Automated Weather Reporting Upgrades Available for Methow Valley State Airport

Come rain or shine, pilots traveling in the Methow Valley now have a new way to access weather information online via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) website.

Winthrop-area weather data for pilots is made possible through the automated weather observing system (AWOS) at the Methow Valley State Airport. The Washington State Department of Transportation recently installed upgrades to the AWOS that enabled the weather information to be available online through NOAA’s website. Previously the AWOS, which informs pilots of conditions such as wind, rain and visibility, only broadcasted information via cockpit radio or telephone.

Methow Valley State Airport is one of 16 airports that WSDOT operates, and is the only one eligible for federal funds. The airport is used for business travel, recreation and to support emergency operations.

Information for pilots

Pilots can access the system online at NOAA’s website, via cockpit radio at 118.425 MHz (from a distance of up to 60 miles) or by phone at (509) 997-0142.

Pilots flying into Methow should check notices to airmen or call State Airport Manager Paul Wolf at 360-618-2477 for more information.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.