Paragliding is a highly weather dependent form of flight. It’s critical for beginner pilots to learn what the best weather conditions are for paragliding and make sure they are fully aware of what weather conditions are too dangerous to fly in.
This is what dangerous weather conditions can mean for paragliding pilots:
- Failure to achieve and retain sufficient lift
- Lose of control
- Unable to fly in the planned direction
- Unable to land in the planned landing zone, or unable to land safely anywhere
Here are some key weather conditions to look out for before and during your paragliding flight. This article will give you an overview of the key areas to look out for and consider. Enjoy and safe paragliding to you all!
Paragliding & Clouds
Excellent paragliding weather conditions don’t need to be sunny, soaring sites will work in cloudy days – air is forced above and pilots use this updraft. If it’s clear sky, cloudy or overcast you can still paraglide. In overcast skies there will be less thermals but you can still paraglide safely.
Thermic conditions are created when the sun heats the air and creates cumulus cloud.
If you plan on going cross country paragliding, your ideal weather conditions are lots of white, puffy, cumulus clouds. This means that a cold front has just passed, approximately about 12 hours prior.
Cumulus clouds form at the top of thermals. Think of these as columns of rising air, with clouds sitting at the top of the columns. Ideally you want to use these thermals to circle your way up to the top.
Because of the colder weather, thermals are less common during winter. You may find it more difficult to achieve high altitudes or paraglide cross country. However don’t let this put you off any form of paragliding. Many people paraglide in places such as the Tirol region in Austria in winter, where the mountains are covered in snow. Just watch out for wind and don’t actually paraglide in snow – this is dangerous and will reduce your control of your wing.
Paragliding Wind Speed & How It Affects You
Ideal wind between 2 and 15mph, wind speed above 18mph (29km/h) isn’t suitable for paragliding. If you have beginner/intermediate experience you may wish to avoid winds exceeding 12mph (20km/h). While wind can be helpful, it is possible to launch a paraglider without wind. The speed the pilot generates by running combined with the pilot’s weight and the paraglider wing is sufficient.
Wind speed and strength is tested by an anemometer, make sure you fly with one of these. It’s a good idea to test wind strength before paragliding This will help you to determine how to approach launching and landing, and if you should postpone your flight.
- 1 m/s or 3.6 km/h – Very calm conditions, you’ll need a forward launch with lots of running and effort on your part to launch
- 1 – 3 m/s or 3.6 – 10.8 km/h – Forward and reverse launch possible, a decent amount of running or good reverse launch skills needed
- 4 – 6 m/s or 14.4 – 21.6 km/h – Moderate wind strength, reverse launch or a front launch with a small amount of running
- 7 – 10 m/s or 25.2 – 36 km/h – Wind strength is getting strong. Only very experienced pilots should consider launching. Reverse launch is the best option. Highly susceptible to turbulence and being blown backwards after launching.
It’s also important to monitor if wind is constant or changing. You don’t want to launch in decent conditions, only to find that the wind strength has increased and now it’s difficult to land safely. Test wind speed across a two minute period. If wind speed changes more than 2 m/s in this two minute period, it’s gusty. You risk the possibility of being flown backwards, turbulence and difficulty in landing.
Wind gradient is the change in wind strength and direction with height, and is another dimension pilots must consider before launching. This hazard occurs when low moving air is slowed by friction with the ground, causing pilots to notice an increase of wind as they reach height. This can cause pilots to be blown backwards as they begin to increase in height not long after launch. Wind gradient can also suprise pilots by causing an increase of ground speed just before they land.
Turbulence
In good flying conditions, the airflow is isolated and moves slowly within its layer. This is known as laminar flow. When airflow speed increases to a certain point, airflow can become turbulent. Turbulence is when air particles move in chaotic, random directions. Winds above 5-6 m/s can often be turbulent.
Only experienced pilots should paraglide in light turbulence and no-one should paraglide in moderate to heavy turbulence. Paragliding in turbulence is hazardous because without the smooth laminar airflow, the wing can easily stall, spin, collapse or suddenly drop or sink. Imagine trying to land safely with this going on!
Turbulence can also be caused by large solid objects, this is known as mechanical turbulence. Large objects which block wind can create a turbulent zone. Fortunately this type of turbulence is often easier to predict and avoid.
Weather Conditions Where You Shouldn’t Paraglide
Strong Winds – as mentioned earlier, if wind speeds are above 18mph (29km/h), or above a level that you’re comfortable flying in, or if the wind speed is increasing towards this speed, it’s a good idea to to avoid paragliding.
Orographic Cloud – can form around a hillside and create an area with no visibility, which could result in you flying into objects. Ideally pilots should always fly when they’ve got full visual meteorological conditions. Orographic clouds can also cause rain.
Lenticular Clouds and Foehn Winds – occurs when air goes up a hill and drops down the other side, heating it. This causes some areas to be windy while others are calm
Rain – Paragliding in the rain is extremely dangerous. Rain is one of the most common and easy to predict paragliding hazards. Older paraglider wings are not waterproof and will absorb the rain. This makes the wing heavier and difficult to manoeuvre. Newer wings won’t absorb the wind however rain will still affect the ability of air to smoothly travel across the surface of the wing. You’ll probably get away with a few raindrops, but any proper rain will make paragliding extremely dangerous.
Cumulonimbus (Storm Clouds) – can cause very strong updrafts and downdrafts of up to 200mph. Even planes go well out of their way to avoid them! These clouds often combine other dangers such as heavy rain, strong winds, sudden powerful lifts and lightning
We hope this has helped you to identify the best weather for paragliding and avoid some nasty situations. Read the following article if you’d like to learn more on paragliding safety. Enjoy!
