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Drone weather: what to check before every flight

Whether you can fly your drone today depends on more than the wind. Before a flight a pilot looks at the gusts and the wind at flying height, the clouds, visibility, rain or snow, the temperature, geomagnetic activity and the GPS signal. This guide explains each of them simply, with practical advice.

Updated 2026-10-30 · Redas Perminas

In short: 9 things to check before you fly

1. Wind and gusts – do the gusts stay below your drone's limit?
2. Wind at altitude – at 120 m it is often much windier than on the ground.
3. Cloud base – are the clouds higher than you plan to fly?
4. Visibility and fog – will you see the drone for the whole flight?
5. Rain and snow – can your drone take moisture?
6. Temperature and icing – cold drains the battery, and in damp air around 0 °C propellers ice up.
7. Kp index – is there a geomagnetic storm?
8. GPS interference – has interference been reported nearby?
9. Drone zones – are you allowed to fly there?

Wind and gusts

Gusts matter most, not the average wind. For light drones under 250 g makers typically state about 10.7 m/s wind resistance, for larger ones 12 m/s or more. That is the limit at which the drone can barely cope, not a comfortable condition. Take off so that the way back is downwind. More: How much wind can a drone fly in?

Wind at altitude

Near the ground the wind is slowed by buildings, trees and terrain; higher up nothing holds it back. So at 60–120 m the wind is often much stronger than at 10 m, especially over open ground, on the coast, and in the evening and at night. It can be almost calm where you take off while your drone fights the wind up high. Check the wind at the height you will fly.

Cloud base

The cloud base is the height where the clouds start. If it is lower than your planned flying height, the drone would fly into cloud: you lose sight of it, and the moisture can damage electronics and cause icing. In the Open category you fly up to 120 m, so low cloud (a few hundred metres or lower) limits your flight directly.

Visibility and fog

In the Open category the drone must stay in the pilot's sight all the time. In fog or drizzle visibility drops suddenly, and a small drone disappears sooner than you expect. Fog is also wet: water condenses on the drone, and on a cold day the propellers can ice up.

Rain and snow

Most consumer drones have no water protection, so rain is dangerous for them: water gets into the motors and electronics, and the camera fogs up. Some professional drones can fly in rain (check the IP rating in the specifications), but snow and sleet are risky for almost all of them as ice builds up on the propellers and body.

Temperature and icing

Most consumer drones are made for roughly −10 to +40 °C. In the cold the battery drains faster and can lose voltage suddenly, so warm it before the flight and keep a bigger reserve. The most dangerous combination is damp air at or below about 0 °C: fog, low cloud or drizzle can ice the propellers, and the drone loses lift.

Kp index

The Kp index (0–9) shows geomagnetic activity. From Kp 5 there is a geomagnetic storm: GPS accuracy can drop and the compass can be thrown off. The effect is stronger at northern latitudes. More: Kp index for drone pilots

GPS interference

Satellite navigation interference has grown sharply around the Baltic Sea in recent years. Without GPS a drone cannot hold its position and may not return home on its own, so check the latest pilot reports before you fly and be able to fly without GPS. More: GPS jamming and spoofing

Drone zones and height

You are not allowed to fly everywhere. Check the official drone zone map of the country before you fly. Drone Wind opens it in one tap, and in Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden, Norway and Austria right at the place you choose. In Latvia, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Czechia, Spain and Greece it opens the general country map, where you find the place yourself, in 18 more European countries the official country map or information, and elsewhere in the world a worldwide map. In the EU Open category the maximum height is 120 m; flying higher needs a Specific category authorisation.

When is the best time to fly

• It is often calmest early in the morning and in the evening, but in the evening the wind can stay strong higher up even when it calms down near the ground.
• After a cold front visibility is often excellent, but the wind is gusty.
• In autumn and winter the biggest enemies are fog, low cloud, cold and icing.

How to check it all in seconds

Drone Wind combines all of this into one answer: Fly, Caution, Low only or Don't fly. It shows the wind and gusts at 10, 30, 60 and 120 m (up to 2500 m in Pro), the cloud base and top, visibility, rain, temperature and icing risk, the Kp index, GPS interference and a link to the official drone zone map. You can also enter the place in MGRS coordinates.

The app also helps you check drone zones anywhere in the world: in Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden, Norway and Austria the official drone zone map opens right at the place you choose, in 26 more European countries the official country map or information, and elsewhere a worldwide map. More about drone zones