How the calculator decides
Manufacturers publish a maximum wind speed resistance for each drone: the strongest wind in which it can still hold position and fly back. The calculator compares the forecast wind and the gusts with that number and gives the same three answers the Drone Weather Forecast app gives for every forecast hour:
| Result | Wind or gusts | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| OK | up to 90 % of the limit | Normal flying, with a margin for forecast error |
| Caution | from 90 % up to 100 % of the limit | The drone copes, but slowly and with less battery to spare |
| No-go | above the limit | The drone may not be able to fly back against the wind |
The gusts are checked against the same limit as the sustained wind, because a gust is what knocks a light drone off its line or stalls it on the way home. The result shown is the worse of the two.
Worked example
A DJI Mini 4 Pro is rated for 38 km/h (10.7 m/s, "Level 5"). Its green band ends at 90 % of that, about 34 km/h.
- Wind 20 km/h: 53 % of the limit, OK.
- Gusts 30 km/h: 79 % of the limit, OK.
- If the gusts were 36 km/h, they would be 95 % of the limit: Caution, even with a gentle average wind.
Why the margin is 10 %
A forecast is an estimate for an area, not a measurement at your take-off point, and the number in it is the wind at 10 m above the ground. A drone at 100 m usually meets a stronger wind than that (see the wind at altitude calculator). Keeping a 10 % margin below the rated limit leaves room for both. If you fly high, over water or far away, use a bigger margin than the calculator does.
Where the drone limits come from
The drone list is the one the app downloads: 77 models from DJI, Autel, Potensic and others, each with the wind limit from its manufacturer. If your model is missing, choose "Other drone" and type the figure from the spec sheet; the drone wind limits chart lists every model with the limit converted to km/h, m/s, mph and knots. Spec sheets quote the limit in several ways: "Level 5" is up to 10.7 m/s (about 38 km/h), "Level 6" up to 13.8 m/s (about 49 km/h), and a figure in m/s is multiplied by 3.6 to get km/h.
Frequently asked questions
How much wind is too much for a drone?
Anything above the maximum wind resistance on the drone's spec sheet. For a DJI Mini-class drone that is 38 km/h (10.7 m/s); for an Air 3S it is 43 km/h (12 m/s). The app and this calculator already warn from 90 % of that figure.
Should I look at the wind or at the gusts?
At both, and the gusts matter more. A drone can hold a steady wind close to its limit, but a gust above it can push it away or stop it from flying home. The calculator checks both against the same limit.
Is the forecast wind the wind my drone will feel?
Not exactly. Forecasts give the wind at 10 m above the ground; at 100–120 m it is usually 1.3 to 1.9 times stronger, more at night. Use the wind at altitude calculator to estimate it.