How to view wind forecasts in the iOS Weather app
How hard will it blow today? What is the wind direction? And when will the wind die down? Your iPhone’s Weather app shows you in detail.
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Wind forecasts Weather app
If you check the weather forecast, predictions about the wind are often interesting. Especially if you are planning to go cycling, or if you are going to fly a kite or sail. If you have an iPhone, you don’t have to look far. Since iOS 16, the Weather app shows very detailed data about the wind forecasts.
The feature is a bit hidden. Here’s how to see wind forecasts in the iPhone’s Weather app:
- Open the iPhone’s Weather app;
- Scroll down until you see the ‘Wind’ section. Here you see a compass with the wind speed;
- Tap the compass and a new section in the app will open.
The Weather app now shows the wind forecasts. By default, the forecasts for the current day are shown, but you can navigate to another day of the week via the top bar. You can view the wind forecasts for the next ten days.
Read also: iOS 16 Weather app has new features (and here’s how you’ll find them)
The graph you see shows two statistics: wind speed and gusts. This way you can see at a glance at which times of the day the wind force is highest and when the wind drops a bit. In addition to the wind gusts, you can see the wind direction, such as WZW (west-southwest). The arrow above the graph visually shows which way the wind is going.
Wind speed
The Weather app talks about wind speed, but that stat might mean little to you. At what wind speed is the wind moderate, and when is it better to leave the bicycle at home? You can see it below:
| Wind speed (km/h) | Wind power | name | Consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | 0 | Quiet | Smoke rises straight or almost straight up |
| 1-5 | 1 | Weak | Wind direction can be easily deduced from smoke plumes |
| 6-11 | 2 | Weak | Wind noticeable in face |
| 12-19 | 3 | Mediocre | Dust blows up |
| 20-28 | 4 | Mediocre | Hair messed up, clothes flapping |
| 29-38 | 5 | Pretty powerful | Garbage containers blow over |
| 39-49 | 6 | Powerful | Umbrellas hard to hold |
| 50-61 | 7 | Hard | Difficult to walk or cycle against the wind |
| 62-74 | 8 | Stormy | Moving is very difficult |
| 75-88 | 9 | Storm | Roof tiles blow away, children fall over |
| 89-102 | 10 | Heavy storm | Major damage offered, adults blow over |
| 103-117 | 11 | Very heavy storm | Major damage to forests |
| >117 | 12 | Hurricane | devastation |
