Paragliding Weather Checklist – Meteorology

Paragliding Weather Checklist – Meteorology

✅What is the paragliding weather checklist for?

The paragliding weather checklist helps you to check all important weather factors in a structured way before your flight. This ensures that you don't forget anything – whether it's wind speed, wind direction, thermal development, or potential hazards such as foehn winds, fronts, and thunderstorms.

The checklist helps you to better assess the weather, identify risks more clearly, and make a safe launch decision. It supports you in consciously planning your flight and significantly increasing your safety in paragliding.

Checklist as PDF download

🗓️1. Check the evening before (rough location & flying weather)

• ☐ General weather conditions (high/low/front) Link

• ☐ Pressure distribution (isobar spacing) Link

• ☐ Pressure trend (rising/falling)

• ☐ Check weather maps Link

• ☐ Instability/stability of the air mass

• ☐ Probability of thunderstorms Link

• ☐ Possible foehn, bora, valley wind, or lee effects Link

• ☐ Temperatures at different altitudes Link

• ☐ Forecast accuracy (multi-model) Link

🌬️2. Wind analysis

• ☐ Wind animation Link
  

• ☐ Wind at the launch site (direction & strength)

• ☐ Wind at 1,000 m / 2,000 m / 3,000 m

• ☐ Wind profile (increase with altitude)

• ☐ Tailwind or headwind at altitude

• ☐ Rotor and jet effects possible

• ☐ Valley wind vs. gradient wind comparison

⚠️ Caution:

• ⚠️ Caution at:

  • >20 km/h at the start

  • Strong high winds

  • Shear

☀️3. Thermal assessment

• ☐ Thermal forecast with AI (Paraglidable) Link
  

• ☐ Sunlight available

• ☐ Cloud cover: Cumulus? Shielding

• ☐ Temperature difference ground ↔ altitude

• ☐ Unstable layering

• ☐ Convection height (thermal base)

• ☐ Expected climb rates:

  • 0–1 m/s → weak

  • 2–3 m/s → good

  • 4 m/s → strong / challenging

☁️4. Clouds & weather hazards

• ☐ Cumulus humilis = good

☐ Cumulus congestus = caution

• ☐ Cumulus congestus = caution

• ☐ Anvil formation

• ☐ Spreading shielding

☐ Precipitation areas nearby

• ☐ Precipitation areas nearby

• ☐ Virga visible

• ☐ Signs of:

  • Boeenfront

  • Fallboen

  • Thunderstorm outflow

🌧️5. Humidity & visibility

• ☐ High humidity

• ☐ Haze/inversion

• ☐ Sufficient visibility

• ⚠️ Caution with:

  • Fog dissipation

  • High fog

  • Sahara dust

📱6. Current live data on site

• ☐ Weather station at the start

• ☐ Wind vanes & trees

• ☐ Observe takeoff cycles

• ☐ Ask other pilots

• ☐ Check webcams

• ☐ Release balloon (if possible)

🛑7. No-go criteria (abort immediately)

• ❌ Thunderstorms within a 30 km radius

• ❌ Strong winds above launch site limit

• ❌ Foehn storm / lee wave

• ❌ Gusty, rotating launch cycles

• ❌ Unclear shading / overdevelopment

✅8. Go criteria

• ✔️ Constant launch wind

• ✔️ Good visibility

• ✔️ Clean cumulus thermals

• ✔️ No overdevelopment

• ✔️ Stable landing wind

Download checklist as PDF

Have fun with the weather briefing and always be serious and conservative in your assessment. Safety always comes first. With this in mind...

Best regards

YourParagliding24.chteam

We love paragliding ❤️