Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA · DCA) METAR & TAF
Live METAR, TAF & runway wind for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Get the current KDCA (DCA) weather for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, United States. The decoder below pulls the live METAR and TAF, breaks them into plain language, and uses the published runway headings to show which runway end is best lined up with the reported wind. It is the same operational weather language tested across the EASA ATPL Meteorology and Flight Planning syllabus.
Other major airports in North America with live SkyStudy weather pages include Pittsburgh (PIT), Indianapolis (IND) and Columbus (CMH).
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Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport airport facts
- ICAO code
- KDCA
- IATA code
- DCA
- Location
- Washington, United States
- Elevation
- 15 ft
- Runways
- 3
- Coordinates
- 38.852, -77.038
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport runways
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has 3 published runways (01/19, 04/22, 15/33). The longest runway, 01/19, is about 7,169 ft (2,185 m) long. SkyStudy uses these runway headings with the live METAR wind to show the best-aligned runway end.
| Runway | Length | Surface | Headings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/19 | 7,169 ft | ASP | 01 (356°) / 19 (176°) |
| 04/22 | 5,000 ft | ASP | 04 (26°) / 22 (206°) |
| 15/33 | 5,204 ft | ASP | 15 (143°) / 33 (323°) |
Want to work a runway scenario by hand? Open the wind component calculator to get headwind, crosswind, and the gust case for any heading.
How to read the KDCA METAR
A METAR always follows the same order, so once you know the pattern you can read any station, including KDCA, at a glance:
- Station & time, the ICAO code (KDCA) and the observation time in UTC (Zulu).
- Wind, direction in degrees true and speed in knots, with gusts after a G. This is what SkyStudy matches against the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport runways above.
- Visibility & weather: prevailing visibility, then any precipitation or obscuration codes.
- Cloud, cover and base in hundreds of feet AGL (FEW, SCT, BKN, OVC).
- Temperature / dewpoint and the altimeter setting close out the report.
This is the same operational weather language tested across EASA ATPL Meteorology and Flight Planning. Prefer a guided walkthrough? Use the full METAR & TAF decoder.
KDCA weather, frequently asked questions
What is the ICAO code for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport?
The ICAO code for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, United States is KDCA, and its IATA code is DCA. Pilots use the ICAO code KDCA to request the METAR and TAF for this airport.
How do I read the KDCA METAR?
Read the KDCA METAR in order: station and time, then wind (direction in degrees true and speed in knots), visibility, weather and cloud, temperature and dewpoint, and finally the altimeter setting. The decoder above turns the raw KDCA METAR into this plain-language order automatically.
Where does the KDCA weather data come from?
The live METAR and TAF are pulled from the public NOAA Aviation Weather Center feed, the same authoritative source used in flight planning, and refreshed every few minutes. SkyStudy then layers its runway and wind logic on top.
How many runways does Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport have?
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has 3 published runways (01/19, 04/22, 15/33). SkyStudy combines these runway headings with the live KDCA wind to show which runway end is best aligned right now.
Is the KDCA METAR and TAF decoder free?
Yes. SkyStudy publishes this KDCA weather page as a free tool. If you are studying for EASA ATPL exams, the same METAR and TAF language appears in Meteorology, Flight Planning, and Operational Procedures, and SkyStudy turns it into practice questions and mock exams.
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