WxDecoder

IA48 Weather Kern Field

Polk City, IowaElevation 900 ftSmall airport
OFF-FIELD REFERENCE
Nearest report: KDSM · 13 NM S · 41 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 170° at 5 kt, visibility 10 SM, temperature 15C. This observation is older than usual, so treat it with extra caution. Treat this as supplemental, not an aviation observation. Forecast suggests tonight mostly cloudy, low near 51F, 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 51 NE 5 kt – 1%
Monday Mostly Cloudy 70/55 ENE 7 kt – 8%
Tuesday Mostly Cloudy then Slight Chance Rain Showers 72/56 S 8 kt – 21%
Wednesday Slight Chance Rain Showers 76/58 S 10 kt – 65%
Thursday Showers And Thunderstorms Likely 74/57 SSE 5 kt – 65% Thunderstorms in the forecast
Friday Chance Showers And Thunderstorms 75/57 SSE 8 kt – 55%
Saturday Rain Showers Likely 69/54 SSE 7 kt – 64%
Sunday Mostly Cloudy 68 WNW 5 kt – 14%

Source: National Weather Service (office DMX). Forecast issued 0435Z.

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 IA48. Enter a runway number or heading to estimate wind components.
RUNWAYS

Runway detail

N/S
Dimensions
2,100 x 100 ft
Surface
TURF
FIELD CONDITIONS

Field elevation

Field elevation
900 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) → 1211Z (7:11 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

Kern Field is in Polk City, Iowa. Field elevation 900 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT
TypeSmall airport
CHARTS & AIRSPACE
ICAO / IATAIA48
RegionIowa
CountryUnited States
Coordinates41.7417, -93.7252
SERVICES & LIGHTING
Control towerNon-towered
AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

IA48 traffic patterns

2026-06-18 to 2026-10-22, 8 days observed · data 2026-10-23

Low confidence
TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)
AVG LANDINGS/DAY
1.7
AVG OPS/DAY
3.3
Activity trend over 3 days: falling, from 4 to 1 operations per dayOperations trend (3 days)

Busiest day: Thu · Busiest month: Jun

FLEET MIX
Helicopter 100%

Mostly rotorcraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES
›H60 (Helicopter) · ~3 landings/mo
›UNKN (Helicopter) · ~2 landings/mo
›CH7B (Piston single) · ~0 landings/mo
LIKELY BASED AIRCRAFT
Low-confidence estimate

Aircraft likely based near this airport (estimate), mostly rotorcraft.

›H60 (Helicopter)
›UNKN (Helicopter)

This is an estimate based on repeated flight patterns, not registration data. Do not rely on it to identify specific aircraft or owners.

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

IA48 has no on-field report. Nearest reporting station: KDSM (13 NM S, VFR).

KDSM Des Moines International Airport
13 NM S
VFR
KAMW Ames Municipal Airport
16 NM N
VFR
KBNW Boone Municipal Airport
19 NM N
VFR
KPRO Perry Municipal Airport
20 NM W
VFR
KTNU Newton Municipal Airport
32 NM E
VFR
KEBS Webster City Municipal Airport
42 NM N
VFR
OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES
↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)
↗IA48 on OurAirports
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Does IA48 have a METAR?
No on-field METAR is issued for IA48. This page uses the nearest reporting station as a reference.
Does IA48 have a TAF?
No TAF is issued directly for IA48. Use the nearest TAF-issuing field as a planning reference.
What is the field elevation at IA48?
IA48 sits at 900 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.
Is this an official preflight weather briefing for IA48?
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.