Altoona, Iowa Weather
Altoona, Iowa — live current conditions, hourly and 7-day forecasts, NWS alerts, radar and satellite imagery for Altoona, Polk County.
Full aviation weather for Altoona is published on the Ankeny Regional Airport (KIKV) page, 10 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. 6 airfields within reach of Altoona 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 Altoona: Des Moines International Airport (KDSM) 20 km · Newton Municipal Airport (KTNU) 37 km · Ames Municipal Airport (KAMW) 41 km · Knoxville Municipal Airport (KOXV) 48 km · Pella Municipal Airport (KPEA) 51 km
Conditions reported at KIKV describe the airfield itself. Weather 10 km away can differ, particularly in terrain or near the coast. For conditions at Altoona specifically, see the current conditions and forecast above.
About Altoona, Iowa
Altoona, Iowa, unfolds across a landscape shaped by the persistent generosity of the land, a broad canvas of fertile prairie that stretches towards horizons often softened by the hazy veil of summer heat. It lies 8.0 miles east-north-east of Des Moines, IA (from Des Moines, IA: bearing 68°T), and is situated 9.4 miles south-east of Ankeny. Here, the earth is a deep, rich loam, a testament to generations of cultivation, and the sky above is a vast, ever-shifting dome, its blues deepening to indigo as the sun begins its slow descent. The terrain, while generally flat, possesses a subtle character, marked by the gentle, almost imperceptible swells that guide the flow of water and the whisper of wind through fields of corn and soybeans. In the twilight hours, the air hangs heavy with the scent of damp soil and ripening crops, a quiet perfume that clings to the very essence of Altoona. The story of Altoona is etched in the rhythms of agriculture and the enduring spirit of its people, a narrative woven from the threads of hard work and modest ambition. Once a vital hub for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, its history echoes with the clang of locomotives and the bustling energy of a bygone era, though the physical presence of those grand stations has long since faded. Today, the local economy finds its pulse in a blend of commercial development and the continued importance of the surrounding farmlands, a pragmatic partnership that sustains the community. While no grand monuments mark its past, the character of Altoona resides in the quiet hum of everyday life, the steady beat of a place that knows its roots and faces the future with a grounded, unpretentious grace.
Live animated radar for Altoona 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 | Altoona, Polk County, Iowa |
| Coordinates | 41.644156°N, 93.464657°W |
| Timezone | Central Time (America/Chicago) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 50009 |
| Area Code | 515 |
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Weather data | Open-Meteo (open-source), NOAA National Weather Service |
About This Altoona, Iowa Weather Page
This page provides live weather conditions and forecasts for Altoona, Iowa, 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 Altoona includes coordinates 41.644156°N, 93.464657°W, situated in Polk County. ZIP code 50009. Telephone area code: 515. 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.
