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William B Bolton Airport (Y87) Area Aviation Weather & Runway Winds

As of 1:15 PM EDT, Oct 27, based on the nearest station (KFKS), Y87 is currently VFR with winds from 140° at 8 knots gusting 14, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported.

Aviation weather near William B Bolton Airport in Empire, MI, decoded from the nearest reporting station (KFKS): conditions and runway crosswinds.

William B Bolton Airport (Y87) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around Empire, MI at a field elevation of 944 ft. Y87 has no weather station of its own. Conditions here are decoded from KFKS, about 13 nm away, the nearest reporting station, and local conditions can differ. It has 2 physical runways (09/27, 17/35), the longest 2,600 ft. The nearest TAF is issued for KTVC.

Ask ATIS AIAsk anything about Y87's weather, runways or delays, or search another airport.
VFR
Observed 1715Z (1:15 PM EDT)live · refreshes every 60s

No weather station at this airport: showing the nearest station KFKS, 13.1 nm away.

Wind
140° 8 kt
gusting 14 kt
Visibility
10+ sm
Ceiling
Unlimited
Altimeter
30.31"
Temp / Dew
57°F / 14°C
dew 39°F / 4°C

Wind from the southeast (140°) at 8 kt, gusting 14 kt, visibility 10+ statute miles, scattered clouds at 7,000 ft, temperature 14°C (57°F), altimeter 30.31 inHg. Conditions are Visual Flight Rules (VFR).

Raw METAR
METAR KFKS 271715Z AUTO 14008G14KT 10SM SCT070 14/04 A3031 RMK AO2

What changed at KFKS (nearest station)?

Since the 1655Z (12:55 PM EDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.

  • Gusts began, now gusting 14 kt.

Current pilot readout for Y87

Based on the nearest station (KFKS), Y87 is currently VFR with winds from 140° at 8 knots gusting 14, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported. the wind favors south-facing runway ends (17). Density altitude is approximately 550 ft (field elevation 944 ft). Y87 does not publish a TAF. The nearest TAF station is KTVC, about 18 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.

RunwayHead / TailCrosswind
17FAV7 kt head3 kt left (g5)
094 kt head7 kt right (g12)
274 kt tail7 kt left (g12)
357 kt tail3 kt right (g5)

Open the crosswind calculator to try your own wind and runway numbers →

Y87 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.

  • Runway 09/27
    2,235 × 150 ft · TURF-F
    Status not monitored
    Current use
    no stated-runway source at Y87
    Wind
    09
    4 kt headwind · 7 kt crosswind from right
    27
    4 kt tailwind · 7 kt crosswind from left
    no active equipment NOTAM receivedView Runway Intelligence →
  • Runway 17/35
    2,600 × 50 ft · ASPH-P
    Status not monitored
    Current use
    no stated-runway source at Y87
    Wind
    17
    7 kt headwind · 3 kt crosswind from left
    35
    7 kt tailwind · 3 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.

Wind (kt)Gusts (kt)Bottom strip, flight category:VFRMVFRIFRLIFRNo report
081617Z05Z17Z

Over the last 24 h: wind 6→8 kt, ceiling unlimited → unlimited.

Y87 weather radar

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

Loading…
Loading radar…

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 Y87

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

PIREP1703Z (1:03 PM EDT) · 76 NM NE of Y87 · 34,000 ft MSL · B789
occasional light chop turbulence
Show raw report
PLN UA /OV PLN/TM 1703/FL340/TP B789/TB OCNL LGT CHOP
PLN UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV PLNLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1703Reported at 17:03 UTC.
FL340Altitude: 34,000 ft MSL.
TP B789Aircraft type reporting.
TB OCNL LGT CHOPTurbulence: occasional light chop.
PIREP1703Z (1:03 PM EDT) · 53 NM S of Y87 · 31,500 ft MSL · A359
Show raw report
LDM UA /OV LDM/TM 1703/FL315/TP A359/TB NEG
LDM UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV LDMLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1703Reported at 17:03 UTC.
FL315Altitude: 31,500 ft MSL.
TP A359Aircraft type reporting.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
PIREP1614Z (12:14 PM EDT) · 87 NM W of Y87 · 14,000 ft MSL · CRJ9
intermittent moderate chop 14,000–18,000 ft turbulencetrace rime 15,500–18,000 ft icing
Show raw report
MTW UA /OV GRB-MTW/TM 1614/FL140/TP CRJ9/TA M12/TB INTMT MOD CHOP 140-180/IC TRACE RIME 155-180
MTW UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV GRB-MTWLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1614Reported at 16:14 UTC.
FL140Altitude: 14,000 ft MSL.
TP CRJ9Aircraft type reporting.
TA M12Outside air temperature, °C.
TB INTMT MOD CHOP 140-180Turbulence: intermittent moderate chop 14,000–18,000 ft.
IC TRACE RIME 155-180Icing: trace rime 15,500–18,000 ft.
PIREP1535Z (11:35 AM EDT) · 96 NM W of Y87 · 2,300 ft MSL · C550
Show raw report
GRB UA /OV GRB180008/TM 1535/FL023/TP C550/SK OVC023/RM BASE 023
GRB UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV GRB180008Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1535Reported at 15:35 UTC.
FL023Altitude: 2,300 ft MSL.
TP C550Aircraft type reporting.
SK OVC023Sky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.
RM BASE 023Remarks.
PIREP1409Z (10:09 AM EDT) · 21 NM E of Y87 · 17,000 ft MSL · PA46
trace rime icing
Show raw report
TVC UA /OV TVC/TM 1409/FL170/TP PA46/SK TOP170/TA M10/TB NEG/IC TRACE RIME
TVC UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV TVCLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1409Reported at 14:09 UTC.
FL170Altitude: 17,000 ft MSL.
TP PA46Aircraft type reporting.
SK TOP170Sky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.
TA M10Outside air temperature, °C.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
IC TRACE RIMEIcing: trace rime.
PIREP1346Z (9:46 AM EDT) · 21 NM E of Y87 · 5,000 ft MSL · C700
Show raw report
TVC UA /OV TVC/TM 1346/FL050/TP C700/SK BASE050/TB NEG/IC NEG
TVC UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV TVCLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1346Reported at 13:46 UTC.
FL050Altitude: 5,000 ft MSL.
TP C700Aircraft type reporting.
SK BASE050Sky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
IC NEGIcing: none reported.
PIREP1324Z (9:24 AM EDT) · 76 NM NE of Y87 · 38,000 ft MSL · CL60
light chop turbulence
Show raw report
PLN UA /OV PLN/TM 1324/FL380/TP CL60/TB LGT CHOP
PLN UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV PLNLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1324Reported at 13:24 UTC.
FL380Altitude: 38,000 ft MSL.
TP CL60Aircraft type reporting.
TB LGT CHOPTurbulence: light chop.
PIREP1242Z (8:42 AM EDT) · 66 NM NE of Y87 · 5,200 ft MSL · C208
Show raw report
PLN UA /OV PLN180022/TM 1242/FL052/TP C208/SK BASE052/IC NEG
PLN UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV PLN180022Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1242Reported at 12:42 UTC.
FL052Altitude: 5,200 ft MSL.
TP C208Aircraft type reporting.
SK BASE052Sky condition: cloud bases and tops in hundreds of feet MSL.
IC NEGIcing: none reported.

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

Recent aviation weather trends at Y87

From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.

Over the past 24 hours, the nearest station KFKS reported mostly VFR across 72 observations, with 0 flight-category changes. The strongest gust reached 14 kt, the lowest ceiling was 4,200 ft. Wind most often came from the E.

Last 24 hours
VFR 100%
Wind avg/max: 6/11 kt
Max gust: 14 kt
Lowest ceiling: 4,200 ft
Lowest vis: -
Prevailing wind: E
Category changes: 0
Last 7 days
VFR 86%MVFR 4%IFR 6%LIFR 4%
Wind avg/max: 4/12 kt
Max gust: 19 kt
Lowest ceiling: 0 ft
Lowest vis: 0.25 sm
Prevailing wind: NW
Category changes: 26

Most recent change: MVFR → VFR

Wind-favored runway - past 30 days

Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.

17
38%
35
29%
27
26%
09
7%

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No live weather from Y87

Live crosswind meter

Y87 has no weather feed online, so the wind comes from KFKS, 13 nm away.

N17358 kt
Headwind
7 kt
Crosswind (from the left)
3 kt
Headwind in gusts
13 kt
Crosswind in gusts
5 kt

Wind is 23° off runway 17, the end with the most headwind right now.

Have a weather station at Y87? Help us make your field's weather available to every pilot, free. Add your field's wx station →

Asphalt · 2,600 ft. Headings from FAA runway data. Not for navigation.

Field aerial

North up

Aerial photo of William B Bolton Airport (Y87) with runway 09/27, 17/35 marked
N ↑

Runway 09/27, 17/35 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
Transient parking
Tie-downs · Hangars
Landing fee
No
Control tower
None
Wind indicator
Unlighted

Airport

Type
General aviation airport
FAA LID
Y87
City
Empire
State
Michigan
Country
United States
Elevation
944 ft
Coordinates
44.7914, -86.0032
Runways
2 physical runways · 4 runway ends
Longest runway
2,600 ft
Weather reporting
Nearest station KFKS
TAF
Nearest KTVC
Time zone
America/Detroit
Sunset in
5h 14m

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Nearby airports

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

VFRMVFRIFRLIFRNo report

RC flying fields nearby

AMA model-aircraft club fields around this airport: live wind, crosswind & flyability on each page.

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Pilot PIREPs for William B Bolton Airport (Y87)

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 William B Bolton 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 Y87 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.

Spotted incorrect airport info? ✏️ Suggest an edit

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