KPLU

Pierce County-Thun Field

Puyallup, WashingtonElevation 538 ftSmall airport
CURRENT STATUS
VFR3 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
505 ft
-33 ft vs field
CURRENT METAR

Decoded observation

Observed 0755Z (12:55 AM local) · 3 min old

KPLU 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
15°C / 14°C
59°F / 57°F. 1°C spread.
ALTIMETER
30.08 inHg
1018.6 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)
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 thursday mostly cloudy, high near 72F, low near 50F, 11% chance of precipitation. Key risks: thunderstorms in the forecast.

PILOT WEATHER NOTES
Thunderstorms in the forecastWeather.gov
Saturday: Chance Light Rain then Showers And Thunderstorms Likely. Watch for developing convection and plan alternates.
DayConditionsTemp FWindGustsPrecipPilot note
Thursday Mostly Cloudy 72/50 W 2 kt 11%
Friday Cloudy 69/51 SW 4 kt 12%
Saturday Chance Light Rain then Showers And Thunderstorms Likely 68/50 NNW 1 kt 74% Thunderstorms in the forecast
Sunday Chance Light Rain 68/49 SSW 4 kt 41%
Monday Mostly Sunny 72/50 NNW 3 kt 4%
Tuesday Sunny 76/52 N 4 kt 3%
Wednesday Sunny 79 NNE 4 kt 3%

Source: National Weather Service (office SEW). Forecast issued 0758Z.

AIR QUALITY

Air quality index

31 Good
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5 31

Tacoma-Puyallup, WA · observed 2026-09-09 23:00 PST · Source: AirNow (US EPA). Air-quality data for situational awareness, not an official health advisory.

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
NESW1735CALMCALMCALMCALMCALM
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

1 runway · longest 3,651 ft

17/35
Dimensions
3,651 x 60 ft
Surface
Asphalt (good)
Edge lights
MED
RWY 17180°T
REILYes
VGSIPAPI (P4L)
Traffic patternLeft
RWY 350°T
REILYes
VGSIPAPI (P4R)
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
505 ft
Pressure altitude
378 ft
Field elevation
538 ft MSL
Temperature
15°C (59°F)
Dewpoint
14°C (57°F)
Altimeter
30.08 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
0233Z 7:33 PM
Sunrise
1339Z 6:39 AM
Loggable night
0304Z (8:04 PM local) → 1309Z (6:09 AM local)
end of evening to start of morning civil twilight
Position lights required
0233Z (7:33 PM local) → 1339Z (6:39 AM local)
sunset to sunrise (91.209)
Night passenger currency
0333Z (8:33 PM local) → 1239Z (5:39 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

Pierce County-Thun Field is in Puyallup, Washington. Field elevation 538 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT
OwnershipPublicly owned
UseOpen to the public
TypeSmall airport
ManagerDENNIS SMITH
Manager phone253-798-8551
AttendedDaily, 0800–1400
CHARTS & AIRSPACE
ICAO / IATAKPLU
SectionalSEATTLE
Center (ARTCC)SEATTLE
Flight service (AFSS)SEATTLE
RegionWashington
CountryUnited States
Coordinates47.1039, -122.2870
Distance from city5 NM S
SERVICES & LIGHTING
Fuel100LL
Control towerNon-towered
Field lightingSee remarks
BeaconSunset to sunrise · White-green (lighted land airport)
CTAF122.700
UNICOM122.700
FREQUENCIES

Communications

122.700
CTAF
CTAF
122.700
UNICOM
UNICOM

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

AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

KPLU traffic patterns

2026-06-12 to 2026-09-08, 33 days observed · data 2026-09-08

Low confidence
TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)
AVG LANDINGS/DAY
4.3
AVG OPS/DAY
9
Activity trend over 3 days: falling, from 17 to 2 operations per dayOperations trend (3 days)

Busiest day: Sat · Busiest month: Jul

FLEET MIX
Piston single 63%Unknown 32%Helicopter 3%Twin 2%

Mostly small piston aircraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES
C172 (Piston single) · ~117 landings/mo
C182 (Piston single) · ~14 landings/mo
C150 (Piston single) · ~12 landings/mo
CRUZ (Unknown) · ~12 landings/mo
P28R (Unknown) · ~8 landings/mo
LIKELY BASED AIRCRAFT
Low-confidence estimate

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

C172 (Piston single)
C182 (Piston single)
P28R (Unknown)
RV4 (Unknown)
FOX (Unknown)

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.

AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

ESTABD PRIOR TO 15 MAY 1959.
ACTVT REIL RWYS 17 & 35; PAPI RWYS 17 & 35 AND MIRL RWY 17/35 -CTAF.
FUEL AVBL 24 HOURS WITH CREDIT CARD.
FOR CD CTC SEATTLE APCH AT 206-214-4723.
PILOTS BRING OWN TIE-DOWNS.
NOISE SENSITIVE ALL QUADRANTS.
ULTRALIGHTS PROHIBITED.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Does KPLU have a METAR?
Yes. KPLU has a current METAR observation, decoded into plain English on this page.
Does KPLU have a TAF?
When KPLU 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 KPLU?
KPLU sits at 538 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.
Is this an official preflight weather briefing for KPLU?
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.