WxDecoder

KFSW/FMS METAR Fort Madison Municipal Airport

Fort Madison, IowaElevation 724 ftSmall airport
CURRENT STATUS
VFR23 min old
No ceiling, visibility 10 SM.
FLIGHT CATEGORY
VFR
ceiling & visibility
WIND
130@5
steady
VISIBILITY
10 SM
16.1 km
CEILING
None
no BKN/OVC layer
DENSITY ALT
1,098 ft
+374 ft vs field
CURRENT METAR

Decoded observation

Observed 0015Z (7:15 PM local) · 23 min old

KFSW is currently VFR. Winds are from the southeast at 5 knots. Visibility is 10 statute miles. There is no ceiling.

WIND
130° at 5 kt
Steady.
VISIBILITY
10 statute miles
16.1 km, good.
CEILING & SKY
CLR
FEW and SCT layers are not ceilings.
TEMP / DEWPOINT
20°C / 10°C
68°F / 50°F. 10°C spread.
ALTIMETER
30.31 inHg
1026.4 hPa, above standard.
WEATHER & HAZARDS
No significant hazards
No precipitation or obscuration reported.

Codes in this report: AUTO CLR RMK AO2

Hover or tap any group for a plain-English explanation.

REMARKS: DECODED
AO2
automated station with a precipitation discriminator (can tell rain from snow)
SUGGESTED RISK · TRAINING USE

Suggested risk level: Low

›No TAF available for this airport.

A suggested risk level for training and situational awareness only, not a go/no-go authority. Verify with official sources and apply your personal minimums.

FORECAST & PILOT NOTES · SUPPLEMENTAL

Extended forecast and pilot notes

Current aviation conditions show flight category VFR, wind from 130° at 5 kt, visibility 10 SM, ceiling none. Forecast suggests tonight mostly cloudy, low near 55F, 1% 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 55 0 kt – 1%
Monday Partly Sunny 75/54 E 4 kt – 3%
Tuesday Mostly Cloudy 73/57 S 9 kt – 11%
Wednesday Mostly Sunny 76/59 S 9 kt – 23%
Thursday Chance Showers And Thunderstorms 78/59 SW 4 kt – 39% Thunderstorms in the forecast
Friday Chance Rain Showers 77/59 S 9 kt – 39%
Saturday Rain Showers Likely 72/58 S 4 kt – 64%
Sunday Slight Chance Rain Showers 71 W 4 kt – 22%

Source: National Weather Service (office DVN). Forecast issued 0037Z.

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
1 runway · crosswind ranking
ON-FIELD METAR
NESW1735 130°130°5 kt130°130° 5130°
READING THE BARB · SWIPE FOR MORE →
Calm
5 kt
10 kt
15 kt
20 kt
25 kt
30 kt
35 kt
40 kt
45 kt
50 kt
65 kt
75 kt
100 kt
105 kt
Half feather = 5 kt, full = 10 kt, filled pennant = 50 kt; add them up. The staff points the direction the wind blows from.
WIND USED
130° at 5 kt
Components computed from the current on-field METAR wind.
RECOMMENDED
RWY 174 kt headwind · 3 kt crosswind
RUNWAYS BY WIND · best end
17
HEAD
4 kt
CROSS
3 kt L
BEST
35
HEAD
4 kt tail
CROSS
3 kt R
OK
Components are estimates from the current METAR wind and runway heading. Verify with the Chart Supplement and NOTAMs.
RUNWAYS

Runway detail & declared distances

1 runway · longest 4,000 ft

17/35
Dimensions
4,000 x 75 ft
Surface
Concrete (good)
Edge lights
MED
RWY 17167°T
Traffic patternRight
RWY 35347°T
REILYes
VGSIPAPI (P2L)
Traffic patternLeft

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

FIELD CONDITIONS

Performance & density altitude

Density altitude
1,098 ft
Pressure altitude
334 ft
Field elevation
724 ft MSL
Temperature
20°C (68°F)
Dewpoint
10°C (50°F)
Altimeter
30.31 inHg

Density altitude estimates how the aircraft performs versus standard atmosphere. Higher density altitude reduces climb performance and increases takeoff distance.

DAYLIGHT & NIGHT

Sun & logging windows

Sunset
2310Z 6:10 PM
Sunrise
1228Z 7:28 AM
Loggable night
2338Z (6:38 PM local) → 1200Z (7:00 AM local)
end of evening to start of morning civil twilight
Position lights required
2310Z (6:10 PM local) → 1228Z (7:28 AM local)
sunset to sunrise (91.209)
Night passenger currency
0010Z (7:10 PM local) → 1128Z (6:28 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

Fort Madison Municipal Airport is in Fort Madison, Iowa. Field elevation 724 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT
OwnershipPublicly owned
UseOpen to the public
TypeSmall airport
ManagerTIM BINGHAM
Manager phone319-372-1138
AttendedALL MON-SUN, ON CALL
CHARTS & AIRSPACE
ICAO / IATAKFSW / FMS
SectionalCHICAGO
Center (ARTCC)CHICAGO
Flight service (AFSS)FORT DODGE
RegionIowa
CountryUnited States
Coordinates40.6591, -91.3278
Distance from city2 NM N
SERVICES & LIGHTING
Fuel100LL
Control towerNon-towered
Field lightingSee remarks
BeaconSunset to sunrise · White-green (lighted land airport)
CTAF122.800
UNICOM122.800
FREQUENCIES

Communications

120.925
AWOS 3
AWOS
135.6
CHICAGO CNTR
CNTR
122.8
CTAF/UNICOM
UNIC
122.800
CTAF
CTAF
122.800
UNICOM
UNICOM

Not all tower/ground/approach frequencies are in our datasets. Verify with the FAA Chart Supplement.

AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

KFSW traffic patterns

2026-07-26 to 2026-07-26, 1 days observed · data 2026-10-23

Insufficient confidence
TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)
AVG LANDINGS/DAY
0
AVG OPS/DAY
1
Operations trend (1 days)

Busiest day: Sun · Busiest month: Jul

FLEET MIX

Mostly turboprop aircraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES
›BE20 (Turboprop) · ~0 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

Current flight category at nearby reporting stations.

KBRL Southeast Iowa Regional Airport
12 NM NE
VFR
KEOK Keokuk Municipal Airport
13 NM S
VFR
KMPZ Mount Pleasant Municipal Airport
19 NM NW
VFR
KMQB Macomb Municipal Airport
32 NM E
VFR
KFFL Fairfield Municipal Airport
38 NM NW
VFR
KMUT Muscatine Municipal Airport
43 NM N
VFR
AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›RWY 35 PAPI UNUSBL BYD 6 DEGS LEFT OF CNTRLN AND BYD 8 DEGS RIGHT OF CNTRLN.
›+33 FT TREES 1000 FT L/R.
›SELF SERVE WITH CREDIT CARD.
›ACTVT MIRL RY 17/35 & REIL RY 35 & PAPI RY 35 - CTAF.
›JOSH DENNING CHMN ARPT CMSN; CALL 319-470-0066. LAURA LEIGOS, CITY MANAGER - 319-372-7700 EXT 203
›TWY LGTS AT ENTRANCE ONLY.
›FOR CD CTC CHICAGO ARTCC AT 630-906-8921.
›FOR ARPT ATTENDANCE CALL 319-316-2234 (CELL).
OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES
↗Official METAR on AviationWeather.gov
↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)
↗KFSW on OurAirports
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Does KFSW have a METAR?
Yes. KFSW has a current METAR observation, decoded into plain English on this page.
Does KFSW have a TAF?
When KFSW issues a TAF, its decoded forecast timeline loads live on this page; otherwise use the nearest TAF-issuing field as a planning reference.
What is the field elevation at KFSW?
KFSW sits at 724 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.
Is this an official preflight weather briefing for KFSW?
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.