PAFS/NIB METAR Nikolai Airport

Nikolai, AlaskaElevation 441 ftSmall airport

CURRENT STATUS

VFR27 min old

Ceiling 11,000 ft, visibility 10 SM, gusts to 15 kt.

FLIGHT CATEGORY

VFR

ceiling & visibility

WIND

200@7

gust 15 kt

VISIBILITY

10 SM

16.1 km

CEILING

11,000 ft

lowest BKN/OVC

DENSITY ALT

-852 ft

-1,293 ft vs field

ACTIVE NWS ALERTS

Active weather alerts

Wind AdvisoryModerate · Expected · Likely

26 0300Z to 26 1800Z

Lower Yukon and Innoko Valleys; Upper Kuskokwim Valley

* WHAT...South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph expected. * WHERE...Lower Yukon to the Upper Kuskokwim Valley. * WHEN...From 7 PM this evening to 10 AM AKDT Monday. * IMPACTS...High winds may move loose debris, damage property and cause power outages. Travel could be difficult.

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

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

CURRENT METAR

Decoded observation

Observed 0401Z (8:01 PM local) · 27 min old

PAFS is currently VFR. Winds are from the south at 7 knots gusting 15. Visibility is 10 statute miles. The ceiling is 11,000 feet AGL. The main issue is wind gusting to 15 kt (gust spread 8 kt).

WIND

200° at 7 kt, gust 15

Gusts 8 kt above the steady wind.

VISIBILITY

10 statute miles

16.1 km, good.

CEILING & SKY

Ceiling 11,000 ft

Lowest broken or overcast layer.

TEMP / DEWPOINT

4°C / 2°C

39°F / 36°F. 2°C spread.

ALTIMETER

30.01 inHg

1016.3 hPa, near standard.

WEATHER & HAZARDS

GUST

Wind gusting to 15 kt (gust spread 8 kt).

Codes in this report: AUTO SCT BKN 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)

SLPNO

sea-level pressure not available

T00440022

precise temperature 4.4°C, dew point 2.2°C

station needs maintenance

SUGGESTED RISK · TRAINING USE

Suggested risk level: Moderate

›Wind gusting to 15 kt (gust spread 8 kt).

›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 200° at 7 kt, gusting 15 kt, visibility 10 SM, ceiling 11,000 ft. Forecast suggests tonight light rain, low near 36F, 84% chance of precipitation. Key risks: strong winds in the forecast. Note: the NWS forecast for now reads "Slight Chance Light Rain" but the current METAR shows none of it; the observation and forecast differ, so trust the METAR for current conditions.

PILOT WEATHER NOTES

Strong winds in the forecastWeather.gov

Tonight: winds up to 30 kt. Re-check crosswind components closer to departure.

Day	Conditions	Temp F	Wind	Gusts	Precip	Pilot note
Tonight	Light Rain	36	S 13 kt	30 kt	84%	Strong winds in the forecast
Monday	Light Rain	42/33	SW 13 kt	30 kt	93%
Tuesday	Chance Light Rain then Mostly Cloudy	41/28	S 4 kt	–	30%
Wednesday	Chance Light Snow then Rain And Snow	40/32	E 4 kt	–	85%
Thursday	Rain And Snow	40/35	E 9 kt	–	86%
Friday	Rain And Snow Likely	40/30	SE 9 kt	–	66%
Saturday	Chance Light Snow	38/26	S 4 kt	–	34%
Sunday	Chance Light Snow	34	S 4 kt	–	31%

Note: the NWS forecast for now reads "Slight Chance Light Rain" 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 AFG). Forecast issued 0428Z.

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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

200° at 7 kt, gust 15

Components computed from the current on-field METAR wind.

RECOMMENDED

RWY 235 kt headwind · 5 kt crosswind

RUNWAYS BY WIND · best end

HEAD

5 kt

CROSS

5 kt L

BEST

HEAD

5 kt tail

CROSS

5 kt R

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 4,003 ft

05/23

Dimensions

4,001 x 75 ft

Surface

Gravel (good)

Edge lights

MED

RWY 0563°T

REILYes

VGSIPAPI (P4L)

Traffic patternLeft

RWY 23243°T

REILYes

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

-852 ft

Pressure altitude

351 ft

Field elevation

441 ft MSL

Temperature

4°C (39°F)

Dewpoint

2°C (36°F)

Altimeter

30.01 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

0228Z 6:28 PM

Sunrise

1736Z 9:36 AM

Loggable night

0317Z (7:17 PM local) → 1647Z (8:47 AM local)

end of evening to start of morning civil twilight

Position lights required

0228Z (6:28 PM local) → 1736Z (9:36 AM local)

sunset to sunrise (91.209)

Night passenger currency

0328Z (7:28 PM local) → 1636Z (8:36 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

Nikolai Airport is in Nikolai, Alaska. Field elevation 441 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT

OwnershipPublicly owned

UseOpen to the public

TypeSmall airport

Airline serviceYes

ManagerSTEFFEN STRICK

Manager phone907-524-3241

AttendedUNATNDD

CHARTS & AIRSPACE

ICAO / IATAPAFS / NIB

SectionalMC GRATH

Center (ARTCC)ANCHORAGE

Flight service (AFSS)KENAI

RegionAlaska

CountryUnited States

Coordinates63.0179, -154.3604

Distance from city1 NM NE

SERVICES & LIGHTING

Control towerNon-towered

Field lightingSee remarks

BeaconSee remarks · White-green (lighted land airport)

CTAF122.800

FREQUENCIES

Communications

122.800

CTAF

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.

PAMC McGrath Airport

34 NM W

MVFR

PATL Tatalina LRRS Airport

45 NM W

MVFR

PAMH Minchumina Airport

76 NM NE

VFR

PASL Sleetmute Airport

111 NM SW

MVFR

AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›MULT LGTS BROKEN ENTIRE LEN. BRUSH & GRASS OBSC LGTS.

›RWY COND UNMNT; RCMD VISUAL INSP BFR USE.

›WX CAMERA AVBL ON INTERNET AT HTTPS://WEATHERCAMS.FAA.GOV.

›ACTVT REIL RWY 05 & 23; PAPI RWY 05 & 23; MIRL RWY 05/23 - CTAF.

›ACVT ROTG BCN - CTAF.

›BRUSH INSIDE OF SEGMENTED CRC.

OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES

↗Official METAR on AviationWeather.gov

↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)

↗Wikipedia

↗PAFS on OurAirports

FREQUENTLY ASKED

Does PAFS have a METAR?

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

Does PAFS have a TAF?

When PAFS 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 PAFS?

PAFS sits at 441 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.

Is this an official preflight weather briefing for PAFS?

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.