attended
- Unattended
- Landing fee
- No
- Control tower
- None
- Wind indicator
- Lighted
Airport
- Type
- General aviation airport
- ICAO
- PAIW
- IATA
- WAA
- FAA LID
- IWK
- City
- Wales
- State
- Alaska
- Country
- United States
- Elevation
- 26 ft
- Coordinates
- 65.6226, -168.0950
- Runways
- 1 physical runway · 2 runway ends
- Longest runway
- 3,990 ft
- Weather reporting
- Reports METAR
- TAF
- Nearest PAOT
- Time zone
- America/Nome
- Next sunset
- 16h 49m
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Nearby airports
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Pilot PIREPs for Wales Airport (PAIW)
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 Wales 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 PAIW 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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