Makanda, Illinois Weather
Makanda, Illinois — live current conditions, hourly and 7-day forecasts, NWS alerts, radar and satellite imagery, soil and crop conditions for Makanda, Jackson County.
Full aviation weather for Makanda is published on the Southern Illinois Airport (KMDH) page, 18 km away. It carries the current METAR decoded into plain language — surface wind, visibility, cloud layers and ceiling, temperature and dewpoint, and altimeter setting — alongside the raw observation as transmitted. 5 airfields within reach of Makanda have their own pages, listed below.
The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) is shown across its full validity period, with each change group broken out so you can see when conditions are expected to shift. Flight category is derived automatically — VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR — from reported ceiling and visibility, with runway details and field elevation alongside. Observations update roughly hourly and forecasts several times a day.
Other airports near Makanda: Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois (KMWA) 22 km · Pinckneyville Du Quoin Airport (KPJY) 42 km · Benton Municipal Airport (KH96) 50 km · Cape Girardeau Regional Airport (KCGI) 54 km
Conditions reported at KMDH describe the airfield itself. Weather 18 km away can differ, particularly in terrain or near the coast. For conditions at Makanda specifically, see the current conditions and forecast above.
Soil conditions, frost risk and crop weather for Makanda.
About Makanda, Illinois
Makanda rests at the edge of the Shawnee National Forest, where the rolling hills of Southern Illinois begin their dramatic descent into the rugged terrain of the Ozark Plateau. It lies 27.4 miles north-east of Cape Girardeau, MO (from Cape Girardeau, MO: bearing 38°T), and is situated 7.6 miles south of Carbondale. The air here, particularly after a summer rain, carries a damp, earthy perfume, a blend of decomposing leaves and the sharp tang of pine needles. Ancient oaks, their branches gnarled like arthritic fingers, cast long, deep shadows across the winding country roads, and the quiet here is so profound it seems to hum, broken only by the distant call of a crow or the rustle of unseen creatures in the dense undergrowth. Sunlight, when it breaks through the canopy, paints shifting mosaics on the forest floor, illuminating patches of vibrant moss and the occasional flash of a cardinal's crimson wing. The history of Makanda is as layered as the rich soil beneath its feet, a narrative woven from the threads of early pioneer settlements and the enduring allure of its natural beauty. Once a bustling hub for timber and agriculture, its fortunes ebbed and flowed with the changing economic tides, leaving behind a legacy of weathered barns and quiet, independent spirit. Today, Makanda retains a unique character, a place where artists and artisans find inspiration in the surrounding wilderness, drawn by the very same primal landscape that captivated those who first settled here. The local economy, though modest, thrives on the steady stream of visitors seeking the tranquility of the forest and the charm of its small-town heart, a testament to the enduring appeal of this pocket of wild beauty.
Live animated radar for Makanda and surroundings — RainViewer.
NOAA GOES-16 GEOCOLOR — live animated loop updated every 10 minutes. Shows cloud cover, storm systems and weather patterns across the continental US.
Source: NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East · Public domain · Auto-updates on page reload
| Location | Makanda, Jackson County, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 37.61755°N, 89.208972°W |
| Timezone | Central Time (America/Chicago) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 62958 |
| Area Code | 618 |
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Weather data | Open-Meteo (open-source), NOAA National Weather Service |
About This Makanda, Illinois Weather Page
This page provides live weather conditions and forecasts for Makanda, Illinois, including current conditions, a 24-hour hourly forecast, 7-day outlook, NWS extended text forecast, precipitation radar and NOAA GOES-16 satellite imagery. Aviation weather — live METAR observations and TAF forecasts — is published separately on the pages for the nearest reporting airports, linked from the aviation section above. Additional sections may include tide predictions, wave height, wave direction and sea-surface temperature, a barometric pressure trend, and a solunar-based fishing forecast with a fishing-conditions rating for coastal localities, and soil temperature, crop weather and live USGS river gauge data for agricultural areas near a monitored waterway. All data updates automatically on every page visit.
Location data for Makanda includes coordinates 37.617550°N, 89.208972°W, situated in Jackson County. ZIP code 62958. Telephone area code: 618. Timezone: Central Time (America/Chicago).
Weather data is sourced from the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) and the open-source Open-Meteo API. River and stream data is sourced from the USGS National Water Information System. Tide predictions are sourced from NOAA CO-OPS; marine and solunar data are modeled from Open-Meteo and public sunrise/moon calculations and should be treated as a general guide alongside on-the-water conditions. Radar is provided by RainViewer. Satellite imagery is sourced from NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East and is public domain.
