WxDecoder

IS78 Weather Early-Merkel Field

Pecatonica, IllinoisElevation 794 ftSmall airport
OFF-FIELD REFERENCE
Nearest report: KRFD · 12 NM SE · 19 min old
Ceiling 25,000 ft, visibility 10 SM.
No on-field report, so no field flight category. Conditions at the field may differ.
OFF-FIELD REFERENCE · KRFD
WIND
130@3
steady
VISIBILITY
10 SM
16.1 km
CEILING
25,000 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 140° at 4 kt, visibility 10 SM, temperature 14C. Treat this as supplemental, not an aviation observation. Forecast suggests tonight mostly cloudy then patchy fog, low near 51F, 2% chance of precipitation. Key risks: thunderstorms in the forecast.

PILOT WEATHER NOTES
Thunderstorms in the forecastWeather.gov
Thursday: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms. Watch for developing convection and plan alternates.
DayConditionsTemp FWindGustsPrecipPilot note
Tonight Mostly Cloudy then Patchy Fog 51 N 9 kt – 2%
Monday Patchy Fog then Mostly Cloudy 64/47 ENE 9 kt 17 kt 3%
Tuesday Mostly Cloudy 68/54 SE 9 kt – 10%
Wednesday Mostly Sunny 71/56 S 13 kt – 30%
Thursday Chance Showers And Thunderstorms 73/52 SW 9 kt – 31% Thunderstorms in the forecast
Friday Chance Rain Showers 72/55 SE 9 kt – 40%
Saturday Chance Rain Showers 70/54 SSE 9 kt – 57%
Sunday Chance Rain Showers 68 SW 9 kt – 32%

Source: National Weather Service (office LOT). Forecast issued 0113Z.

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 IS78. Enter a runway number or heading to estimate wind components.
RUNWAYS

Runway detail & declared distances

1 runway · longest 2,400 ft

15/33
Dimensions
2,400 x 70 ft
Surface
Turf
RWY 15
RWY 33

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
794 ft MSL

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

DAYLIGHT & NIGHT

Sun & logging windows

Sunset
2300Z 6:00 PM
Sunrise
1222Z 7:22 AM
Loggable night
2328Z (6:28 PM local) → 1153Z (6:53 AM local)
end of evening to start of morning civil twilight
Position lights required
2300Z (6:00 PM local) → 1222Z (7:22 AM local)
sunset to sunrise (91.209)
Night passenger currency
0000Z (7:00 PM local) → 1122Z (6:22 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

Early-Merkel Field is in Pecatonica, Illinois. Field elevation 794 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT
OwnershipPrivately owned
UsePrivate use
TypeSmall airport
ManagerDANIEL REZICH
Manager phone815-378-9128
AttendedUNATNDD
CHARTS & AIRSPACE
ICAO / IATAIS78
SectionalCHICAGO
Center (ARTCC)CHICAGO
Flight service (AFSS)KANKAKEE
RegionIllinois
CountryUnited States
Coordinates42.3661, -89.2351
Distance from city7 NM NE
SERVICES & LIGHTING
Control towerNon-towered
AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

IS78 traffic patterns

2026-09-10 to 2026-09-27, 2 days observed · data 2026-10-23

Low confidence
TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)
AVG LANDINGS/DAY
1
AVG OPS/DAY
1
Activity trend over 2 days: flat, from 1 to 1 operations per dayOperations trend (2 days)

Busiest day: Thu · Busiest month: Sep

FLEET MIX
Piston single 50%Unknown 50%

Mostly small piston aircraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES
›NAVI (Piston single) · ~1 landings/mo
›UNKN (Unknown) · ~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

IS78 has no on-field report. Nearest reporting station: KRFD (12 NM SE, VFR).

KRFD Chicago Rockford International Airport
12 NM SE
VFR
KFEP Albertus Airport
17 NM SW
VFR
KJVL Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport
18 NM NE
VFR
KSQI Whiteside County Airport - Joseph H Bittorf Field
42 NM SW
VFR
KMSN Dane County Regional Truax Field
47 NM N
VFR
KARR Aurora Municipal Airport
49 NM SE
VFR
AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›FOR CD CTC CHICAGO ARTCC AT 630-906-8921.
OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES
↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)
↗IS78 on OurAirports
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Does IS78 have a METAR?
No on-field METAR is issued for IS78. This page uses the nearest reporting station as a reference.
Does IS78 have a TAF?
No TAF is issued directly for IS78. Use the nearest TAF-issuing field as a planning reference.
What is the field elevation at IS78?
IS78 sits at 794 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.
Is this an official preflight weather briefing for IS78?
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.