Pacific Northwest Coast Flying Weather
WA · OR · 2006–2025 · 31 eligible airports
A marine west-coast regime where persistent low ceilings, stratus, drizzle, and IFR/MVFR conditions dominate from fall through spring, driven by frequent Pacific frontal passages. Icing in stratiform cloud and mountain obscuration over the Cascades, Olympics, and coastal ranges are the principal en-route hazards, while thunderstorms are comparatively rare. Summer brings a reliably dry, VFR stretch, though nocturnal marine stratus still pushes into the lowlands and burns off by midday. July through September is excellent; November through March is the most consistently IFR.
- Daylight VFR
- 74.4%
- VFR days/yr
- 225
- Mean wind
- 5.0 kt
- Most VFR month
- July
- Fewest VFR month
- December
- VFR Score
- 39
Regional standouts
VFR conditions by month
Regional average across eligible airports
| Month | VFR % |
|---|---|
| Jan | 59.2% |
| Feb | 66.5% |
| Mar | 74.5% |
| Apr | 80.0% |
| May | 80.1% |
| Jun | 81.5% |
| Jul | 82.1% |
| Aug | 80.1% |
| Sep | 78.0% |
| Oct | 71.9% |
| Nov | 65.0% |
| Dec | 58.9% |
Average wind by month
Regional average sustained wind
| Month | Mean wind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 5.3 kt |
| Feb | 5.3 kt |
| Mar | 5.5 kt |
| Apr | 5.2 kt |
| May | 4.9 kt |
| Jun | 5.1 kt |
| Jul | 5.0 kt |
| Aug | 4.5 kt |
| Sep | 4.1 kt |
| Oct | 4.3 kt |
| Nov | 5.2 kt |
| Dec | 5.2 kt |
Every airport in Pacific Northwest Coast, ranked
Sort by any column. Best VFR Score first.
| KHQMBowerman Airport | Hoquiam | 60.8 | 15.0 | 179 | 7 kt | 12 |
| KONPNewport Municipal Airport | Newport | 56.5 | 19.9 | 160 | 6 kt | 13 |
| KASTAstoria Regional Airport | Astoria | 63.3 | 12.8 | 174 | 6 kt | 15 |
| KBOKBrookings Airport | Brookings | 60.0 | 26.2 | 194 | 4 kt | 19 |
| KSHNSanderson Field | Shelton | 63.4 | 17.7 | 195 | 4 kt | 20 |
| KPWTBremerton National Airport | Bremerton | 65.0 | 19.0 | 200 | 5 kt | 25 |
| KCLSChehalis Centralia Airport | Chehalis | 67.0 | 12.2 | 181 | 4 kt | 26 |
| KPAESeattle Paine Field International Airport | Everett | 69.7 | 12.9 | 210 | 5 kt | 28 |
| KOLMOlympia Regional Airport | Olympia | 68.8 | 13.1 | 213 | 4 kt | 29 |
| KTIWTacoma Narrows Airport | Tacoma | 70.9 | 10.9 | 217 | 5 kt | 32 |
| KBVSSkagit Regional Airport | Burlington | 70.5 | 7.1 | 211 | 4 kt | 33 |
| KSEASeattle–Tacoma International Airport | Seattle | 72.9 | 7.9 | 235 | 6 kt | 35 |
| KKLSSouthwest Washington Regional Airport | Kelso | 69.0 | 8.6 | 222 | 4 kt | 38 |
| KRNTRenton Municipal Airport | Renton | 74.3 | 5.3 | 232 | 4 kt | 39 |
| KAWOArlington Municipal Airport | Arlington | 70.5 | 7.9 | 225 | 4 kt | 41 |
| KBFIKing County International Airport - Boeing Field | Seattle | 75.0 | 4.7 | 236 | 4 kt | 42 |
| KSPBScappoose Industrial Airpark | Scappoose | 75.2 | 9.0 | 228 | 3 kt | 43 |
| KSLESalem-Willamette Valley Airport/McNary Field | Salem | 79.3 | 8.2 | 234 | 5 kt | 45 |
| KEUGEugene Airport | Eugene | 77.3 | 9.3 | 245 | 5 kt | 45 |
| KUAOAurora State Airport | Aurora | 78.9 | 8.2 | 234 | 4 kt | 47 |
| KORSOrcas Island Airport | Eastsound | 80.3 | 4.9 | 248 | 5 kt | 47 |
| KCLMWilliam R Fairchild International Airport | Port Angeles | 77.3 | 9.5 | 237 | 4 kt | 48 |
| KCVOCorvallis Municipal Airport | Corvallis | 79.4 | 8.8 | 230 | 5 kt | 50 |
| KFHRFriday Harbor Airport | Friday Harbor | 78.8 | 7.0 | 243 | 4 kt | 50 |
| KRBGRoseburg Regional Airport | Roseburg | 77.0 | 10.8 | 248 | 3 kt | 50 |
| KBLIBellingham International Airport | Bellingham | 79.1 | 5.6 | 260 | 5 kt | 51 |
| KPDXPortland International Airport | Portland | 80.9 | 5.4 | 259 | 5 kt | 51 |
| KVUOPearson Field | Vancouver | 80.0 | 5.7 | 248 | 4 kt | 51 |
| KMMVMcMinnville Municipal Airport | McMinnville | 80.5 | 8.7 | 243 | 4 kt | 51 |
| KTTDPortland Troutdale Airport | Portland | 81.0 | 4.3 | 259 | 4 kt | 55 |
| KMFRRogue Valley International-Medford Airport | Medford | 85.5 | 8.3 | 285 | 3 kt | 66 |
The pattern in Pacific Northwest Coast
Across 2006–2025, the 31 eligible airports in Pacific Northwest Coast reported VFR conditions during about 74.4% of valid daytime observations, with an estimated 225 VFR flying days per year and a mean surface wind of 5.0 kt. KMFR (Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport) had the most VFR weather at 86.6%. KBOK saw the most instrument conditions, at 26.2% IFR/LIFR. The lowest-ranked eligible field by VFR Score was KHQM (Bowerman Airport).
Neighboring regions
How Pacific Northwest Coast is defined
WA: the 19 counties west of the Cascade crest — Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, King, Pierce, Thurston, Lewis, Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania, Wahkiakum, Pacific, Grays Harbor, Mason, Kitsap, Jefferson, Clallam, Island, San Juan. OR: the 18 counties west of the Cascade crest — Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook, Washington, Multnomah, Yamhill, Clackamas, Marion, Polk, Lincoln, Benton, Linn, Lane, Douglas, Coos, Curry, Josephine, Jackson. All east-of-crest WA and OR counties belong to inland-northwest (or great-basin for southeast Oregon).
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.