Runways at KRDR
According to OurAirports data (compiled from AIP and FAA sources), Grand Forks Air Force Base has one runway: 17/35 - 3,764 m long (12,350 ft), 46 m wide, asphalt surface.
Grand Forks Air Force Base (KRDR / RDR)
United States · elevation 913 ft AMSL
· 47.9611, -97.4012
About Grand Forks Air Force Base
Grand Forks Air Force Base is an airport with the ICAO code KRDR and the IATA code RDR. Country: United States. Nearest settlement listed in the database: Grand Forks. OurAirports classifies it as a medium-sized airport. Its ICAO code starts with the KR prefix, which marks airports in United States. The four-letter code KRDR is used in flight operations and weather reports, while the three-letter IATA code RDR is used for ticketing and baggage handling. The airport reference point sits at 47°57'40"N, 97°24'04"W, at an elevation of 913 ft (278 m) above sea level. The applicable time zone is America/Chicago.
Satellite view of KRDR
Aerial imagery showing the runway and apron layout - the zoom is matched to the longest runway.
Runways of KRDR
| Threshold | Course | Length | Width | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 170° | 3,764 m (12,350 ft) | 46 m (150 ft) | asphalt |
| 35 | 350° |
The course is derived from the runway designator (number × 10), not from a survey - the actual magnetic bearing can differ by a few degrees.
Declared distances (TORA, TODA, ASDA, LDA) are published in the national AIP - they are not part of this table.
Climate at Grand Forks Air Force Base - statistics from METAR reports
What the METAR reports from KRDR for 2023-2025 show - counted hour by hour.
We computed these statistics from 25,394 METAR reports issued by KRDR in 2023-2025. VFR conditions prevailed 77% of the time, MVFR 12% and IFR or LIFR 11%. Best month for VFR flying: July (90% of hours VFR). Most IFR and LIFR hours: December (31%).
Through the day, IFR or LIFR conditions are most frequent around 11:00 UTC (16% of reports at that hour) and least frequent around 21:00 UTC (8%).
Fog (FG) was reported on 23 days a year on average, most often in December. Thunderstorms (TS) occurred on 20 days a year on average, and snowfall on 69.
The wind most often blows from N (0°) - 13% of reports. Calm (0 kt) made up 9% of reports, and gusts of 25 kt or more appeared in 4%. Warmest month: July (average high 27.6 °C); coldest: January (average low -15.6 °C).
Year
Selected period in numbers: 2023-2025
- VFR hours
- 77%
- IFR/LIFR hours
- 11%
- Avg high
- 12.4 °C
- Avg low
- 0.8 °C
- Fog days
- 23
- Thunderstorm days
- 20
- Snow days
- 69
- Prevailing wind
- N · 13%
- Gusts ≥ 25 kt
- 4%
Day counts are for the selected period (for all years - the yearly average).
- VFR 77%
- MVFR 12%
- IFR 5%
- LIFR 6%
The top of each bar is the average daily high, the bottom the average daily low (usually around dawn), in °C.
Wind rose
- 1-10 kt
- 11-20 kt
- over 20 kt
- calm: 9%
Most often: N - 13% of reports. Each petal shows the direction the wind blows from (as in METAR) - the longer it is, the more often. Colour shows wind speed.
Month by month
| Month | Avg high °C | Avg low °C | VFR | IFR/LIFR | Fog days | Thunderstorm days | Snow days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -7.3 | -15.6 | 55% | 27% | 1.7 | 0 | 18 |
| February | -3.3 | -13.5 | 76% | 12% | 1.3 | 0 | 12 |
| March | 1.7 | -9.5 | 78% | 9% | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| April | 11.0 | -1.1 | 75% | 11% | 0.7 | 0.7 | 5.7 |
| May | 22.7 | 8.3 | 85% | 5% | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0 |
| June | 26.3 | 13.2 | 88% | 4% | 0.7 | 5.3 | 0 |
| July | 27.6 | 14.7 | 90% | 4% | 2.7 | 5.7 | 0 |
| August | 26.9 | 14.0 | 84% | 7% | 4.1 | 2.7 | 0 |
| September | 25.2 | 11.4 | 87% | 6% | 2 | 3.1 | 0 |
| October | 15.5 | 3.9 | 83% | 6% | 2 | 0.7 | 2 |
| November | 4.7 | -4.1 | 67% | 10% | 1 | 0.3 | 5.9 |
| December | -2.8 | -11.8 | 54% | 31% | 4.3 | 0 | 14 |
Temperatures are averages of daily highs and lows. Day counts are the average per month over the period.
Runway headings and wind
The thresholds are oriented as follows: 17/35 on 170° and 350° magnetic. A threshold designator is its magnetic heading divided by ten (ICAO Annex 14), so the runway axis can be read straight off the numbers.
For the 17/35 axis, wind from the west (around 260°) or from the east (around 80°) blows perpendicular to the runway and produces the largest crosswind component. Wind from around 170° or 350° acts along the runway, as a headwind or a tailwind. The decoder on this page computes those components automatically from the current METAR.
METAR and TAF for KRDR
Weather reports for Grand Forks Air Force Base are published under the ICAO code KRDR. A METAR is an observation of current conditions, usually issued every 30 or 60 minutes; a TAF is a forecast for the airport area, typically covering 9 to 30 hours.
The decoder breaks the KRDR report down into its parts: wind direction and speed including gusts and variability, visibility (including CAVOK and directional minimum visibility), weather phenomena by WMO code, cloud layers with their bases, temperature and dew point, QNH pressure, and the resulting flight category - VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR - using FAA thresholds.
Not every airport issues its own reports; many smaller airfields have no weather station. If no current data is available for KRDR, check the nearby airports listed below.
Reports always use UTC (the Z suffix). The America/Chicago zone is GMT-06:00 in winter and GMT-05:00 in summer - that is the shift to apply to the time in the report to get local time at the airport.
The closest airports in the database, measured in a straight line from the reference point, are Grand Forks International Airport (KGFK, 17 km), Hutson Field (Grafton) (KGAF, 49 km), Crookston Municipal Kirkwood Field (KCKN, 60 km). When no report is available for KRDR, they usually give the best approximation of conditions in the area.
METAR Academy
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Step-by-step guides - with examples, charts and calculators.
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Nearby airports
Looking for a report from a specific day?
The METAR archive for KRDR goes back to 03/03/1959. Pick a date and see every observation from that day.
Live weather from KRDR on your website
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