WxDecoder

KCDW/CDW METAR Essex County Airport

Caldwell, New JerseyElevation 173 ftSmall airport
CURRENT STATUS
VFR7 min old
No ceiling, visibility 10 SM.
FLIGHT CATEGORY
VFR
ceiling & visibility
WIND
Calm
no steady wind
VISIBILITY
10 SM
16.1 km
CEILING
None
no BKN/OVC layer
DENSITY ALT
-2,100 ft
-2,273 ft vs field
CURRENT METAR

Decoded observation

Observed 0853Z (4:53 AM local) · 7 min old

KCDW is currently VFR. Winds are calm. Visibility is 10 statute miles. There is no ceiling.

WIND
Calm
No steady wind.
VISIBILITY
10 statute miles
16.1 km, good.
CEILING & SKY
CLR
FEW and SCT layers are not ceilings.
TEMP / DEWPOINT
1°C / 0°C
34°F / 32°F. 1°C spread.
ALTIMETER
30.57 inHg
1035.2 hPa, above standard.
WEATHER & HAZARDS
No significant hazards
No precipitation or obscuration reported.

Codes in this report: AUTO CLR 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)
SLP357
sea-level pressure 1035.7 hPa
T00060000
precise temperature 0.6°C, dew point 0.0°C
57002
3-hour pressure tendency: falling steadily (0.2 hPa change)
FAA: no delays reported at CDW.

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

SUGGESTED RISK · TRAINING USE

Suggested risk level: Low

›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 VFR, wind calm, visibility 10 SM, ceiling none. Forecast suggests sunday areas of frost then sunny, high near 66F, low near 38F, 0% chance of precipitation. Key risks: no significant hazards are highlighted right now, but always confirm against an official briefing.

DayConditionsTemp FWindGustsPrecipPilot note
Sunday Areas Of Frost then Sunny 66/38 0 kt – 0%
Monday Patchy Frost then Sunny 70/46 W 5 kt – 0%
Tuesday Sunny 61/37 N 6 kt – 0%
Wednesday Areas Of Frost then Mostly Sunny 61/42 E 3 kt – 0%
Thursday Mostly Sunny 69/48 SW 7 kt – 1%
Friday Sunny 72/48 NW 4 kt – 1%
Saturday Mostly Sunny 70 E 4 kt – 0%

Source: National Weather Service (office OKX). Forecast issued 0859Z.

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
NESW04221028CALMCALMCALMCALMCALM
WIND USED
Wind calm or variable
Crosswind ranking is unavailable until the wind has a steady direction.
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 4,552 ft

04/22
Dimensions
4,552 x 80 ft
Surface
Asphalt (good)
Edge lights
HIGH
RWY 0430°T
Landing length (LDA)3,977 ft
TORA / TODA / ASDA4,552 / 4,552 / 4,351 ft
Displaced threshold375 ft
Traffic patternLeft
RWY 22210°T
Landing length (LDA)4,042 ft
TORA / TODA / ASDA4,552 / 4,552 / 4,436 ft
Displaced threshold135 ft
ILSLOCALIZER
REILYes
VGSIPAPI (P4R)
Traffic patternRight
10/28
Dimensions
3,719 x 75 ft
Surface
Asphalt (good)
Edge lights
MED
RWY 1083°T
Landing length (LDA)2,822 ft
TORA / TODA / ASDA3,719 / 3,719 / 3,519 ft
Displaced threshold344 ft
Traffic patternLeft
RWY 28263°T
Landing length (LDA)2,822 ft
TORA / TODA / ASDA3,719 / 3,719 / 3,438 ft
Displaced threshold550 ft
Traffic patternRight

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
-2,100 ft
Pressure altitude
-477 ft
Field elevation
173 ft MSL
Temperature
1°C (34°F)
Dewpoint
0°C (32°F)
Altimeter
30.57 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
2203Z 6:03 PM
Sunrise
1119Z 7:19 AM
Loggable night
2231Z (6:31 PM local) → 1051Z (6:51 AM local)
end of evening to start of morning civil twilight
Position lights required
2203Z (6:03 PM local) → 1119Z (7:19 AM local)
sunset to sunrise (91.209)
Night passenger currency
2303Z (7:03 PM local) → 1019Z (6:19 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

Essex County Airport is in Caldwell, New Jersey. Field elevation 173 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT
OwnershipPublicly owned
UseOpen to the public
TypeSmall airport
ManagerJOE CALI
Manager phone973-227-4567
AttendedDaily, 0700–2300
CHARTS & AIRSPACE
ICAO / IATAKCDW / CDW
SectionalNEW YORK
Center (ARTCC)NEW YORK
Flight service (AFSS)MILLVILLE
RegionNew Jersey
CountryUnited States
Coordinates40.8752, -74.2814
Distance from city2 NM N
SERVICES & LIGHTING
Fuel100LL · Jet A
Control towerTowered
Field lightingSee remarks
BeaconSunset to sunrise · White-green (lighted land airport)
CTAF119.800
UNICOM122.950
FREQUENCIES

Communications

127.6
NEW YORK APP
APP
135.5
ATIS
ATIS
121.1
CLNC DEL
CLD
119.8
CTAF
CTAF
119.2
NEW YORK DEP
DEP
121.9
GND
GND
119.8
TWR
TWR
122.95
UNICOM
UNIC
122.950
UNICOM
UNICOM

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

AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

KCDW traffic patterns

2026-06-12 to 2026-10-23, 69 days observed · data 2026-10-23

High confidence
TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)
AVG LANDINGS/DAY
61.7
AVG OPS/DAY
97.6
Activity trend over 17 days: rising, from 46 to 121 operations per dayOperations trend (17 days)

Busiest day: Wed · Busiest month: Jul

FLEET MIX
Piston single 79%Unknown 9%Helicopter 5%Turboprop 3%Twin 2%Jet 1%

Mostly small piston aircraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES
›C172 (Piston single) · ~989 landings/mo
›SR20 (Piston single) · ~84 landings/mo
›UNKN (Unknown) · ~75 landings/mo
›B407 (Helicopter) · ~73 landings/mo
›P28A (Piston single) · ~71 landings/mo
LIKELY BASED AIRCRAFT
Low-confidence estimate

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

›C172 (Piston single)
›SR20 (Piston single)
›UNKN (Unknown)
›P28A (Piston single)
›B407 (Helicopter)

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.

KMMU Morristown Municipal Airport
8 NM SW
VFR
KTEB Teterboro Airport
10 NM E
VFR
KEWR Newark Liberty International Airport
12 NM SE
VFR
KLDJ Linden Airport
16 NM S
VFR
KLGA LaGuardia Airport
19 NM E
VFR
KJFK John F. Kennedy International Airport
27 NM SE
VFR
AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›FIXED WING VFR ACFT DEP: RWY 22 - FLY RWY HDG TIL REACHING 900 FT MSL, THEN TURN CROSSWIND IF REMAINING IN THE TFC PAT. IF DEPARTING THE TFC PAT, CONT ON RWY HDG TIL REACHING TFC PAT ALT.
›APCH RATIO 13:1 TO DSPLCD THLD.
›FIXED WING VFR ACFT DEP: RWY 10 - FLY HDG 080 DEG AT RWY DEP END. UPON REACHING 900 FT MSL, TURN CROSSWIND IF REMAINING IN THE TFC PAT; IF DEPARTING THE TFC PAT, CONT ON HDG 080 DEG TIL REACHING TFC PAT ALT.
›RY 22 PAPI UNUSABLE BYD 5 DEGREES RIGHT OF CENTERLINE DUE TO OBSTRUCTION.
›PILOTS BE ALERT -- THE MORRISTOWN ILS & GPS RWY 23 APPROACHES TRANSIT ESSEX CO ARPT CLASS D ASP. TFC PASSES TWO MI WEST OF THE ARPT DESCENDING THRU 2000 FT MSL.
›LCL OPNS SUSPENDED FROM 2300-0700 MON THRU SAT 2300 SAT UNTIL 1000 SUN.
›ENG RUN-UPS ON TWY N AT AER 28 SHD BE CONDUCTED TO LMT EFCT TO ACFT PARKED ON RN RAMP.
›FIXED WING VFR ACFT DEP: RWY 28 - FLY RWY HDG FOR 1 MI THEN TURN CROSSWIND IF REMAINING IN THE TFC PAT. IF DEPARTING THE TFC PAT, CONT ON RWY HDG TIL READHING TFC PAT ALT.
›ROTOCRAFT: IF PSBL, CROSS THE ARPT BDRY AT OR ABV 700 FT MSL.
›FOR CD WHEN ATCT IS CLSD CTC NEWARK APCH AT 800-645-3206.
›DEER & BIRDS ON & INVOF ARPT.
›APCH RATIO 6:1 TO DSPLCD THLD.
›FIXED WING VFR ACFT DEP: RWY 4 - FLY RWY HDG FOR 1 MI, THEN TURN CROSSWIND IF REMAINING IN THE TFC PAT. IF DEPARTING THE TFC PAT, CONT ON RWY HDG TIL REACHING TFC PAT ALT.
›RY 28 APCH RATIO 28:1 TO DSPLCD THLD.
›6 FT FENCE, 200 FT FM RY END, ACROSS CNTRLN.
›TPA FOR LARGE & TURBOJET ACFT 1527 FT AGL; TPA FOR LIGHT ACFT 1027 FT AGL.
›6 FT FENCE, 195 FT FM RY END, 120 FT LT OF CNTRLN.
›LANDING FEE FOR ALL TRANSIENT AIRCRAFT
›AIRPORT BEACON LOCATED ON TOP OF CONTROL TOWER
›NON-STANDARD TRAFFIC PATTERNS FOR RWY 04 PROHIBITED DUE TO NOISE SENSITIVE AREA SOUTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT.
›WHEN ATCT CLSD, PAPI RWY 22; HIRL RWY 04/22; MIRL RWY 10/28 OPR CONSLY. HIRL RWY 04/22; MIRL RWY 10/28 PRESET TO LOW INTST. TO INCRS INTST AND ACTVT REIL RWY 22 - CTAF.
›RY 10 APCH SLOPE 11:1 TO DSPLCD THLD.
OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES
↗Official METAR on AviationWeather.gov
↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)
↗Official airport website
↗Wikipedia
↗KCDW on OurAirports
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Does KCDW have a METAR?
Yes. KCDW has a current METAR observation, decoded into plain English on this page.
Does KCDW have a TAF?
When KCDW 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 KCDW?
KCDW sits at 173 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.
Is this an official preflight weather briefing for KCDW?
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.