K49B METAR Sturgis Municipal Airport

Sturgis, South DakotaElevation 3,243 ftSmall airport

CURRENT STATUS

LIFR8 min old

Ceiling 300 ft, visibility 1 3/4 SM, mist.

FLIGHT CATEGORY

LIFR

ceiling & visibility

WIND

140@9

steady

VISIBILITY

1 3/4 SM

2.8 km

CEILING

300 ft

lowest BKN/OVC

DENSITY ALT

1,941 ft

-1,302 ft vs field

CURRENT METAR

Decoded observation

Observed 0415Z (10:15 PM local) · 8 min old

K49B is currently LIFR. Winds are from the southeast at 9 knots. Visibility is 1 3/4 statute miles. The ceiling is 300 feet AGL. Reported weather: unknown precipitation, mist. Main concerns: Ceiling 300 ft AGL. Visibility 1.75 SM.

WIND

140° at 9 kt

Steady.

VISIBILITY

1 3/4 statute miles

2.8 km, low (IFR).

CEILING & SKY

Ceiling 300 ft

Lowest broken or overcast layer.

TEMP / DEWPOINT

2°C / 2°C

36°F / 36°F. 0°C spread.

ALTIMETER

30.44 inHg

1030.8 hPa, above standard.

WEATHER & HAZARDS

BR, LOW CIG, LOW VIS

Mist reported.

Codes in this report: AUTO BR OVC RMK AO2

Hover or tap any group for a plain-English explanation.

REMARKS: DECODED

AO2

automated station with a precipitation discriminator (can tell rain from snow)

SUGGESTED RISK · TRAINING USE

Suggested risk level: Severe

›Conditions are LIFR.

›Low ceiling: 300 ft AGL.

›Low visibility: 1.75 SM.

›Mist reported.

›No TAF available for this airport.

A suggested risk level for training and situational awareness only, not a go/no-go authority. Verify with official sources and apply your personal minimums.

FORECAST & PILOT NOTES · SUPPLEMENTAL

Extended forecast and pilot notes

Current aviation conditions show flight category LIFR, wind from 140° at 9 kt, visibility 1.75 SM, ceiling 300 ft. Forecast suggests tonight light rain likely then areas of fog, low near 33F, 67% chance of precipitation. Key risks: low visibility.

PILOT WEATHER NOTES

Low visibilityMETAR

Visibility 1.75 SM. Conditions may be unsuitable for VFR; review IFR options and alternates.

Day	Conditions	Temp F	Wind	Gusts	Precip
Tonight	Light Rain Likely then Areas Of Fog	33	SE 10 kt	18 kt	67%
Monday	Areas Of Fog then Light Rain Likely	41/31	SE 14 kt	23 kt	60%
Tuesday	Mostly Sunny	62/36	W 16 kt	24 kt	3%
Wednesday	Sunny	59/36	NE 8 kt	17 kt	3%
Thursday	Mostly Sunny	61/40	SE 8 kt	–	1%
Friday	Partly Sunny	57/39	SE 11 kt	–	29%
Saturday	Chance Light Rain	54/38	NW 8 kt	–	36%
Sunday	Partly Sunny then Chance Light Rain	58	SW 9 kt	–	41%

Source: National Weather Service (office UNR). Forecast issued 0422Z.

Radar

Radar data: NOAA/NWS MRMS composite reflectivity. For situational awareness only, not a substitute for an official weather briefing.

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RUNWAYS & WIND

2 runways · crosswind ranking

ON-FIELD METAR

READING THE BARB · SWIPE FOR MORE →

Calm

5 kt

10 kt

15 kt

20 kt

25 kt

30 kt

35 kt

40 kt

45 kt

50 kt

65 kt

75 kt

100 kt

105 kt

Half feather = 5 kt, full = 10 kt, filled pennant = 50 kt; add them up. The staff points the direction the wind blows from.

WIND USED

140° at 9 kt

Components computed from the current on-field METAR wind.

RECOMMENDED

RWY 119 kt headwind · 3 kt crosswind

RUNWAYS BY WIND · best end

HEAD

9 kt

CROSS

3 kt R

BEST

HEAD

2 kt

CROSS

9 kt R

X-WIND

HEAD

2 kt tail

CROSS

9 kt L

X-WIND

HEAD

9 kt tail

CROSS

3 kt L

Components are estimates from the current METAR wind and runway heading. Verify with the Chart Supplement and NOTAMs.

RUNWAYS

Runway detail & declared distances

2 runways · longest 5,100 ft

11/29

Dimensions

5,100 x 75 ft

Surface

Concrete (excellent)

Edge lights

MED

RWY 11123°T

VGSIPAPI (P2L)

RWY 29303°T

VGSIPAPI (P2L)

05/23

Dimensions

3,580 x 120 ft

Surface

Turf (good)

RWY 0561°T

RWY 23241°T

Runway data from the FAA NASR dataset (effective 2026-06-11). Verify with the current Chart Supplement and NOTAMs.

FIELD CONDITIONS

Performance & density altitude

Density altitude

1,941 ft

Pressure altitude

2,723 ft

Field elevation

3,243 ft MSL

Temperature

2°C (36°F)

Dewpoint

2°C (36°F)

Altimeter

30.44 inHg

Density altitude estimates how the aircraft performs versus standard atmosphere. Higher density altitude reduces climb performance and increases takeoff distance.

DAYLIGHT & NIGHT

Sun & logging windows

Sunset

2353Z 5:53 PM

Sunrise

1322Z 7:22 AM

Loggable night

0023Z (6:23 PM local) → 1252Z (6:52 AM local)

end of evening to start of morning civil twilight

Position lights required

2353Z (5:53 PM local) → 1322Z (7:22 AM local)

sunset to sunrise (91.209)

Night passenger currency

0053Z (6:53 PM local) → 1222Z (6:22 AM local)

1 hr after sunset to 1 hr before sunrise (61.57(b))

FAA definitions, shown in Zulu with airport-local time. Verify for your operation.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

Facility & services

Sturgis Municipal Airport is in Sturgis, South Dakota. Field elevation 3,243 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT

OwnershipPublicly owned

UseOpen to the public

TypeSmall airport

ManagerROGER BURNHAM

Manager phone605-720-9938

AttendedDaily, DALGT

CHARTS & AIRSPACE

ICAO / IATAK49B

SectionalCHEYENNE

Center (ARTCC)DENVER

Flight service (AFSS)HURON

RegionSouth Dakota

CountryUnited States

Coordinates44.4180, -103.3750

Distance from city4 NM E

SERVICES & LIGHTING

Fuel100LL · Jet A

Control towerNon-towered

Field lightingSee remarks

BeaconSunset to sunrise · White-green (lighted land airport)

CTAF122.800

UNICOM122.800

FREQUENCIES

Communications

119.5

ELLSWORTH APP/DEP

A/D

122.8

CTAF/UNICOM

UNIC

122.800

CTAF

122.800

UNICOM

Not all tower/ground/approach frequencies are in our datasets. Verify with the FAA Chart Supplement.

AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

K49B traffic patterns

2026-06-12 to 2026-10-21, 36 days observed · data 2026-10-23

Medium confidence

TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)

AVG LANDINGS/DAY

1.9

AVG OPS/DAY

3.2

Operations trend (11 days)

Busiest day: Tue · Busiest month: Aug

FLEET MIX

Piston single 51%Jet 20%Unknown 15%Twin 7%Helicopter 6%

Mostly small piston aircraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES

›C172 (Piston single) · ~5 landings/mo

›C525 (Jet) · ~2 landings/mo

›BE9L (Unknown) · ~2 landings/mo

›C182 (Piston single) · ~2 landings/mo

›P28A (Piston single) · ~2 landings/mo

LIKELY BASED AIRCRAFT

Low-confidence estimate

Aircraft likely based near this airport (estimate), mostly single-engine piston aircraft.

›C172 (Piston single)

›PA34 (Twin)

›C182 (Piston single)

This is an estimate based on repeated flight patterns, not registration data. Do not rely on it to identify specific aircraft or owners.

Data limitations (4)

›ADS-B coverage is incomplete; counts are an observed lower bound, not official totals.

›Some aircraft do not transmit usable ADS-B and are not counted.

›Aircraft types and based estimates are inferred and may be wrong.

›This is not official ATC, FAA, or airport data.

NEARBY AIRPORTS

Weather reference stations

Current flight category at nearby reporting stations.

KSPF Black Hills Airport-Clyde Ice Field

18 NM W

VFR

KRCA Ellsworth Air Force Base

20 NM SE

LIFR

KRAP Rapid City Regional Airport

IFR

IFR

KIEN Pine Ridge Airport

92 NM SE

IFR

AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›GCO AVBL ON FREQ 121.725 (4 CLICKS TO ELLSWORTH APPROACH AND 6 CLICKS TO DENVER CENTER)

›FUEL AVBL 24 HRS WITH CREDIT CARD.

›WILDLIFE ON AND INVOF ARPT.

›AUTOMATED UNICOM.

›ACTVT MIRL RWY 11/29; PAPI RWY 11 & 29 - CTAF.

›FOR CD IF UNA VIA GCO CTC DENVER ARTCC AT 303-651-4257.

›HIGH VOL OF ACFT OPRNG INVOF OF MT RUSHMORE AND CRAZY HORSE MONUMENTS AT OR BLW 7500 FT; PILOTS ARE ADVISED TO MNT 122.85 FOR TFC ADVISORIES.

›FOR ATTENDANT OTR HRS CALL 605-347-1050.

OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES

↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)

↗Wikipedia

↗K49B on OurAirports

FREQUENTLY ASKED

Does K49B have a METAR?

Yes. K49B has a current METAR observation, decoded into plain English on this page.

Does K49B have a TAF?

When K49B issues a TAF, its decoded forecast timeline loads live on this page; otherwise use the nearest TAF-issuing field as a planning reference.

What is the field elevation at K49B?

K49B sits at 3,243 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.

Is this an official preflight weather briefing for K49B?

No. wxdecoder.com is for education and situational awareness only. It is not an official weather briefing or a substitute for official sources, NOTAM review, and pilot judgment.

This app is for aviation weather education, training, and situational awareness only. It is not a substitute for an official weather briefing, approved flight-planning software, flight service, dispatch procedures, current FAA regulations, or pilot judgment. Always verify weather with official sources before flight.