KHKY/HKY METAR & TAF Hickory Regional Airport

Hickory, North CarolinaElevation 1,190 ftMedium airport

CURRENT STATUS

VFR21 min old

No ceiling, visibility 10 SM.

FLIGHT CATEGORY

VFR

ceiling & visibility

WIND

060@3

steady

VISIBILITY

10 SM

16.1 km

CEILING

None

no BKN/OVC layer

DENSITY ALT

712 ft

-478 ft vs field

ACTIVE NWS ALERTS

Active weather alerts

Frost AdvisoryMinor · Expected · Likely

26 0600Z to 26 1200Z

Swain; Haywood; Graham; Northern Jackson; Macon; Southern Jackson; Transylvania; Henderson; Caldwell Mountains; Greater Caldwell; Burke Mountains; Greater Burke; Eastern McDowell

* WHAT...Temperatures as low as 38 will result in frost formation. * WHERE...A portion of western North Carolina. * WHEN...From 2 AM to 8 AM EDT Monday. * IMPACTS...Frost could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation. Sensitive outdoor plants may be killed if left uncovered.

Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.

Alerts from the National Weather Service. For situational awareness only; always confirm against an official briefing.

CURRENT METAR

Decoded observation

Observed 0053Z (8:53 PM local) · 21 min old

KHKY is currently VFR. Winds are from the northeast at 3 knots. Visibility is 10 statute miles. There is no ceiling.

WIND

60° at 3 kt

Steady.

VISIBILITY

10 statute miles

16.1 km, good.

CEILING & SKY

FEW047

FEW and SCT layers are not ceilings.

TEMP / DEWPOINT

13°C / 9°C

55°F / 48°F. 4°C spread.

ALTIMETER

30.44 inHg

1030.8 hPa, above standard.

WEATHER & HAZARDS

No significant hazards

No precipitation or obscuration reported.

Codes in this report: AUTO FEW 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)

SLP299

sea-level pressure 1029.9 hPa

T01280089

precise temperature 12.8°C, dew point 8.9°C

TERMINAL AERODROME FORECAST

TAF timeline

Issued 2320Z (7:20 PM local) · valid to 0000Z (8:00 PM local)

KHKY forecast starts VFR at 00Z. Worst period is 10Z to 13Z with MVFR possible. Best period is 00Z to 10Z (VFR). Conditions are roughly steady over the period.

VFR

MVFR

VFR

0000Z8:00 PM0448Z12:48 AM0936Z5:36 AM1424Z10:24 AM1912Z3:12 PM0000Z8:00 PM

Codes in this report: P6SM SKC TEMPO BR FEW

Tap any group to decode it.

FAA: no delays reported at HKY.

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

SUGGESTED RISK · TRAINING USE

Suggested risk level: Low

›No significant weather concerns in the current report.

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 from 60° at 3 kt, visibility 10 SM, ceiling none. Forecast suggests tonight clear, low near 41F, 0% chance of precipitation. Key risks: no significant hazards are highlighted right now, but always confirm against an official briefing.

Day	Conditions	Temp F	Wind	Gusts	Precip
Tonight	Clear	41	N 4 kt	–	0%
Monday	Sunny	70/43	NNE 3 kt	–	0%
Tuesday	Sunny	73/46	NNE 4 kt	–	0%
Wednesday	Partly Sunny	69/49	NE 5 kt	–	0%
Thursday	Mostly Sunny	73/48	NE 4 kt	–	1%
Friday	Sunny	76/50	ENE 3 kt	–	2%
Saturday	Partly Sunny	74/54	ESE 3 kt	–	27%
Sunday	Chance Rain Showers	73	SSE 5 kt	–	39%

Source: National Weather Service (office GSP). Forecast issued 0113Z.

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

1 runway · 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

060° at 3 kt

Components computed from the current on-field METAR wind.

RECOMMENDED

RWY 063 kt headwind · no crosswind

RUNWAYS BY WIND · best end

HEAD

3 kt

CROSS

calm

BEST

HEAD

3 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

1 runway · longest 6,401 ft

06/24

Dimensions

6,401 x 150 ft

Surface

Asphalt (good)

Edge lights

HIGH

RWY 0655°T

Landing length (LDA)6,401 ft

TORA / TODA / ASDA6,401 / 6,401 / 6,401 ft

REILYes

VGSIPAPI (P4L)

Traffic patternLeft

RWY 24235°T

Landing length (LDA)6,401 ft

TORA / TODA / ASDA6,401 / 6,401 / 6,401 ft

ILSILS

Approach lightsMALSR

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

712 ft

Pressure altitude

670 ft

Field elevation

1,190 ft MSL

Temperature

13°C (55°F)

Dewpoint

9°C (48°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

2237Z 6:37 PM

Sunrise

1141Z 7:41 AM

Loggable night

2304Z (7:04 PM local) → 1115Z (7:15 AM local)

end of evening to start of morning civil twilight

Position lights required

2237Z (6:37 PM local) → 1141Z (7:41 AM local)

sunset to sunrise (91.209)

Night passenger currency

2337Z (7:37 PM local) → 1041Z (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

Hickory Regional Airport is in Hickory, North Carolina. Field elevation 1,190 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT

OwnershipPublicly owned

UseOpen to the public

TypeMedium airport

ManagerCHAD HUNSUCKER

Manager phone828-358-8473

AttendedALL MON-FRI, 0700–1900

CHARTS & AIRSPACE

ICAO / IATAKHKY / HKY

SectionalCHARLOTTE

Center (ARTCC)ATLANTA

Flight service (AFSS)RALEIGH

RegionNorth Carolina

CountryUnited States

Coordinates35.7411, -81.3895

Distance from city3 NM W

SERVICES & LIGHTING

Fuel100LL · Jet A-1+

Control towerTowered

Field lightingSee remarks

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

CTAF128.150

FREQUENCIES

Communications

118.325

ASOS

121.7

CLNC DEL

CLD

125.15

ATLANTA CNTR

CNTR

128.15

CTAF

121.7

GND

122.2

RALEIGH RDO

RDO

128.15

TWR

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

AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

KHKY traffic patterns

2026-06-20 to 2026-09-18, 12 days observed · data 2026-10-23

Insufficient confidence

TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)

AVG LANDINGS/DAY

1.4

AVG OPS/DAY

2.6

Operations trend (5 days)

Busiest day: Fri · Busiest month: Jun

FLEET MIX

Piston single 56%Jet 31%Helicopter 13%

Mostly small piston aircraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES

›C172 (Piston single) · ~2 landings/mo

›AA5 (Piston single) · ~1 landings/mo

›C152 (Piston single) · ~1 landings/mo

›C25A (Jet) · ~1 landings/mo

›EC35 (Helicopter) · ~1 landings/mo

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.

KMRN Foothills Regional Airport

12 NM NW

VFR

KSVH Statesville Regional Airport

21 NM E

VFR

KUKF Wilkes County Airport

32 NM NE

VFR

KCLT Charlotte Douglas International Airport

38 NM SE

VFR

KJQF Concord-Padgett Regional Airport

39 NM SE

VFR

KRUQ Mid-Carolina Regional Airport

43 NM E

VFR

AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›AFT HRS SVCS CALL 828-327-0147.

›100LL AVBL AFT HRS WITH CREDIT CARD.

›DUSK-DAWN. ACTVT MALSR RWY 24; PAPI RWY 24; HIRL RWY 06/24 - CTAF (2100-0700). PAPI RWY 06 OPR CONSLY.

›PCR VALUE: 550/F/B/X/T

›CLSD TO UNSKED ACR OPNS WITH MORE THAN 30 PSGR SEATS EXCP 24 HR PPR CALL AMGR 828-327-0147.

›AND BURKE COUNTY.

›SVCS AVAIL M-F 0700-1900 LCL / S & S 0700-1900 LCL. AFT HRS SVCS CALL 828-327-0147.

OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES

↗Official METAR on AviationWeather.gov

↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)

↗Wikipedia

↗KHKY on OurAirports

FREQUENTLY ASKED

Does KHKY have a METAR?

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

Does KHKY have a TAF?

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

What is the field elevation at KHKY?

KHKY sits at 1,190 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.

Is this an official preflight weather briefing for KHKY?

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.