Kern Field (IA48) Area Aviation Weather & Runway Winds
As of 8:55 AM CDT, Oct 28, based on the nearest station (KIKV), IA48 is currently VFR with calm winds, visibility 8 statute miles, and no ceiling reported.
Aviation weather near Kern Field in Polk City, IA, decoded from the nearest reporting station (KIKV): conditions and runway crosswinds.
Kern Field (IA48) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around Polk City, IA at a field elevation of 900 ft. IA48 has no weather station of its own. Conditions here are decoded from KIKV, about 8 nm away, the nearest reporting station, and local conditions can differ. It has 2 physical runways (N, S), the longest 2,100 ft. The nearest TAF is issued for KDSM.
No weather station at this airport: showing the nearest station KIKV, 7.7 nm away.
Wind not reported, visibility 8 statute miles, no cloud data, temperature 14°C (57°F), altimeter 30.08 inHg. Conditions are Visual Flight Rules (VFR).
METAR KIKV 281355Z AUTO 8SM CLR 14/12 A3008 RMK AO2
What changed at KIKV (nearest station)?
Since the 1335Z (8:35 AM CDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.
No significant changes since the 1335Z (8:35 AM CDT) report, conditions are holding steady.
Current pilot readout for IA48
Based on the nearest station (KIKV), IA48 is currently VFR with calm winds, visibility 8 statute miles, and no ceiling reported. Density altitude is approximately 800 ft (field elevation 900 ft). IA48 does not publish a TAF. The nearest TAF station is KDSM, about 13 nm away.
New to aviation weather? How to read a METAR → · What VFR/MVFR/IFR mean → · Decode any METAR/TAF → · Density altitude calculator →
Runway wind check
Estimated head/tailwind and crosswind for each runway end from the current reported wind.
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.
| Runway | Length | Surface | Head / Tail | Crosswind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 2,100 ft | TURF | - | - |
| S | 2,100 ft | TURF | - | - |
Open the crosswind calculator to try your own wind and runway numbers →
24-hour trend
Wind, ceiling and flight category over the last 24 hours.
Over the last 24 h: wind 3→0 kt, ceiling unlimited → unlimited.
IA48 weather radar
Live NEXRAD + lightning, with a 4-hour future-radar forecast. Drag to pan, tap ⚡ to toggle lightning.
Radar: NOAA/NWS via IEM · Forecast: NOAA HRRR · Lightning: NOAA · Map © Stadia Maps © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap
NOAA NEXRAD composite and lightning, updated about every five minutes; amber frames are HRRR model guidance, not observed radar. Not for navigation.
Pilot reports (PIREPs) within 100 NM of IA48
Reported by pilots in flight over the past 6 hours, via aviationweather.gov.
Show raw report
MCW UA /OV MCW/TM 1337/FL430/TP C700/TB CONS LGT OCNL MOD CHOP
MCW UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV MCWLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1337Reported at 13:37 UTC.FL430Altitude: 43,000 ft MSL.TP C700Aircraft type reporting.TB CONS LGT OCNL MOD CHOPTurbulence: continuous light occasional moderate chop.Show raw report
DSM UA /OV DSM/TM 1243/FL130/TP E75S/TB LGT 090-120/RM DURC
DSM UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.OV DSMLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1243Reported at 12:43 UTC.FL130Altitude: 13,000 ft MSL.TP E75SAircraft type reporting.TB LGT 090-120Turbulence: light 9,000–12,000 ft.RM DURCRemarks.Show raw report
TNU UUA /OV TNU080025/TM 1132/FL120/TP C550/TB MOD-SEV/RM DURD
TNU UUAHeader: reporting station and UUA: an URGENT pilot report (severe conditions, wind shear, or similar).OV TNU080025Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1132Reported at 11:32 UTC.FL120Altitude: 12,000 ft MSL.TP C550Aircraft type reporting.TB MOD-SEVTurbulence: moderate to severe.RM DURDRemarks.Show raw report
DSM UUA /OV DSM050040/TM 1130/FL120/TP C550/TB MOD OCC SEV TURB 120-090 DURD
DSM UUAHeader: reporting station and UUA: an URGENT pilot report (severe conditions, wind shear, or similar).OV DSM050040Location: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.TM 1130Reported at 11:30 UTC.FL120Altitude: 12,000 ft MSL.TP C550Aircraft type reporting.TB MOD OCC SEV TURB 120-090 …Turbulence: moderate occ severe turb 12,000–9,000 ft durd.⚠️ PIREPs are unverified pilot reports. Not for operational use: conditions change between reports.
Recent aviation weather trends at IA48
From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.
Over the past 24 hours, the nearest station KIKV reported mostly VFR across 71 observations, with 0 flight-category changes. The strongest gust reached 14 kt, the lowest ceiling was 4,200 ft. Wind most often came from the S.
Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.
- N/S
- 100%
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Imagery: USGS The National Map (public domain). Something off? ✏️ Suggest an edit
Airport info
Reference data from the OurAirports dataset.
- Type
- General aviation airport
- FAA LID
- IA48
- City
- Polk City
- State
- Iowa
- Country
- United States
- Elevation
- 900 ft
- Coordinates
- 41.7417, -93.7252
- Runways
- 2 physical runways · 2 runway ends
- Longest runway
- 2,100 ft
- Weather reporting
- Nearest station KIKV
- TAF
- Nearest KDSM
- Time zone
- America/Chicago
- Sunset in
- 9h 2m
Run a flight school, FBO, or club here? Embed IA48's live status on your website, free →
Nearby airports
Compare nearby METAR/TAF stations within 25, 50 and 100 NM before departure or arrival.
Within 25 NM
8 airports+2 more within 25 NM
25–50 NM
8 airports+2 more within 50 NM
50–100 NM
8 airports+2 more within 100 NM
RC flying fields nearby
AMA model-aircraft club fields around this airport: live wind, crosswind & flyability on each page.
- R/C West Field , Dallas Center, IA · 11 mi
- Knapp Learning Center @ the Iowa State Fairgrounds , Des Moines, IA · 13 mi
- Des Moines Modelaires - E Paul Johnson RC Field , Bondurant, IA · 14 mi
Pilot PIREPs for Kern Field (IA48)
Community-submittedCommunity-submitted airport notes from pilots about runway conditions, wildlife, FBOs, fuel, turbulence, ramp access, and local tips.
Read recent community-submitted pilot notes for Kern Field, 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 IA48 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.
⚠️ Not for operational use. Always verify with official FAA-approved preflight weather sources before flight.
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