WxDecoder

KRFD/RFD METAR & TAF Chicago Rockford International Airport

Chicago/Rockford, IllinoisElevation 742 ftMedium airport
CURRENT STATUS
VFR50 min old
Ceiling 25,000 ft, visibility 10 SM.
FLIGHT CATEGORY
VFR
ceiling & visibility
WIND
130@3
steady
VISIBILITY
10 SM
16.1 km
CEILING
25,000 ft
lowest BKN/OVC
DENSITY ALT
378 ft
-364 ft vs field
CURRENT METAR

Decoded observation

Observed 0054Z (7:54 PM local) · 50 min old

KRFD is currently VFR. Winds are from the southeast at 3 knots. Visibility is 10 statute miles. The ceiling is 25,000 feet AGL.

WIND
130° at 3 kt
Steady.
VISIBILITY
10 statute miles
16.1 km, good.
CEILING & SKY
Ceiling 25,000 ft
Lowest broken or overcast layer.
TEMP / DEWPOINT
14°C / 9°C
57°F / 48°F. 5°C spread.
ALTIMETER
30.34 inHg
1027.4 hPa, above standard.
WEATHER & HAZARDS
No significant hazards
No precipitation or obscuration reported.

Codes in this report: BKN 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)
SLP274
sea-level pressure 1027.4 hPa
T01440094
precise temperature 14.4°C, dew point 9.4°C
PNO
precipitation sensor not operating
$
station needs maintenance
TERMINAL AERODROME FORECAST

TAF timeline

Issued 2344Z (6:44 PM local) · valid to 0000Z (7:00 PM local)

KRFD forecast starts VFR at 00Z. Worst period is 12Z to 14Z with IFR possible (LOW CIG). Best period is 00Z to 08Z (VFR). Conditions are roughly steady over the period.

BKN25025,000 ft
BKN20020,000 ft
BKN0151,500 ft
BKN0151,500 ft
BKN0151,500 ft
BKN20020,000 ft
0000Z7:00 PM0448Z11:48 PM0936Z4:36 AM1424Z9:24 AM1912Z2:12 PM0000Z7:00 PM

Codes in this report: P6SM BKN SCT TEMPO BR

Tap any group to decode it.

FAA: no delays reported at RFD.

Source: FAA System Operations (ASWS). Operational status only; verify with official FAA sources and NOTAMs.

SUGGESTED RISK · TRAINING USE

Suggested risk level: Low

›Temporarily forecast: ceiling 700 ft AGL.

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 3 kt, visibility 10 SM, ceiling 25,000 ft. 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 SE 4 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 72/56 S 9 kt – 24%
Thursday Chance Showers And Thunderstorms 74/53 SW 9 kt – 32% Thunderstorms in the forecast
Friday Chance Rain Showers 74/55 SSE 9 kt – 41%
Saturday Chance Rain Showers 70/54 SSE 9 kt – 55%
Sunday Chance Rain Showers 69 SW 9 kt – 31%

Source: National Weather Service (office LOT). Forecast issued 0143Z.

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
2 runways · crosswind ranking
ON-FIELD METAR
NESW01190725 130°130°3 kt130°130° 3130°
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 3 kt
Components computed from the current on-field METAR wind.
RECOMMENDED
RWY 192 kt headwind · 2 kt crosswind
RUNWAYS BY WIND · best end
19
HEAD
2 kt
CROSS
2 kt L
BEST
07
HEAD
1 kt
CROSS
3 kt R
OK
25
HEAD
1 kt tail
CROSS
3 kt L
OK
01
HEAD
2 kt tail
CROSS
2 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

2 runways · longest 10,002 ft

01/19
Dimensions
8,200 x 150 ft
Surface
Asphalt
Edge lights
HIGH
RWY 015°T
Landing length (LDA)8,199 ft
TORA / TODA / ASDA8,199 / 8,199 / 8,199 ft
ILSILS/DME
Approach lightsMALSR
Traffic patternLeft
RWY 19185°T
Landing length (LDA)8,099 ft
TORA / TODA / ASDA8,199 / 8,199 / 8,099 ft
REILYes
VGSIPAPI (P4L)
Traffic patternLeft
07/25
Dimensions
10,002 x 150 ft
Surface
Asphalt
Edge lights
HIGH
RWY 0765°T
Landing length (LDA)10,002 ft
TORA / TODA / ASDA10,002 / 10,002 / 10,002 ft
ILSILS/DME
Approach lightsALSF2
VGSIPAPI (P4R)
Traffic patternLeft
RWY 25245°T
Landing length (LDA)10,002 ft
TORA / TODA / ASDA10,002 / 10,002 / 10,002 ft
REILYes
VGSIPAPI (P4L)
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
378 ft
Pressure altitude
322 ft
Field elevation
742 ft MSL
Temperature
14°C (57°F)
Dewpoint
9°C (48°F)
Altimeter
30.34 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
2259Z 5:59 PM
Sunrise
1221Z 7:21 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
2259Z (5:59 PM local) → 1221Z (7:21 AM local)
sunset to sunrise (91.209)
Night passenger currency
2359Z (6:59 PM local) → 1121Z (6:21 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

Chicago Rockford International Airport is in Chicago/Rockford, Illinois. Field elevation 742 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT
OwnershipPublicly owned
UseOpen to the public
TypeMedium airport
Airline serviceYes
ManagerZACHARY OAKLEY
Manager phone815-965-4011
AttendedContinuous (24 hours)
CHARTS & AIRSPACE
ICAO / IATAKRFD / RFD
SectionalCHICAGO
Center (ARTCC)CHICAGO
Flight service (AFSS)KANKAKEE
RegionIllinois
CountryUnited States
Coordinates42.1954, -89.0972
Distance from city68 NM NW
SERVICES & LIGHTING
Fuel100LL · Jet A · Jet A-1+
Control towerTowered
BeaconSunset to sunrise · White-green (lighted land airport)
UNICOM122.950
FREQUENCIES

Communications

121
ROCKFORD APP/DEP
A/D
126.7
ATIS
ATIS
119.25
CLNC DEL
CLD
121.9
GND
GND
122.65
KANKAKEE RDO
RDO
118.3
ROCKFORD TWR
TWR
122.95
UNICOM
UNIC
122.950
UNICOM
UNICOM

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

AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

KRFD traffic patterns

2026-06-13 to 2026-10-23, 51 days observed · data 2026-10-23

Medium confidence
TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)
AVG LANDINGS/DAY
14.5
AVG OPS/DAY
19.3
Activity trend over 14 days: rising, from 2 to 35 operations per dayOperations trend (14 days)

Busiest day: Thu · Busiest month: Oct

FLEET MIX
Airliner 52%Piston single 30%Jet 8%Twin 4%Helicopter 2%Turboprop 2%Unknown 1%

Mostly airliner-class aircraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES
›B763 (Airliner) · ~28 landings/mo
›B752 (Airliner) · ~19 landings/mo
›A306 (Airliner) · ~19 landings/mo
›C172 (Piston single) · ~9 landings/mo
›C72R (Piston single) · ~6 landings/mo
LIKELY BASED AIRCRAFT
Low-confidence estimate

Aircraft likely based near this airport (estimate), mostly single-engine piston aircraft.

›C172 (Piston single)
›SR20 (Piston single)
›C72R (Piston single)
›PA32 (Piston single)
›L39 (Jet)

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

Current flight category at nearby reporting stations.

KFEP Albertus Airport
22 NM W
VFR
KJVL Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport
26 NM N
VFR
KSQI Whiteside County Airport - Joseph H Bittorf Field
37 NM SW
VFR
KARR Aurora Municipal Airport
38 NM SE
VFR
KDPA Dupage Airport
42 NM SE
VFR
KVYS Illinois Valley Regional Airport Walter A Duncan Field
51 NM S
VFR
AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›PCR VALUE: 1810/R/B/W/T
›US CUSTOMS OFFICE RQR 2 HR ADVANCE NOTICE DURING BUSINESS HRS MON-FRI 0830-1700.
›TRIPLE-TANDEM TRT550 RY 07/25 & TRT590 RY 01/19.
›PCR VALUE: 980/R/B/W/T
›BIRDS & DEER ON & INVOF ARPT.
›ARFF INDEX E EQUIP AVBL WITH 1 HR PPR CALL 815-969-4011
›CONC PORTION GOOD CONDITION.
OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES
↗Official METAR on AviationWeather.gov
↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)
↗Wikipedia
↗KRFD on OurAirports
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Does KRFD have a METAR?
Yes. KRFD has a current METAR observation, decoded into plain English on this page.
Does KRFD have a TAF?
Yes, a TAF is issued for KRFD; the decoded forecast timeline is shown above.
What is the field elevation at KRFD?
KRFD sits at 742 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.
Is this an official preflight weather briefing for KRFD?
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.