KM46 METAR Colstrip Airport

Colstrip, MontanaElevation 3,426 ftSmall airport

CURRENT STATUS

VFR4 min old

Ceiling 5,000 ft, visibility 10 SM.

FLIGHT CATEGORY

VFR

ceiling & visibility

WIND

080@10

steady

VISIBILITY

10 SM

16.1 km

CEILING

5,000 ft

lowest BKN/OVC

DENSITY ALT

3,218 ft

-208 ft vs field

CURRENT METAR

Decoded observation

Observed 2135Z (3:35 PM local) · 4 min old

KM46 is currently VFR. Winds are from the east at 10 knots. Visibility is 10 statute miles. The ceiling is 5,000 feet AGL.

WIND

80° at 10 kt

Steady.

VISIBILITY

10 statute miles

16.1 km, good.

CEILING & SKY

Ceiling 5,000 ft

Lowest broken or overcast layer.

TEMP / DEWPOINT

10°C / -4°C

50°F / 25°F. 14°C spread.

ALTIMETER

30.34 inHg

1027.4 hPa, above standard.

WEATHER & HAZARDS

No significant hazards

No precipitation or obscuration reported.

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)

T00961044

precise temperature 9.6°C, dew point -4.4°C

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 from 80° at 10 kt, visibility 10 SM, ceiling 5,000 ft. Forecast suggests this afternoon sunny, high near 53F, low near 35F, 15% 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
This Afternoon	Sunny	53/35	E 8 kt	–	15%
Monday	Partly Sunny	53/32	ESE 9 kt	–	40%
Tuesday	Rain Showers	52/34	WSW 14 kt	–	79%
Wednesday	Sunny	57/32	WNW 5 kt	–	1%
Thursday	Sunny	57/32	ESE 5 kt	–	6%
Friday	Mostly Cloudy	48/32	N 4 kt	–	26%
Saturday	Slight Chance Rain And Snow Showers	51/34	NW 3 kt	–	23%

Source: National Weather Service (office BYZ). Forecast issued 2139Z.

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

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

080° at 10 kt

Components computed from the current on-field METAR wind.

RECOMMENDED

RWY 0610 kt headwind · 1 kt crosswind

RUNWAYS BY WIND · best end

HEAD

10 kt

CROSS

1 kt R

BEST

HEAD

10 kt tail

CROSS

1 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

1 runway · longest 5,100 ft

06/24

Dimensions

5,100 x 75 ft

Surface

Asphalt (good)

Edge lights

MED

RWY 0675°T

VGSIPAPI (P2L)

RWY 24255°T

VGSIPAPI (P2L)

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

3,218 ft

Pressure altitude

3,006 ft

Field elevation

3,426 ft MSL

Temperature

10°C (50°F)

Dewpoint

-4°C (25°F)

Altimeter

30.34 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

0004Z 6:04 PM

Sunrise

1338Z 7:38 AM

Loggable night

0034Z (6:34 PM local) → 1307Z (7:07 AM local)

end of evening to start of morning civil twilight

Position lights required

0004Z (6:04 PM local) → 1338Z (7:38 AM local)

sunset to sunrise (91.209)

Night passenger currency

0104Z (7:04 PM local) → 1238Z (6:38 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

Colstrip Airport is in Colstrip, Montana. Field elevation 3,426 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT

OwnershipPublicly owned

UseOpen to the public

TypeSmall airport

ManagerBRIAN SCHWEND

Manager phone406-351-1261

AttendedON CALL

CHARTS & AIRSPACE

ICAO / IATAKM46

SectionalBILLINGS

Center (ARTCC)SALT LAKE CITY

Flight service (AFSS)GREAT FALLS

RegionMontana

CountryUnited States

Coordinates45.8529, -106.7090

Distance from city3 NM SW

SERVICES & LIGHTING

Control towerNon-towered

Field lightingSee remarks

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

CTAF122.700

UNICOM122.700

FREQUENCIES

Communications

127.75

SALT LAKE CNTR

CNTR

122.9

CTAF

122.700

UNICOM

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

AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

Traffic patterns

Aircraft activity data is not available for this airport yet.

NEARBY AIRPORTS

Weather reference stations

Current flight category at nearby reporting stations.

KMLS Miles City Airport - Frank Wiley Field

49 NM NE

VFR

KSHR Sheridan County Airport

66 NM S

VFR

KBIL Billings Logan International Airport

77 NM W

VFR

KBYG Johnson County Airport

VFR

KGEY South Big Horn County Airport

99 NM SW

VFR

AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›FOR CD CTC SALT LAKE ARTCC AT 801-320-2568.

›COLD TEMPERATURE AIRPORT. ALTITUDE CORRECTION REQUIRED AT OR BELOW -34C.

›PHONE AVAIL ON ARPT.

›700 FT POWER PLANT STACKS 4.5 NM NE OF ARPT.

›HILL 1550' FM RY 24 END 600' LEFT & 93' ABOVE RY THR.

›ACTVT PAPI 06 & 24 - CTAF; MIRL RWY 06/24 PRESET LOW INTST DUSK-0100; AFT 0100 ACTVT - CTAF.

OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES

↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)

↗KM46 on OurAirports

FREQUENTLY ASKED

Does KM46 have a METAR?

Yes. KM46 has a current METAR observation, decoded into plain English on this page.

Does KM46 have a TAF?

When KM46 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 KM46?

KM46 sits at 3,426 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.

Is this an official preflight weather briefing for KM46?

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.