Great Basin Flying Weather
NV · UT · ID · OR · 2006–2025 · 37 eligible airports
Dry basin-and-range terrain with generally VFR-dominant conditions, but winter valley inversions trap stratus, fog, and freezing fog for days at airports like Salt Lake City, Reno, and Boise. Mountain-wave turbulence and strong lee-side winds off the Sierra Front and Wasatch are hazards whenever the westerlies strengthen, and summer brings dry thunderstorms, virga-driven microbursts, and gusty outflows. High summer density altitude affects nearly every airport, and the far-southern Mojave fringe around Las Vegas adds extreme heat. Late spring and fall are the best seasons; mid-winter inversion episodes and spring wind events are the worst.
- Daylight VFR
- 91.6%
- VFR days/yr
- 322
- Mean wind
- 6.3 kt
- Most VFR month
- July
- Fewest VFR month
- January
- VFR Score
- 80
Regional standouts
VFR conditions by month
Regional average across eligible airports
| Month | VFR % |
|---|---|
| Jan | 81.3% |
| Feb | 85.8% |
| Mar | 93.0% |
| Apr | 95.9% |
| May | 97.3% |
| Jun | 99.0% |
| Jul | 99.2% |
| Aug | 94.9% |
| Sep | 97.6% |
| Oct | 96.4% |
| Nov | 92.7% |
| Dec | 82.2% |
Average wind by month
Regional average sustained wind
| Month | Mean wind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 5.3 kt |
| Feb | 6.3 kt |
| Mar | 7.2 kt |
| Apr | 7.7 kt |
| May | 7.3 kt |
| Jun | 7.1 kt |
| Jul | 6.2 kt |
| Aug | 5.9 kt |
| Sep | 5.7 kt |
| Oct | 5.6 kt |
| Nov | 5.6 kt |
| Dec | 5.4 kt |
Every airport in Great Basin, ranked
Sort by any column. Best VFR Score first.
| KREORome State Airport | Rome | 0.0 | 100.0 | null | 6 kt | 44 |
| KIDAIdaho Falls Regional Airport | Idaho Falls | 84.3 | 7.5 | 281 | 6 kt | 57 |
| KRXERexburg Madison County Airport | Rexburg | 84.4 | 6.6 | 276 | 5 kt | 59 |
| KPIHPocatello Regional Airport | Pocatello | 87.6 | 4.2 | 295 | 7 kt | 64 |
| KLKVLake County Airport | Lakeview | 87.2 | 2.6 | 283 | 6 kt | 67 |
| KLGULogan-Cache Airport | Logan | 87.5 | 6.2 | 297 | 3 kt | 70 |
| KTWFJoslin Field Magic Valley Regional Airport | Twin Falls | 92.4 | 3.2 | 312 | 9 kt | 73 |
| KLMTCrater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport | Klamath Falls | 89.1 | 4.0 | 302 | 4 kt | 73 |
| KJERJerome County Airport | Jerome | 91.7 | 4.6 | 311 | 8 kt | 73 |
| KBYIBurley Municipal Airport | Burley | 91.8 | 3.2 | 308 | 6 kt | 74 |
| KONOOntario Municipal Airport | Oregon | 90.0 | 4.5 | 310 | 4 kt | 75 |
| KOGDOgden Hinckley Airport | Ogden | 92.7 | 3.1 | 316 | 6 kt | 76 |
| KSLCSalt Lake City International Airport | Salt Lake City | 93.0 | 2.8 | 326 | 6 kt | 76 |
| KBOIBoise Air Terminal/Gowen Field | Boise | 92.0 | 3.6 | 318 | 6 kt | 76 |
| KEULCaldwell Executive Airport | Caldwell | 91.1 | 4.5 | 315 | 5 kt | 76 |
| KBCEBryce Canyon Airport | Bryce Canyon | 92.8 | 3.9 | 321 | 7 kt | 76 |
| KBNOBurns Municipal Airport | Burns | 92.2 | 3.7 | 312 | 5 kt | 78 |
| KPVUProvo Municipal Airport | Provo | 92.5 | 2.4 | 300 | 5 kt | 79 |
| KMANNampa Municipal Airport | Nampa | 91.2 | 4.1 | 317 | 5 kt | 79 |
| KVELVernal Regional Airport | Vernal | 92.4 | 3.3 | 320 | 4 kt | 81 |
| KELYEly Airport Yelland Field | Ely | 95.8 | 1.8 | 330 | 8 kt | 82 |
| KEKOElko Regional Airport | Elko | 94.6 | 2.0 | 325 | 4 kt | 85 |
| KBMCBrigham City Regional Airport | Brigham City | 92.1 | 2.9 | 320 | 3 kt | 86 |
| KPUCCarbon County Regional Airport / Buck Davis Field | Price | 96.1 | 1.8 | 334 | 5 kt | 86 |
| KCDCCedar City Regional Airport | Cedar City | 95.8 | 1.8 | 337 | 5 kt | 86 |
| KWMCWinnemucca Municipal Airport | Winnemucca | 96.1 | 1.4 | 328 | 6 kt | 86 |
| KRTSReno-Stead Airport | Reno | 95.4 | 1.5 | 333 | 5 kt | 87 |
| KTPHTonopah Airport | Tonopah | 97.1 | 0.8 | 341 | 8 kt | 87 |
| KCXPCarson Airport | Carson City | 95.9 | 1.5 | 336 | 3 kt | 90 |
| KLOLDerby Field | Lovelock | 96.5 | 1.6 | 335 | 4 kt | 90 |
| KHNDHenderson Executive Airport | Las Vegas | 99.3 | 0.2 | 354 | 7 kt | 91 |
| KCNYCanyonlands Regional Airport | Moab | 97.3 | 1.2 | 344 | 4 kt | 92 |
| KRNOReno Tahoe International Airport | Reno | 96.8 | 1.1 | 340 | 4 kt | 93 |
| KBVUBoulder City Municipal Airport | Boulder City | 99.1 | 0.1 | 354 | 5 kt | 93 |
| KLASHarry Reid International Airport | Las Vegas | 99.5 | 0.1 | 361 | 5 kt | 93 |
| KDRADesert Rock Airport | Mercury | 99.1 | 0.1 | 352 | 7 kt | 93 |
| KVGTNorth Las Vegas Airport | Las Vegas | 99.4 | 0.1 | 360 | 5 kt | 94 |
The pattern in Great Basin
Across 2006–2025, the 37 eligible airports in Great Basin reported VFR conditions during about 91.6% of valid daytime observations, with an estimated 322 VFR flying days per year and a mean surface wind of 6.3 kt. KLAS (Harry Reid International Airport) had the most VFR weather at 99.5%. KREO saw the most instrument conditions, at 100.0% IFR/LIFR. The lowest-ranked eligible field by VFR Score was KREO (Rome State Airport).
Neighboring regions
How Great Basin is defined
NV: all counties. UT: all counties. ID: only these 24 Snake River Plain and southeast counties — Ada, Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Bonneville, Butte, Canyon, Caribou, Cassia, Elmore, Franklin, Gem, Gooding, Jefferson, Jerome, Lincoln, Madison, Minidoka, Oneida, Owyhee, Payette, Power, Twin Falls, Washington (the 10 panhandle counties belong to inland-northwest and the 10 central-mountain counties to northern-rockies). OR: only the 4 high-desert southeastern counties — Klamath, Lake, Harney, Malheur.
Educational use only. Historical weather rankings from ATIS Alerts are educational summaries of past observations — not a forecast, flight-planning tool, or safety rating. They do not replace current METARs, TAFs, NOTAMs, ATIS, or a weather briefing, and favorable history does not make any airport safe. Always check current conditions and use your own judgment before flight.