WxDecoder

6IA4 Weather Polk County Hospital Heliport

Des Moines, IowaElevation 877 ftHeliport
OFF-FIELD REFERENCE
Nearest report: KDSM · 5 NM S · 45 min old
Ceiling 30,000 ft, visibility 10 SM.
No on-field report, so no field flight category. Conditions at the field may differ.
OFF-FIELD REFERENCE · KDSM
WIND
040@6
steady
VISIBILITY
10 SM
16.1 km
CEILING
30,000 ft
lowest BKN/OVC
FORECAST & PILOT NOTES · SUPPLEMENTAL

Extended forecast and pilot notes

No aviation METAR is published for this airport. The nearest National Weather Service station reports wind from 50° at 6 kt, visibility 10 SM, temperature 15C. Treat this as supplemental, not an aviation observation. Forecast suggests tonight mostly cloudy, low near 52F, 1% chance of precipitation. Key risks: thunderstorms in the forecast.

PILOT WEATHER NOTES
Thunderstorms in the forecastWeather.gov
Thursday: Showers And Thunderstorms Likely. Watch for developing convection and plan alternates.
DayConditionsTemp FWindGustsPrecipPilot note
Tonight Mostly Cloudy 52 NNE 4 kt – 1%
Monday Partly Sunny 71/56 ENE 6 kt – 6%
Tuesday Mostly Cloudy then Slight Chance Rain Showers 72/57 S 7 kt – 22%
Wednesday Slight Chance Rain Showers 75/59 S 9 kt – 65%
Thursday Showers And Thunderstorms Likely 74/58 S 4 kt – 65% Thunderstorms in the forecast
Friday Chance Showers And Thunderstorms 74/58 SSE 8 kt – 55%
Saturday Rain Showers Likely 69/56 S 6 kt – 65%
Sunday Mostly Cloudy 68 W 5 kt – 14%

Source: National Weather Service (office DMX). Forecast issued 0434Z.

Radar

Radar data: NOAA/NWS MRMS composite reflectivity. For situational awareness only, not a substitute for an official weather briefing.

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RUNWAYS & WIND
Crosswind calculator
No runway layout is available for 6IA4. Enter a runway number or heading to estimate wind components.
RUNWAYS

Runway detail & declared distances

1 runway · longest 36 ft

H1
Dimensions
36 x 36 ft
Surface
Concrete
Edge lights
NSTD
RWY H1

Runway data from the FAA NASR dataset (effective 2026-06-11). Verify with the current Chart Supplement and NOTAMs.

FIELD CONDITIONS

Field elevation

Field elevation
877 ft MSL

Density and pressure altitude need a current temperature and altimeter from the METAR.

DAYLIGHT & NIGHT

Sun & logging windows

Sunset
2318Z 6:18 PM
Sunrise
1239Z 7:39 AM
Loggable night
2347Z (6:47 PM local) → 1210Z (7:10 AM local)
end of evening to start of morning civil twilight
Position lights required
2318Z (6:18 PM local) → 1239Z (7:39 AM local)
sunset to sunrise (91.209)
Night passenger currency
0018Z (7:18 PM local) → 1139Z (6:39 AM local)
1 hr after sunset to 1 hr before sunrise (61.57(b))

FAA definitions, shown in Zulu with airport-local time. Verify for your operation.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

Facility & services

Polk County Hospital Heliport is in Des Moines, Iowa. Field elevation 877 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT
OwnershipPublicly owned
UsePrivate use
TypeHeliport
ManagerTONY BURROWS
Manager phone(515) 282-5681
AttendedUNATNDD
CHARTS & AIRSPACE
ICAO / IATA6IA4
SectionalOMAHA
Center (ARTCC)MINNEAPOLIS
Flight service (AFSS)FORT DODGE
RegionIowa
CountryUnited States
Coordinates41.6167, -93.6406
Distance from city0 NM N
SERVICES & LIGHTING
Control towerNon-towered
Field lightingSunset to sunrise
AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

6IA4 traffic patterns

2026-07-12 to 2026-07-12, 1 days observed · data 2026-10-23

Insufficient confidence
TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)
AVG LANDINGS/DAY
1
AVG OPS/DAY
2
Operations trend (1 days)

Busiest day: Sun · Busiest month: Jul

FLEET MIX
Helicopter 100%

Mostly rotorcraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES
›EC45 (Helicopter) · ~1 landings/mo
Data limitations (4)
›ADS-B coverage is incomplete; counts are an observed lower bound, not official totals.
›Some aircraft do not transmit usable ADS-B and are not counted.
›Aircraft types and based estimates are inferred and may be wrong.
›This is not official ATC, FAA, or airport data.
NEARBY AIRPORTS

Weather reference stations

6IA4 has no on-field report. Nearest reporting station: KDSM (5 NM S, VFR).

KDSM Des Moines International Airport
5 NM S
VFR
KAMW Ames Municipal Airport
23 NM N
VFR
KPRO Perry Municipal Airport
27 NM NW
VFR
KBNW Boone Municipal Airport
28 NM N
VFR
KTNU Newton Municipal Airport
28 NM E
VFR
KMIW Marshalltown Municipal Airport
44 NM NE
VFR
AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›20 FT TREES 200 FT EAST & NW AND 45 FT BLDG 400 FT WEST OF HELIPAD.
›FOR CD CTC MINNEAPOLIS ARTCC AT 651-463-5588.
›FOUR RED LGTS.
›MEDICAL USE.
›PROVIDED CLEAR APCH/DEP PATHS TO LNDG AREA FOR A MINIMUM 8:1 GLIDE SLOPE AND A CLEAR TRANSITIONAL SURFACE FOR A MINIMUM 2:1 GLIDE SLOPE.
›FACILITIES AND RISK MANAGEMENT DIVISION DIRECTOR.
OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES
↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)
↗6IA4 on OurAirports
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Does 6IA4 have a METAR?
No on-field METAR is issued for 6IA4. This page uses the nearest reporting station as a reference.
Does 6IA4 have a TAF?
No TAF is issued directly for 6IA4. Use the nearest TAF-issuing field as a planning reference.
What is the field elevation at 6IA4?
6IA4 sits at 877 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.
Is this an official preflight weather briefing for 6IA4?
No. wxdecoder.com is for education and situational awareness only. It is not an official weather briefing or a substitute for official sources, NOTAM review, and pilot judgment.
This app is for aviation weather education, training, and situational awareness only. It is not a substitute for an official weather briefing, approved flight-planning software, flight service, dispatch procedures, current FAA regulations, or pilot judgment. Always verify weather with official sources before flight.