ATIS Alerts

Thrifty Acres Airport (4IL3) Area Aviation Weather & Runway Winds

Aviation weather near Thrifty Acres Airport in Stillman Valley, IL, decoded from the nearest reporting station (KRFD) — conditions, runway crosswinds, and free Telegram airport alerts.

Thrifty Acres Airport (4IL3) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around Stillman Valley, IL at 725 ft. 4IL3 has no weather station of its own — conditions here are decoded from KRFD, about 7 nm away, the nearest reporting station, and local conditions can differ. Its 2 runways (01, 19) — longest 750 ft — are checked against the current wind in the crosswind table below. The nearest TAF is issued for KRFD. Track it in the ATIS Alerts Telegram bot to get alerts read from KRFD, the station this page is based on.

VFR
Observed 0654Z (1:54 AM CDT)live · refreshes every 60s

No weather station at this airport — showing the nearest station KRFD, 6.6 nm away.

Wind
Calm
Visibility
10+ sm
Ceiling
Unlimited
Altimeter
29.97"
Temp / Dew
16°C / 61°F
dew 13°C

Wind calm, visibility 10+ statute miles, a few clouds at 25,000 ft, temperature 16°C (61°F), altimeter 29.97 inHg. Conditions are Visual Flight Rules (VFR).

Raw METAR
METAR KRFD 290654Z 00000KT 10SM FEW250 16/13 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP146 T01610128

What changed at KRFD (nearest station)?

Since the 0554Z (12:54 AM CDT) report — compared automatically against the latest METAR.

No significant changes since the 0554Z report — conditions are holding steady.

This is exactly what ATIS Alerts watches for you — get a Telegram message when 4IL3's weather changes, free →

Current pilot readout for 4IL3

Based on the nearest station (KRFD), 4IL3 is currently VFR with calm winds, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported. Density altitude is approximately 950 ft (field elevation 725 ft). 4IL3 does not publish a TAF — the nearest TAF station is KRFD, about 7 nm away.

⚠️ Not for operational use. Always verify with official FAA-approved preflight weather sources before flight.

New to aviation weather? How to read a METAR → · What VFR/MVFR/IFR mean → · Decode any METAR/TAF → · Density altitude calculator →

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Runway wind check

Estimated head/tailwind and crosswind for each runway end from the current reported wind.

Use this section to quickly compare current wind alignment across available runways at 4IL3. This is intended as a planning aid only and should not replace official performance calculations or pilot judgment.

Current wind is calm — calm wind is not a factor for runway selection, and with no wind there is no head/tail or crosswind component to compute. Live numbers return automatically once a report includes a wind direction.

RunwayHead / TailCrosswind
01——
19——

Open the crosswind calculator — try your own wind and runway numbers →

24-hour trend

Wind, ceiling and flight category over the last 24 hours.

Wind (kt)Gusts (kt)Bottom strip — flight category:VFRMVFRIFRLIFRNo report
0102007Z19Z06Z

Over the last 23 h: wind 11→0 kt, ceiling unlimited → unlimited.

4IL3 weather radar

Live NEXRAD + lightning, with a 4-hour future-radar forecast — drag to pan, tap ⚡ to toggle lightning.

Live weather radar around Thrifty Acres Airport in Stillman Valley, IL: the NOAA/NWS NEXRAD composite updates about every five minutes, with NOAA lightning strike density overlaid. The loop plays the past 50 minutes, then continues into a future-radar forecast (+1 to +4 hours, NOAA HRRR model) so you can see where precipitation around 4IL3 is headed.

Loading…
Loading radar…

Radar: NOAA/NWS via IEM · Forecast: NOAA HRRR · Lightning: NOAA · Map © OpenStreetMap © CARTO

Forecast frames (amber label) are HRRR model guidance, not observed radar. Lightning strike density appears as a blue-white glow when strikes are detected in view. Radar and lightning coverage are limited in parts of Alaska, Hawaii, and offshore areas. Not for navigation.

Pilot reports (PIREPs) within 100 NM of 4IL3

Reported by pilots in flight over the past 6 hours — via aviationweather.gov.

PIREP0340Z (10:40 PM CDT) · 76 NM NE of 4IL3 · during descent · A319
Show raw report
MKE UA /OV MKE190000/TM 0340/FL000/TP A319/WV 010004/RM NEG WINDSHEAR-MICROBURST ON FINAL
MKE UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV MKE190000Location — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0340Reported at 03:40 UTC.
FL000Altitude: 0 ft MSL.
TP A319Aircraft type reporting.
WV 010004Wind (direction/speed) or wind-shear remarks.
RM NEG WINDSHEAR-MICROBURST …Remarks.
PIREP0213Z (9:13 PM CDT) · 57 NM E of 4IL3 · 23,000 ft MSL · B763
Show raw report
PWK UA /OV OBK/TM 0213/FL230/TP B763/TB NEG
PWK UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV OBKLocation — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0213Reported at 02:13 UTC.
FL230Altitude: 23,000 ft MSL.
TP B763Aircraft type reporting.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
PIREP0208Z (9:08 PM CDT) · 64 NM NE of 4IL3 · during climb · CRJ2
Show raw report
ENW UA /OV ENW/TM 0208/FL160/TP CRJ2/TB NEG/RM DURC
ENW UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV ENWLocation — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0208Reported at 02:08 UTC.
FL160Altitude: 16,000 ft MSL.
TP CRJ2Aircraft type reporting.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
RM DURCRemarks.
PIREP0207Z (9:07 PM CDT) · 80 NM SW of 4IL3 · 43,000 ft MSL · G280
Show raw report
MLI UA /OV MZV/TM 0207/FL430/TP G280/TB NEG
MLI UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV MZVLocation — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0207Reported at 02:07 UTC.
FL430Altitude: 43,000 ft MSL.
TP G280Aircraft type reporting.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
PIREP0206Z (9:06 PM CDT) · 60 NM N of 4IL3 · 19,000 ft MSL · BCS1
Show raw report
MSN UA /OV MSN/TM 0206/FL190/TP BCS1/TB NEG
MSN UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV MSNLocation — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0206Reported at 02:06 UTC.
FL190Altitude: 19,000 ft MSL.
TP BCS1Aircraft type reporting.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
PIREP0206Z (9:06 PM CDT) · 61 NM S of 4IL3 · 33,000 ft MSL · B739
Show raw report
C75 UA /OV BDF/TM 0206/FL330/TP B739/TB NEG
C75 UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV BDFLocation — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0206Reported at 02:06 UTC.
FL330Altitude: 33,000 ft MSL.
TP B739Aircraft type reporting.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
PIREP0205Z (9:05 PM CDT) · 86 NM N of 4IL3 · 20,000 ft MSL · E75S
Show raw report
MSN UA /OV C47/TM 0205/FL200/TP E75S/TB NEG
MSN UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV C47Location — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0205Reported at 02:05 UTC.
FL200Altitude: 20,000 ft MSL.
TP E75SAircraft type reporting.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
PIREP0123Z (8:23 PM CDT) · 77 NM SE of 4IL3 · 21,000 ft MSL · B39M
Show raw report
JOT UA /OV JOT180030/TM 0123/FL210/TP B39M/TB NEG
JOT UAHeader — reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV JOT180030Location — fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 0123Reported at 01:23 UTC.
FL210Altitude: 21,000 ft MSL.
TP B39MAircraft type reporting.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.

⚠️ PIREPs are unverified pilot reports. Not for operational use — conditions change between reports.

Recent aviation weather trends at 4IL3

From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.

Over the past 24 hours, the nearest station KRFD reported mostly VFR across 24 observations, with 2 flight-category changes. The strongest gust reached 17 kt, the lowest ceiling was 1,300 ft. Wind most often came from the N.

Last 24 hours
VFR 88%MVFR 13%
Wind avg/max: 7/11 kt
Max gust: 17 kt
Lowest ceiling: 1,300 ft
Lowest vis: —
Prevailing wind: N
Category changes: 2

Most recent change: MVFR → VFR

Last 7 days
VFR 76%MVFR 12%IFR 4%LIFR 7%
Wind avg/max: 5/18 kt
Max gust: 25 kt
Lowest ceiling: 200 ft
Lowest vis: 0.13 sm
Prevailing wind: S
Category changes: 19

Most recent change: MVFR → VFR

Active Runway - past 30 days
19
67%
01
33%

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Airport facts

Reference data from the OurAirports dataset.

Type
General aviation airport
FAA LID
4IL3
City
Stillman Valley
State
Illinois
Country
United States
Elevation
725 ft
Coordinates
42.1430, -89.2285
Runways
2
Longest runway
750 ft
Weather reporting
Nearest station KRFD
TAF
Nearest KRFD
Time zone
America/Chicago
Next sunset
18h 21m

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Nearby airports

Compare nearby METAR/TAF stations within 25, 50 and 100 NM before departure or arrival.

VFRMVFRIFRLIFRNo report

RC flying fields nearby

AMA model-aircraft club fields around this airport — live wind, crosswind & flyability on each page.

All RC flying fields →

See all Illinois airports →

4IL3 weather — frequently asked

What runways are available at 4IL3?+

4IL3 has 2 runways — 01, 19; the longest is 750 ft. This page computes the live crosswind for each runway end from the current wind.

Where does the weather shown for 4IL3 come from?+

Thrifty Acres Airport does not have its own weather station. Conditions shown here come from the nearest reporting station, KRFD, about 7 nm away — close enough for situational awareness, but local conditions at 4IL3 can differ.

Does 4IL3 have a TAF?+

No — 4IL3 does not publish its own TAF. The nearest TAF station is KRFD, about 7 nm away.

Does 4IL3 broadcast D-ATIS?+

No — 4IL3 does not broadcast D-ATIS. Alerts for 4IL3 from the ATIS Alerts bot (@atisalerts_bot) are based on its METAR (via the nearest reporting station) instead.

Pilot PIREPs for Thrifty Acres Airport (4IL3)

Community-submitted

Community-submitted airport notes from pilots about runway conditions, wildlife, FBOs, fuel, turbulence, ramp access, and local tips.

Read recent community-submitted pilot notes for Thrifty Acres Airport, including runway conditions, wildlife activity, FBO/fuel notes, turbulence, ramp access, and local airport tips.

⚠️ Pilot PIREPs on ATIS Alerts are community-submitted airport notes for situational awareness only. They are not official FAA PIREPs, NOTAMs, weather briefings, airport advisories, or flight-planning guidance. Always verify with official FAA/NWS sources, airport management, ATC, and current publications.

No Pilot PIREPs have been submitted for 4IL3 yet. Recently flew here? Help the next pilot by leaving a quick airport note.

Pilot PIREPs are community pilot notes for situational awareness only — not official FAA PIREPs or advisories. Verify with official sources. Notes are moderated before they appear; helpful marks and reports help us keep them useful.

From the ATIS Alerts team

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