KAEL/AEL METAR Albert Lea Municipal Airport

Albert Lea, MinnesotaElevation 1,260 ftSmall airport

CURRENT STATUS

MVFR13 min old

Ceiling 2,700 ft, visibility 10 SM.

FLIGHT CATEGORY

MVFR

ceiling & visibility

WIND

350@5

steady

VISIBILITY

10 SM

16.1 km

CEILING

2,700 ft

lowest BKN/OVC

DENSITY ALT

482 ft

-778 ft vs field

CURRENT METAR

Decoded observation

Observed 0135Z (8:35 PM local) · 13 min old

KAEL is currently MVFR. Winds are from the north at 5 knots. Visibility is 10 statute miles. The ceiling is 2,700 feet AGL. The main issue is ceiling 2700 ft agl (mvfr).

WIND

350° at 5 kt

Steady.

VISIBILITY

10 statute miles

16.1 km, good.

CEILING & SKY

Ceiling 2,700 ft

Lowest broken or overcast layer.

TEMP / DEWPOINT

10°C / 2°C

50°F / 36°F. 8°C spread.

ALTIMETER

30.40 inHg

1029.5 hPa, above standard.

WEATHER & HAZARDS

LOW CIG

Ceiling 2700 ft AGL (MVFR).

Codes in this report: AUTO 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)

T00980024

precise temperature 9.8°C, dew point 2.4°C

FAA: no delays reported at AEL.

Source: FAA System Operations (ASWS). Operational status only; verify with official FAA sources and NOTAMs.

SUGGESTED RISK · TRAINING USE

Suggested risk level: Moderate

›Conditions are MVFR.

›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 MVFR, wind from 350° at 5 kt, visibility 10 SM, ceiling 2,700 ft. Forecast suggests tonight cloudy then slight chance light rain, low near 44F, 18% chance of precipitation. Key risks: thunderstorms in the forecast.

PILOT WEATHER NOTES

Thunderstorms in the forecastWeather.gov

Wednesday: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms. Watch for developing convection and plan alternates.

Day	Conditions	Temp F	Wind	Gusts	Precip	Pilot note
Tonight	Cloudy then Slight Chance Light Rain	44	NNE 9 kt	–	18%
Monday	Chance Light Rain	55/48	ENE 13 kt	–	45%
Tuesday	Slight Chance Light Rain then Mostly Cloudy	68/52	SSE 13 kt	–	22%
Wednesday	Chance Showers And Thunderstorms	72/50	SSW 9 kt	–	67%	Thunderstorms in the forecast
Thursday	Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Sunny	67/48	NNE 4 kt	–	37%
Friday	Chance Rain Showers	69/52	SE 9 kt	–	61%
Saturday	Rain Showers Likely	65/49	SSE 9 kt	–	55%
Sunday	Slight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy	62	WNW 4 kt	–	20%

Source: National Weather Service (office MPX). Forecast issued 0147Z.

Radar

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

OUR HEADSET PICK · NOT SPONSORED

David Clark DC ONE-X

Not sponsored, just the headset we'd buy ourselves: the DC ONE-X, with hybrid noise canceling, Bluetooth, and 30+ hour battery. And David Clark's A+ customer service is the real reason we recommend them.

Visit David Clark

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

350° at 5 kt

Components computed from the current on-field METAR wind.

RECOMMENDED

RWY 355 kt headwind · no crosswind

RUNWAYS BY WIND · best end

HEAD

5 kt

CROSS

calm

BEST

HEAD

3 kt

CROSS

4 kt L

HEAD

3 kt tail

CROSS

4 kt R

HEAD

5 kt tail

CROSS

calm

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 5,000 ft

05/23

Dimensions

2,898 x 75 ft

Surface

Asphalt (good)

RWY 0547°T

Traffic patternLeft

RWY 23227°T

Traffic patternLeft

17/35

Dimensions

5,000 x 100 ft

Surface

Asphalt (good)

Edge lights

MED

RWY 17168°T

Approach lightsODALS

REILYes

VGSIPAPI (P4L)

Traffic patternLeft

RWY 35348°T

REILYes

VGSIPAPI (P4L)

Traffic patternLeft

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

482 ft

Pressure altitude

780 ft

Field elevation

1,260 ft MSL

Temperature

10°C (50°F)

Dewpoint

2°C (36°F)

Altimeter

30.40 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

2314Z 6:14 PM

Sunrise

1241Z 7:41 AM

Loggable night

2343Z (6:43 PM local) → 1211Z (7:11 AM local)

end of evening to start of morning civil twilight

Position lights required

2314Z (6:14 PM local) → 1241Z (7:41 AM local)

sunset to sunrise (91.209)

Night passenger currency

0014Z (7:14 PM local) → 1141Z (6:41 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

Albert Lea Municipal Airport is in Albert Lea, Minnesota. Field elevation 1,260 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT

OwnershipPublicly owned

UseOpen to the public

TypeSmall airport

ManagerJIM HANSON

Manager phone507-373-0608

AttendedDaily, 0800–1700

CHARTS & AIRSPACE

ICAO / IATAKAEL / AEL

SectionalOMAHA

Center (ARTCC)MINNEAPOLIS

Flight service (AFSS)PRINCETON

RegionMinnesota

CountryUnited States

Coordinates43.6815, -93.3672

Distance from city3 NM N

SERVICES & LIGHTING

Fuel100LL · Jet A · MOGAS

Control towerNon-towered

Field lightingSee remarks

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

Traffic pattern alt740 ft MSL

CTAF123.000

UNICOM123.000

FREQUENCIES

Communications

119.8

ROCHESTER APP/DEP

A/D

109.8

AWOS 3

AWOS

132.35

MINNEAPOLIS CNTR

CNTR

122.05

PRINCETON RDO

RDO

123

CTAF/UNICOM

UNIC

123.000

CTAF

123.000

UNICOM

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

AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

KAEL traffic patterns

2026-06-12 to 2026-10-23, 62 days observed · data 2026-10-23

Medium confidence

TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)

AVG LANDINGS/DAY

1.7

AVG OPS/DAY

Operations trend (14 days)

Busiest day: Tue · Busiest month: Jun

FLEET MIX

Piston single 78%Unknown 12%Twin 4%Turboprop 3%Helicopter 2%Jet 2%

Mostly small piston aircraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES

›P28A (Piston single) · ~18 landings/mo

›C172 (Piston single) · ~6 landings/mo

›C177 (Piston single) · ~4 landings/mo

›CH7A (Unknown) · ~2 landings/mo

›SR20 (Piston single) · ~2 landings/mo

LIKELY BASED AIRCRAFT

Low-confidence estimate

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

›P28A (Piston single)

›C177 (Piston single)

›CH7A (Unknown)

›C172 (Piston single)

›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.

KAUM Austin Municipal Airport

19 NM E

VFR

KOWA Owatonna Degner Regional Airport

27 NM N

VFR

KFXY Forest City Municipal Airport

29 NM SW

VFR

KMCW Mason City Municipal Airport

31 NM S

VFR

KFBL Faribault Municipal Airport-Liz Wall Strohfus Field

39 NM N

VFR

KRST Rochester International Airport

40 NM E

VFR

AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›RWY 05 HAS 5 FT BRUSH 79 FT FM THE RWY END AND 79 FT RIGHT.

›TIE DOWN FEE WAVED WITH FUEL PURCHASE.

›EMAIL ADDRESS: JIMHANSON@DESKMEDIA.COM (ALL LOWER CASE)

›FOR CD CTC ROCHESTER APCH AT 507-424-8111.

›MULTIPLE TRANSITIONAL OBSTNS RY 05 & RY 35.

›GLIDERS & HELICOPTERS USE TURF PARALLEL TO RY 17/35 ON EAST SIDE & APPR AREA TO RY 23.

›FOR SVC AFT HRS CALL 507-826-3451.

›TV TWR 9.5 NM SE.

›100LL & MOGAS FUEL AVBL 24 HR WITH CREDIT CARD.

›ACTVT ODALS RWY 17; REIL RWY 17 & 35; PAPI RWY 17 & 35; MIRL RWY 17/35 - CTAF. MIRL RWY 17/35 PRESET TO LOW SS-SR TO INCR INTST - CTAF.

OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES

↗Official METAR on AviationWeather.gov

↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)

↗Wikipedia

↗KAEL on OurAirports

FREQUENTLY ASKED

Does KAEL have a METAR?

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

Does KAEL have a TAF?

When KAEL 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 KAEL?

KAEL sits at 1,260 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.

Is this an official preflight weather briefing for KAEL?

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.