WxDecoder

W37 Weather American Lake Seaplane Base

Tacoma, WashingtonElevation 235 ftSeaplane base
OFF-FIELD REFERENCE
Nearest report: KTCM · 3 NM E · 53 min old
Ceiling 7,000 ft, visibility 10 SM.
No on-field report, so no field flight category. Conditions at the field may differ.
OFF-FIELD REFERENCE · KTCM
WIND
Calm
no steady wind
VISIBILITY
10 SM
16.1 km
CEILING
7,000 ft
lowest BKN/OVC
FORECAST & PILOT NOTES · SUPPLEMENTAL

Extended forecast and pilot notes

No aviation METAR is published for this airport. The nearest National Weather Service station reports wind calm, visibility 10 SM, temperature 13.5C. Treat this as supplemental, not an aviation observation. Forecast suggests this afternoon chance light rain, high near 55F, low near 41F, 52% chance of precipitation. Key risks: thunderstorms in the forecast.

PILOT WEATHER NOTES
Thunderstorms in the forecastWeather.gov
Wednesday: Showers And Thunderstorms. Watch for developing convection and plan alternates.
DayConditionsTemp FWindGustsPrecipPilot note
This Afternoon Chance Light Rain 55/41 SE 4 kt – 52%
Monday Chance Light Rain 57/42 SSE 2 kt – 34%
Tuesday Light Rain Likely 57/40 SSW 10 kt – 95%
Wednesday Showers And Thunderstorms 53/37 SSW 10 kt – 93% Thunderstorms in the forecast
Thursday Light Rain 51/35 SSE 4 kt – 81%
Friday Chance Light Rain 53/33 ENE 4 kt – 25%
Saturday Partly Sunny 54/34 N 3 kt – 8%

Source: National Weather Service (office SEW). Forecast issued 0048Z.

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

DC

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
Crosswind calculator
No runway layout is available for W37. Enter a runway number or heading to estimate wind components.
RUNWAYS

Runway detail & declared distances

1 runway · longest 5,500 ft

02W/20W
Dimensions
5,500 x 500 ft
Surface
Water
RWY 02W
RWY 20W

Runway data from the FAA NASR dataset (effective 2026-06-11). Verify with the current Chart Supplement and NOTAMs.

FIELD CONDITIONS

Field elevation

Field elevation
235 ft MSL

Density and pressure altitude need a current temperature and altimeter from the METAR.

DAYLIGHT & NIGHT

Sun & logging windows

Sunset
0105Z 6:05 PM
Sunrise
1444Z 7:44 AM
Loggable night
0136Z (6:36 PM local) → 1412Z (7:12 AM local)
end of evening to start of morning civil twilight
Position lights required
0105Z (6:05 PM local) → 1444Z (7:44 AM local)
sunset to sunrise (91.209)
Night passenger currency
0205Z (7:05 PM local) → 1344Z (6:44 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

American Lake Seaplane Base is in Tacoma, Washington. Field elevation 235 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT
OwnershipPublicly owned
UseOpen to the public
TypeSeaplane base
ManagerSCOTT WILLIAMS
Manager phone253-983-7887
AttendedUNATNDD
CHARTS & AIRSPACE
ICAO / IATAW37
SectionalSEATTLE
Center (ARTCC)SEATTLE
Flight service (AFSS)SEATTLE
RegionWashington
CountryUnited States
Coordinates47.1415, -122.5610
Distance from city3 NM SW
SERVICES & LIGHTING
Control towerNon-towered
Traffic pattern alt700 ft MSL
CTAF122.900
FREQUENCIES

Communications

122.900
CTAF
CTAF

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

AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

W37 traffic patterns

2026-07-02 to 2026-08-07, 2 days observed · data 2026-10-23

Insufficient confidence
TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)
AVG LANDINGS/DAY
1
AVG OPS/DAY
2
Operations trend (1 days)

Busiest day: Fri · Busiest month: Aug

FLEET MIX
Helicopter 100%

Mostly rotorcraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES
›H60 (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

W37 has no on-field report. Nearest reporting station: KTCM (3 NM E, VFR).

KTCM McChord Air Force Base
3 NM E
VFR
KGRF Gray Army Air Field
4 NM S
VFR
KTIW Tacoma Narrows Airport
8 NM N
VFR
KOLM Olympia Regional Airport
17 NM SW
VFR
KSEA Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
21 NM NE
VFR
KPWT Bremerton National Airport
23 NM N
VFR
AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›FOR CD CTC SEATTLE APCH AT 206-214-4723.
›ARPT UNDERLIES MCCHORD AFB CLASS D AIRSPACE.
›SWIMMERS & BOATERS IN THE AREA.
›DAY USE ONLY RECOMMENDED.
›NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES IN EFFECT; CTC AMGR 253-589-2489, EXTENSION 7741.
›SEAPLANE DOCK AVAILABLE DURING PARK HOURS, 7:00 AM TO SUNSET.
OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES
↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)
↗W37 on OurAirports
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Does W37 have a METAR?
No on-field METAR is issued for W37. This page uses the nearest reporting station as a reference.
Does W37 have a TAF?
No TAF is issued directly for W37. Use the nearest TAF-issuing field as a planning reference.
What is the field elevation at W37?
W37 sits at 235 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.
Is this an official preflight weather briefing for W37?
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.