PAVD/VDZ METAR & TAF Valdez Pioneer Field

Valdez, AlaskaElevation 121 ftMedium airport

CURRENT STATUS

VFR56 min old

Ceiling 4,000 ft, visibility 10 SM, rain.

FLIGHT CATEGORY

VFR

ceiling & visibility

WIND

Calm

no steady wind

VISIBILITY

10 SM

16.1 km

CEILING

4,000 ft

lowest BKN/OVC

DENSITY ALT

-1,507 ft

-1,628 ft vs field

CURRENT METAR

Decoded observation

Observed 0156Z (5:56 PM local) · 56 min old

PAVD is currently VFR. Winds are calm. Visibility is 10 statute miles. The ceiling is 4,000 feet AGL. Reported weather: light rain.

WIND

Calm

No steady wind.

VISIBILITY

10 statute miles

16.1 km, good.

CEILING & SKY

Ceiling 4,000 ft

Lowest broken or overcast layer.

TEMP / DEWPOINT

4°C / 4°C

39°F / 39°F. 0°C spread.

ALTIMETER

30.27 inHg

1025.1 hPa, above standard.

WEATHER & HAZARDS

Rain reported.

Codes in this report: FEW 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)

SLP250

sea-level pressure 1025.0 hPa

PCPN

observed: precipitation

VRY

unrecognized remark group

LGT

unrecognized remark group

P0000

0.00 inches of precipitation in the last hour

T00390039

precise temperature 3.9°C, dew point 3.9°C

station needs maintenance

TERMINAL AERODROME FORECAST

TAF timeline

Issued 2344Z (3:44 PM local) · valid to 0000Z (4:00 PM local)

PAVD forecast starts VFR at 00Z. Worst period is 07Z to 14Z with MVFR possible. Best period is 00Z to 07Z (VFR). Conditions are roughly steady over the period.

OVC0404,000 ft

OVC0252,500 ft

BKN0505,000 ft

0000Z4:00 PM0448Z8:48 PM0936Z1:36 AM1424Z6:24 AM1912Z11:12 AM0000Z4:00 PM

Codes in this report: P6SM FEW SCT OVC BKN

Tap any group to decode it.

FAA: no delays reported at VDZ.

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 calm, visibility 10 SM, ceiling 4,000 ft. Forecast suggests tonight light rain, low near 33F, 97% 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	Light Rain	33	NE 4 kt	–	97%
Monday	Light Rain	41/28	NE 4 kt	–	75%
Tuesday	Sunny	39/26	E 9 kt	–	1%
Wednesday	Sunny	42/33	E 4 kt	–	35%
Thursday	Chance Rain And Snow	42/35	SE 4 kt	–	79%
Friday	Rain	42/34	SE 4 kt	–	84%
Saturday	Rain And Snow	40/32	0 kt	–	84%
Sunday	Rain And Snow Likely	38	NE 4 kt	–	59%

Source: National Weather Service (office AER). Forecast issued 0251Z.

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RUNWAYS & WIND

1 runway · crosswind ranking

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 6,500 ft

06/24

Dimensions

6,500 x 150 ft

Surface

Asphalt (good)

Edge lights

HIGH

RWY 0681°T

Landing length (LDA)6,500 ft

TORA / TODA / ASDA6,500 / 6,500 / 6,500 ft

ILSLDA/DME

Approach lightsMALSR

VGSIPAPI (P4L)

Traffic patternRight

RWY 24261°T

Landing length (LDA)6,500 ft

TORA / TODA / ASDA6,500 / 6,500 / 6,500 ft

REILYes

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

-1,507 ft

Pressure altitude

-229 ft

Field elevation

121 ft MSL

Temperature

4°C (39°F)

Dewpoint

4°C (39°F)

Altimeter

30.27 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

0203Z 6:03 PM

Sunrise

1656Z 8:56 AM

Loggable night

0248Z (6:48 PM local) → 1610Z (8:10 AM local)

end of evening to start of morning civil twilight

Position lights required

0203Z (6:03 PM local) → 1656Z (8:56 AM local)

sunset to sunrise (91.209)

Night passenger currency

0303Z (7:03 PM local) → 1556Z (7:56 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

Valdez Pioneer Field is in Valdez, Alaska. Field elevation 121 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT

OwnershipPublicly owned

UseOpen to the public

TypeMedium airport

Airline serviceYes

ManagerDAVE WILEY

Manager phone907-835-5658

AttendedJAN-DEC SAT & SUN, 0800–1830

CHARTS & AIRSPACE

ICAO / IATAPAVD / VDZ

SectionalANCHORAGE

Center (ARTCC)ANCHORAGE

Flight service (AFSS)JUNEAU

RegionAlaska

CountryUnited States

Coordinates61.1327, -146.2466

Distance from city3 NM E

SERVICES & LIGHTING

Fuel100LL · Jet A

Control towerNon-towered

Field lightingSee remarks

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

CTAF122.900

FREQUENCIES

Communications

118.8

AWOS 3

AWOS

119.3

ANCHORAGE CNTR

CNTR

122.9

CTAF

122.2

JUNEAU RDO

FSS

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

AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

PAVD traffic patterns

2026-06-12 to 2026-10-21, 61 days observed · data 2026-10-23

Medium confidence

TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)

AVG LANDINGS/DAY

2.7

AVG OPS/DAY

3.3

Operations trend (13 days)

Busiest day: Sun · Busiest month: Jul

FLEET MIX

Turboprop 39%Helicopter 26%Piston single 17%Unknown 14%Jet 3%Airliner 1%

Mostly turboprop aircraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES

›BE10 (Turboprop) · ~25 landings/mo

›R44 (Helicopter) · ~12 landings/mo

›BE20 (Turboprop) · ~6 landings/mo

›H500 (Helicopter) · ~6 landings/mo

›PA11 (Unknown) · ~4 landings/mo

LIKELY BASED AIRCRAFT

Low-confidence estimate

Aircraft likely based near this airport (estimate), mostly rotorcraft.

›R44 (Helicopter)

›BE10 (Turboprop)

›C172 (Piston single)

›BE20 (Turboprop)

›PA11 (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.

PACV Merle K (Mudhole) Smith Airport

45 NM SE

VFR

PAGK Gulkana Airport

65 NM N

VFR

PAAQ Warren "Bud" Woods Palmer Municipal Airport

86 NM W

VFR

PABV Birchwood Airport

VFR

AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›COLD TEMPERATURE AIRPORT. ALTITUDE CORRECTION REQUIRED AT OR BELOW -10C.

›ACTVT MALSR RWY 06; REIL RWY 24; PAPI RWY 06; HIRL RWY 06/24 - CTAF.

›ARPT SAND LRGR THAN FAA RCMDD/SEE AC150/5200-30.

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

›ALERT: SEE SPL NOTICE - PORT VALDEZ AREA & GENOTS - THOMPSON PASS AVALANCHE CTL.

›ALERT: DURG STRONG N WIND; MIDFIELD & E END RWY WIND MAY BE MUCH HYR THAN AWOS INDCD.

›PCR VALUE: 407/F/A/X/T

›PPR - 907-834-6933.

›MAINT HRS MON-FRI 0600-1830; SAT & SUN 0800-1830.

›1675 X 200 FT SW PTN OF RAMP NOT MNTND NOV 1 - APR 15.

›CLSD TO ACR OPS MORE THAN 30 PAX SEATS EXC 24 HR PPR IN WRITING - AMGR PO BOX 507 VALDEZ AK 99686; FAX 907-835-5849.

OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES

↗Official METAR on AviationWeather.gov

↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)

↗Wikipedia

↗PAVD on OurAirports

FREQUENTLY ASKED

Does PAVD have a METAR?

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

Does PAVD have a TAF?

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

What is the field elevation at PAVD?

PAVD sits at 121 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.

Is this an official preflight weather briefing for PAVD?

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.