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Early-Merkel Field (IS78) Area Aviation Weather & Runway Winds

As of 8:54 AM CDT, Oct 28, based on the nearest station (KRFD), IS78 is currently VFR with winds from 150° at 4 knots, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported.

Aviation weather near Early-Merkel Field in Pecatonica, IL, decoded from the nearest reporting station (KRFD): conditions and runway crosswinds.

Early-Merkel Field (IS78) is a general aviation airport serving pilots in and around Pecatonica, IL at a field elevation of 794 ft. IS78 has no weather station of its own. Conditions here are decoded from KRFD, about 12 nm away, the nearest reporting station, and local conditions can differ. It has one runway (15/33), the longest 2,400 ft. The nearest TAF is issued for KRFD.

Ask ATIS AIAsk anything about IS78's weather, runways or delays, or search another airport.
VFR
Observed 1354Z (8:54 AM CDT)live · refreshes every 60s

No weather station at this airport: showing the nearest station KRFD, 11.9 nm away.

Wind
150° 4 kt
Visibility
10+ sm
Ceiling
Unlimited
Altimeter
30.22"
Temp / Dew
55°F / 13°C
dew 49°F / 9°C

Wind from the south-southeast (150°) at 4 kt, visibility 10+ statute miles, no cloud data, temperature 13°C (55°F), altimeter 30.22 inHg. Conditions are Visual Flight Rules (VFR).

Raw METAR
METAR KRFD 281354Z 15004KT 10SM CLR 13/09 A3022 RMK AO2 SLP234 T01280094 $

What changed at KRFD (nearest station)?

Since the 1154Z (6:54 AM CDT) report, compared automatically against the latest METAR.

No significant changes since the 1154Z (6:54 AM CDT) report, conditions are holding steady.

Current pilot readout for IS78

Based on the nearest station (KRFD), IS78 is currently VFR with winds from 150° at 4 knots, visibility 10+ statute miles, and no ceiling reported. the wind favors southeast-facing runway ends (15). Density altitude is approximately 350 ft (field elevation 794 ft). Review the latest TAF below for forecast changes before departure.

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.

RunwayHead / TailCrosswind
15FAV4 kt head0 kt
334 kt tail0 kt

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

IS78 runways

1 physical runway · 2 runway ends. Each card opens the runway's intelligence page: equipment and lighting, LAHSO, frequencies, today's configuration, predicted use, history and approaches.

  • Runway 15/33
    2,400 × 70 ft · TURF
    Status not monitored
    Current use
    no stated-runway source at IS78
    Wind
    15
    4 kt headwind · 0 kt crosswind
    33
    4 kt tailwind · 0 kt crosswind
    no active equipment NOTAM receivedView Runway Intelligence →

“Current use” is what the facilitystates; wind components are arithmetic on the current METAR against TRUE headings; status reflects NOTAMs received through SWIM, the tower's TFDM record and the D-ATIS — a runway reads “Open” only with a complete NOTAM picture.

24-hour trend

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

Wind (kt)Gusts (kt)Bottom strip, flight category:VFRMVFRIFRLIFRNo report
061213Z01Z12Z

Over the last 23 h: wind 4→4 kt, ceiling 19,000 ft → unlimited.

IS78 weather radar

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

Loading…
Loading radar…

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 IS78

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

PIREP1414Z (9:14 AM CDT) · 61 NM S of IS78 · 13,000 ft MSL · CRJ7
Show raw report
VYS UA /OV VYS/TM 1414/FL130/TP CRJ7/TB NEG
VYS UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV VYSLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1414Reported at 14:14 UTC.
FL130Altitude: 13,000 ft MSL.
TP CRJ7Aircraft type reporting.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
PIREP1414Z (9:14 AM CDT) · 64 NM E of IS78 · 26,000 ft MSL · TBM9
Show raw report
ORD UA /OV ORD/TM 1414/FL260/TP TBM9/TB NEG
ORD UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV ORDLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1414Reported at 14:14 UTC.
FL260Altitude: 26,000 ft MSL.
TP TBM9Aircraft type reporting.
TB NEGTurbulence: none reported.
PIREP1345Z (8:45 AM CDT) · 49 NM SE of IS78 · 1,800 ft MSL · C172
Show raw report
ARR UA /OV KARR/TM 1345/FL018/TP C172/WX FV07SM/RM VIS AT LEAST 7
ARR UAHeader: reporting station and UA: a routine pilot report.
OV KARRLocation: fix or navaid, optionally with a radial and distance in NM.
TM 1345Reported at 13:45 UTC.
FL018Altitude: 1,800 ft MSL.
TP C172Aircraft type reporting.
WX FV07SMWeather and flight visibility observed.
RM VIS AT LEAST 7Remarks.

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

Recent aviation weather trends at IS78

From ATIS Alerts' hourly weather history.

Over the past 24 hours, the nearest station KRFD reported mostly VFR across 24 observations, with 0 flight-category changes. The lowest ceiling was 14,000 ft. Wind most often came from the SE.

Last 24 hours
VFR 100%
Wind avg/max: 5/9 kt
Max gust: -
Lowest ceiling: 14,000 ft
Lowest vis: -
Prevailing wind: SE
Category changes: 0
Last 7 days
VFR 96%MVFR 4%IFR 1%
Wind avg/max: 3/9 kt
Max gust: 15 kt
Lowest ceiling: 700 ft
Lowest vis: 3 sm
Prevailing wind: SE
Category changes: 6

Most recent change: IFR → VFR

Wind-favored runway - past 30 days

Share of hours each runway had the most headwind. From wind reports, not ATC assignments.

15
63%
33
37%

TAF | Terminal Aerodrome Forecast

Issued 1120Z (6:20 AM CDT)

TAF KRFD 281120Z 2812/2912 15005KT P6SM SCT100 FM281600 19011G17KT P6SM SCT060

New to TAFs? How to read one →

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No live weather from IS78

Live crosswind meter

IS78 has no weather feed online, so the wind comes from KRFD, 12 nm away.

N15334 kt
Headwind
4 kt
Crosswind
0 kt

Wind is 1° off runway 15, the end with the most headwind right now.

Have a weather station at IS78? Help us make your field's weather available to every pilot, free. Add your field's wx station →

Turf · 2,400 ft. Headings from FAA runway data. Not for navigation.

Field aerial

North up

Aerial photo of Early-Merkel Field (IS78)
N ↑

Imagery: USGS The National Map (public domain). Something off? ✏️ Suggest an edit

Airport info

From the FAA airport record (cycle 2026-10-01) and OurAirports.

Services

Attended
Unattended
Control tower
None
Wind indicator
Unlighted

Airport

Type
General aviation airport
FAA LID
IS78
City
Pecatonica
State
Illinois
Country
United States
Elevation
794 ft
Coordinates
42.3661, -89.2351
Runways
1 physical runway · 2 runway ends
Longest runway
2,400 ft
Weather reporting
Nearest station KRFD
TAF
Nearest KRFD
Time zone
America/Chicago
Sunset in
8h 32m

Run a flight school, FBO, or club here? Embed IS78's live status on your website, free →

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 →

Pilot PIREPs for Early-Merkel Field (IS78)

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 Early-Merkel 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 IS78 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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