KAPA/APA METAR & TAF Centennial Airport

Denver, ColoradoElevation 5,885 ftMedium airport

CURRENT STATUS

MVFR41 min old

Ceiling 2,400 ft, visibility 7 SM.

FLIGHT CATEGORY

MVFR

ceiling & visibility

WIND

360@8

steady

VISIBILITY

7 SM

11.3 km

CEILING

2,400 ft

lowest BKN/OVC

DENSITY ALT

6,216 ft

+331 ft vs field

CURRENT METAR

Decoded observation

Observed 0353Z (9:53 PM local) · 41 min old

KAPA is currently MVFR. Winds are from the north at 8 knots. Visibility is 7 statute miles. The ceiling is 2,400 feet AGL. The main issue is ceiling 2400 ft agl (mvfr).

WIND

360° at 8 kt

Steady.

VISIBILITY

7 statute miles

11.3 km, good.

CEILING & SKY

Ceiling 2,400 ft

Lowest broken or overcast layer.

TEMP / DEWPOINT

9°C / 4°C

48°F / 39°F. 5°C spread.

ALTIMETER

30.26 inHg

1024.7 hPa, above standard.

WEATHER & HAZARDS

LOW CIG

Ceiling 2400 ft AGL (MVFR).

Codes in this report: 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)

SLP240

sea-level pressure 1024.0 hPa

T00890044

precise temperature 8.9°C, dew point 4.4°C

TERMINAL AERODROME FORECAST

TAF timeline

Issued 2333Z (5:33 PM local) · valid to 0000Z (6:00 PM local)

KAPA forecast starts VFR at 00Z. Worst period is 11Z to 14Z with IFR possible (LOW CIG, LOW CIG, LOW VIS). Best period is 16Z to 19Z (VFR). Overall the forecast improves over the period.

BKN14014,000 ft

BKN0101,000 ft

OVC008800 ft · 4 SM

BKN0252,500 ft

VFR

0000Z6:00 PM0448Z10:48 PM0936Z3:36 AM1424Z8:24 AM1912Z1:12 PM0000Z6:00 PM

Codes in this report: P6SM SCT BKN PROB30 BR OVC TEMPO

Tap any group to decode it.

FAA: no delays reported at APA.

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.

›PROB30 forecast: ceiling 500 ft AGL.

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 360° at 8 kt, visibility 7 SM, ceiling 2,400 ft. Forecast suggests tonight chance rain showers, low near 43F, 41% chance of precipitation. Key risks: high density altitude. Note: the NWS forecast for now reads "Chance Rain Showers" but the current METAR shows none of it; the observation and forecast differ, so trust the METAR for current conditions.

PILOT WEATHER NOTES

High density altitudeMETAR

Density altitude about 6,216 ft (field elevation 5,885 ft). Expect reduced climb performance and a longer takeoff roll.

Day	Conditions	Temp F	Wind	Gusts	Precip
Tonight	Chance Rain Showers	43	NW 6 kt	–	41%
Monday	Patchy Fog then Mostly Sunny	61/39	N 7 kt	–	9%
Tuesday	Sunny	69/38	ESE 8 kt	–	0%
Wednesday	Sunny	69/39	SE 7 kt	–	0%
Thursday	Mostly Sunny	68/42	SSE 6 kt	–	1%
Friday	Partly Sunny	68/42	SSE 8 kt	–	14%
Saturday	Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Rain Showers	62/41	NNW 5 kt	–	16%
Sunday	Partly Sunny then Chance Rain Showers	62	SSE 11 kt	–	42%

Note: the NWS forecast for now reads "Chance Rain Showers" but the current METAR shows none of it; the observation and forecast differ, so trust the METAR for current conditions.

Source: National Weather Service (office BOU). Forecast issued 0433Z.

Radar

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

RUNWAYS & WIND

3 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

360° at 8 kt

Components computed from the current on-field METAR wind.

RECOMMENDED

RWY 35R8 kt headwind · no crosswind

RUNWAYS BY WIND · best end

35R

HEAD

8 kt

CROSS

calm

BEST

35L

HEAD

8 kt

CROSS

calm

OK

28

HEAD

3 kt

CROSS

7 kt R

OK

10

HEAD

3 kt tail

CROSS

7 kt L

OK

17L

HEAD

8 kt tail

CROSS

calm

OK

17R

HEAD

8 kt tail

CROSS

calm

OK

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

RUNWAYS

Runway detail & declared distances

4 runways · longest 10,001 ft

10/28

Dimensions

4,800 x 75 ft

Surface

Asphalt (good)

Edge lights

MED

RWY 10111°T

Displaced threshold400 ft

VGSIPAPI (P2L)

Traffic patternLeft

RWY 28291°T

REILYes

VGSIPAPI (P2L)

Traffic patternLeft

17L/35R

Dimensions

10,001 x 100 ft

Surface

Asphalt (good)

Edge lights

MED

RWY 17L178°T

VGSIPAPI (P4L)

Traffic patternLeft

RWY 35R358°T

ILSILS/DME

Approach lightsMALSR

VGSIPAPI (P4L)

Traffic patternRight

17R/35L

Dimensions

7,001 x 75 ft

Surface

Asphalt (good)

Edge lights

MED

RWY 17R178°T

REILYes

VGSIPAPI (P4L)

Traffic patternRight

RWY 35L358°T

REILYes

VGSIPAPI (P4R)

Traffic patternLeft

H1

Dimensions

50 x 50 ft

Surface

Concrete (good)

Edge lights

PERI

RWY H1

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

6,216 ft

Pressure altitude

5,545 ft

Field elevation

5,885 ft MSL

Temperature

9°C (48°F)

Dewpoint

4°C (39°F)

Altimeter

30.26 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

0006Z 6:06 PM

Sunrise

1320Z 7:20 AM

Loggable night

0034Z (6:34 PM local) → 1253Z (6:53 AM local)

end of evening to start of morning civil twilight

Position lights required

0006Z (6:06 PM local) → 1320Z (7:20 AM local)

sunset to sunrise (91.209)

Night passenger currency

0106Z (7:06 PM local) → 1220Z (6:20 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

Centennial Airport is in Denver, Colorado. Field elevation 5,885 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT

OwnershipPublicly owned

UseOpen to the public

TypeMedium airport

ManagerMIKE FRONAPFEL

Manager phone303-790-0598

AttendedContinuous (24 hours)

CHARTS & AIRSPACE

ICAO / IATAKAPA / APA

SectionalDENVER

Center (ARTCC)DENVER

Flight service (AFSS)DENVER

RegionColorado

CountryUnited States

Coordinates39.5701, -104.8490

Distance from city15 NM SE

SERVICES & LIGHTING

Fuel100LL · Jet A · UL94

Control towerTowered

Field lightingSunset to sunrise

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

UNICOM122.950

FREQUENCIES

Communications

132.75

DENVER APP/DEP

A/D

120.3

ATIS

128.6

CLNC DEL

CLD

121.8

GND

122.2

DENVER RDO

RDO

118.9

TWR

122.95

UNICOM

UNIC

122.950

UNICOM

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

AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

KAPA traffic patterns

2026-06-12 to 2026-10-23, 70 days observed · data 2026-10-23

High confidence

TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)

AVG LANDINGS/DAY

333.8

AVG OPS/DAY

429.7

Operations trend (18 days)

Busiest day: Fri · Busiest month: Sep

FLEET MIX

Piston single 48%Unknown 33%Jet 8%Turboprop 7%Twin 3%Helicopter 1%

Mostly small piston aircraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES

›C172 (Piston single) · ~2277 landings/mo

›UNKN (Unknown) · ~862 landings/mo

›P28A (Piston single) · ~375 landings/mo

›PC12 (Turboprop) · ~273 landings/mo

›C182 (Piston single) · ~196 landings/mo

LIKELY BASED AIRCRAFT

Low-confidence estimate

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

›C172 (Piston single)

›P28A (Piston single)

›S22T (Unknown)

›PA44 (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.

KBKF Buckley Space Force Base

9 NM NE

LIFR

KDEN Denver International Airport

19 NM NE

LIFR

KCFO Colorado Air and Space Port

19 NM NE

LIFR

KBJC Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport

24 NM NW

LIFR

KBDU Boulder Municipal Airport

33 NM NW

MVFR

KAFF USAF Academy Airfield

36 NM S

MVFR

AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›NMRS FLOOD LGTS 1/2 SM N OF THR; SS-2400.

›H24 HELI SVC - 303-799-0079.

›PCR VALUE: 339/F/C/X/T

›SELF SERVE FUEL AVBL.

›US CUSTOMS USER FEE ARPT.

›H24 US CUSTOMS - 303-768-0309.

›TLOF 50X50 FT; FATO 50X50 FT; INGRESS/EGRESS 270.

›WATERFOWL ON & INVOF ARPT.

›AFT HR - 303-877-7307.

›+190 FT TWR LCTD 1800 FT ENE OF RY 17L THLD.

›NMRS CRANES INVOF ARPT.

›ALL ACFT BLO CERT 70000 LB MAX GROSS TKOF WT & STAGE III ACFT UP TO CERT 75000 LB MAX GROSS TKOF WT MAY OPR; ONE-TIME EXCEPTION AUZD BY EXEC DIR.

›HELI OPS CTC FBO FOR LNDG ZONE LCTN; HELI OPS ON FRONT RAMP NOT ADVISED.

›ADZY DENSITY ALT DSPL LCTD C-1, A-1 & A-18.

›CTN: ENSURE PROPER RWY ALNMT; CLOSE SPACED PARL RWYS. ARPT SAFETY VIDEO - HTTPS://WWW.FAA.GOV/AIRPORTS/RUNWAY_SAFETY/VIDEOS/APA/

›MULT LRG PWR LINES APRXLY 3NM S OF RWY 35R & RWY 35L.

›NOISE ABATEMENT PROCS IN EFCT. ALL ACFT AVOID NOISE SENSITIVE AREAS 1 NM NORTH AND WEST OF ARPT AND 1 NM SOUTHEAST OF ARPT. RWY 17R-35L CLSD TFC REMAIN SOUTH OF ARAPAHOE ROAD, EAST OF I-25, AND NORTH OF LINCOLN AVE. QUIET HRS 2200-0700L. TBJT ACFT USE NBAA PROFILES. NOISE OFFICE/303-790-0598.

›+71 FT BLDG LCTD 1920 FT ESE OF RY 28 THLD 440 FT LT OF CTLN 24:1 GLD SLP.

OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES

↗Official METAR on AviationWeather.gov

↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)

↗Wikipedia

↗KAPA on OurAirports

FREQUENTLY ASKED

Does KAPA have a METAR?

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

Does KAPA have a TAF?

Yes, a TAF is issued for KAPA; the decoded forecast timeline is shown above.

What is the field elevation at KAPA?

KAPA sits at 5,885 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.

Is this an official preflight weather briefing for KAPA?

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.