ATIS Alerts

Bear River Field (VG54) Area Aviation Weather & Runway Winds

Aviation weather near Bear River Field in McGaheysville, VA, decoded from the nearest reporting station (KSHD) — conditions, runway crosswinds, and free Telegram airport alerts.

Bear River Field (VG54) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around McGaheysville, VA at 1,050 ft. VG54 has no weather station of its own — conditions here are decoded from KSHD, about 7 nm away, the nearest reporting station, and local conditions can differ. Its 2 runways (7, 25) — longest 2,000 ft — are checked against the current wind in the crosswind table below. The nearest TAF is issued for KCHO. Track it in the ATIS Alerts Telegram bot to get alerts read from KSHD, the station this page is based on.

VFR
Observed 0435Z (12:35 AM EDT)live · refreshes every 60s

No weather station at this airport — showing the nearest station KSHD, 7.1 nm away.

Wind
Calm
Visibility
10+ sm
Ceiling
Unlimited
Altimeter
29.74"
Temp / Dew
21°C / 69°F
dew 19°C

Wind calm, visibility 10+ statute miles, scattered clouds at 3,900 ft, scattered clouds at 4,800 ft, scattered clouds at 6,000 ft, temperature 21°C (69°F), altimeter 29.74 inHg. Conditions are Visual Flight Rules (VFR).

Raw METAR
METAR KSHD 290435Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM SCT039 SCT048 SCT060 21/19 A2974 RMK AO2 T02060185

What changed at KSHD (nearest station)?

Since the 0415Z (12:15 AM EDT) report — compared automatically against the latest METAR.

No significant changes since the 0415Z report — conditions are holding steady.

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Current pilot readout for VG54

Based on the nearest station (KSHD), VG54 is currently VFR with calm winds, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported. Density altitude is approximately 2,200 ft (field elevation 1,050 ft). VG54 does not publish a TAF — the nearest TAF station is KCHO, about 18 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 VG54. 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
7
25

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
0153004Z16Z04Z

Over the last 24 h: wind 00 kt, ceiling unlimitedunlimited.

VG54 weather radar

Live NEXRAD + lightning, with a 4-hour future-radar forecast — drag to pan, tap ⚡ to toggle lightning.

Live weather radar around Bear River Field in McGaheysville, VA: 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 VG54 is headed.

Loading…
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 VG54

Reported by pilots in flight over the past 6 hours — via aviationweather.gov.

PIREP0117Z (9:17 PM EDT) · 95 NM N of VG54 · 28,000 ft MSL · C56
occasional moderate chop turbulence
Show raw report
JST UA /OV JST180025/TM 0117/FL280/TP C56/TB OCNL MOD CHOP
JST UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV JST180025Location — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0117Reported at 01:17 UTC.
FL280Altitude: 28,000 ft MSL.
TP C56Aircraft type reporting.
TB OCNL MOD CHOPTurbulence: occasional moderate chop.
PIREP0008Z (8:08 PM EDT) · 81 NM E of VG54 · 9,000 ft MSL · BCS1
moderate turbulence
Show raw report
DCA UA /OV BRV120015/TM 0008/FL090/TP BCS1/TB MOD/RM +- 15 KTS +- 100 FT
DCA UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV BRV120015Location — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0008Reported at 00:08 UTC.
FL090Altitude: 9,000 ft MSL.
TP BCS1Aircraft type reporting.
TB MODTurbulence: moderate.
RM +- 15 KTS +- 100 FTRemarks.
PIREP2338Z (7:38 PM EDT) · 94 NM E of VG54 · during descent · GLF5
Show raw report
ADW UA /OV 1L ARRIVAL/TM 2338/FLDURD/TP GLF5/WX 9 MILES
ADW UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV 1L ARRIVALLocation — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 2338Reported at 23:38 UTC.
FLDURDReported during descent.
TP GLF5Aircraft type reporting.
WX 9 MILESWeather and flight visibility observed.
PIREP2306Z (7:06 PM EDT) · 88 NM NE of VG54 · 5,000 ft MSL · B38M
Show raw report
DCA UA /OV 2 N DCA /TM 2306/FL050/TP B38M/SK OVC 027
DCA UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV 2 N DCALocation — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 2306Reported at 23:06 UTC.
FL050Altitude: 5,000 ft MSL.
TP B38MAircraft type reporting.
SK OVC 027Sky condition — cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.

⚠️ PIREPs are unverified pilot reports. Not for operational use — conditions change between reports.

Recent aviation weather trends at VG54

From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.

Over the past 24 hours, the nearest station KSHD reported mostly VFR across 72 observations, with 0 flight-category changes. The strongest gust reached 26 kt, the lowest ceiling was 3,800 ft. Wind most often came from the SW.

Last 24 hours
VFR 100%
Wind avg/max: 5/18 kt
Max gust: 26 kt
Lowest ceiling: 3,800 ft
Lowest vis:
Prevailing wind: SW
Category changes: 0
Last 7 days
VFR 84%MVFR 13%IFR 1%LIFR 2%
Wind avg/max: 3/17 kt
Max gust: 26 kt
Lowest ceiling: 200 ft
Lowest vis: 0.25 sm
Prevailing wind: S
Category changes: 12

Most recent change: MVFRVFR

Active Runway - past 30 days
7/25
100%

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Airport facts

Reference data from the OurAirports dataset.

Type
General aviation airport
FAA LID
VG54
City
McGaheysville
State
Virginia
Country
United States
Elevation
1,050 ft
Coordinates
38.3191, -78.7638
Runways
2
Longest runway
2,000 ft
Weather reporting
Nearest station KSHD
TAF
Nearest KCHO
Time zone
America/New_York
Next sunset
19h 45m

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Nearby airports

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

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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VG54 weather — frequently asked

What runways are available at VG54?+

VG54 has 2 runways — 7, 25; the longest is 2,000 ft. This page computes the live crosswind for each runway end from the current wind.

Where does the weather shown for VG54 come from?+

Bear River Field does not have its own weather station. Conditions shown here come from the nearest reporting station, KSHD, about 7 nm away — close enough for situational awareness, but local conditions at VG54 can differ.

Does VG54 have a TAF?+

No — VG54 does not publish its own TAF. The nearest TAF station is KCHO, about 18 nm away.

Does VG54 broadcast D-ATIS?+

No — VG54 does not broadcast D-ATIS. Alerts for VG54 from the ATIS Alerts bot (@atisalerts_bot) are based on its METAR (via the nearest reporting station) instead.

Pilot PIREPs for Bear River Field (VG54)

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 Bear River 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 VG54 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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