Discover the best wind apps for weather enthusiasts to stay informed about wind conditions and plan outdoor activities more efficiently.
Best wind apps
Whether you are a traveler, a fan of extreme sports such as kitesurfing, sailing or parachuting, a lover of fishing or those disciplines strongly linked to the weather , you will know how important it is to read the wind forecast as best as possible.
There are so many apps for wind and sea that choosing in this aspect could be difficult. So, without wasting any more time, let’s see what I consider to be the best applications suitable for the purpose currently available.
Windy.app: Wind, Waves & Tides (Android/iOS/iPadOS)
Windy.app is a very intuitive but extremely professional app, ideal for fans of water and wind sports and disciplines. You can get detailed weather forecasts with real-time wind maps both locally and worldwide. Windy.app is available in a free version with a basic forecast model and Pro version , with over 10 high-precision weather models, custom weather profiles and offline mode to download forecasts in case of no Internet connection, at the price of 69 euros/year or 199 euros forever with a 7-day free trial.
After downloading and installing the app from the Play Store (or from alternative stores for devices without Google services) or from the App Store , launch Windy.app and answer all the questions asked (just select the answers and tap on the Confirm button and then Then ) then tap Allow notifications and then Allow to enable push notifications for wind alerts.
Now allow location services to find your location by pressing the Find nearest location button , after which, only at the first launch, you need to tap on the Allow once or Allow when using the app (recommended) option.
On the main screen of the app, tap on the first box to show the forecast for the location where you are at the moment. In fact, by scrolling down the screen, you will be shown all the parameters relating (up to 5 days in the free version and up to 10 days in the Pro version) to both the temperature and any precipitation and the wind forecast. Therefore, read the direction and speed of the wind in m/s , the gusts as well as data relating to the sea such as the height and period of the wave and the swell .
If you want to customize this screen according to your needs, press the Customize forecast item and select the profile you prefer from the menu that appears. This way, only the main parameters will be filtered and sorted according to a specific activity or discipline (such as sailing , kite , windsurfing , fishing , cycling , etc.). In any case, you can always add the measurements you want by going back to the Settings and placing a check mark next to the parameter you are interested in (e.g. Sunrise/sunset , Relative humidity , Snowfall , Thermal sensation , etc.).
If you want to know the wind forecast for another place, once you have accessed the main screen of the app, go to the Weather Map box at the bottom and search, using the magnifying glass at the top right, for the location you are interested in and, once you have detected the place on the map, tap on the button Tap for detailed forecasts . After that, you can act with the same methods seen above to customize the forecasts.
Windy.app also relies on a community to get in touch with other enthusiasts by posting images or comments. To access it, on the main screen, scroll down and tap on the Community item , to immediately view all the photos of other users; to start interacting with them, you simply need to sign up for free on the platform. To do this, tap on the little man icon at the bottom right and type, in the appropriate fields, your email and password and confirm by tapping on Sign Up . Alternatively, you can choose whether to access it with your Facebook , Google or Apple credentials .
Windfinder: Wind & Weather (Android/iOS/iPadOS)
Windfinder is the official app of the platform of the same name born in the late 90s and which is still one of the most popular and used sites for wind forecasts. It is available for Android (if you have a smartphone or tablet without Google services, see if it is on some alternative store ) and iOS/iPadOS in a free version and Plus version , with wind alerts, high-resolution forecasts and other parameters, at a price of 1.99 euros/month or 12.99 euros/year with a 7-day trial period .
Once you have downloaded and launched the app, go to the Map and Search section in the bottom menu to view the animated wind map and get a general overview of the conditions in real time. Then tap Search in the top right and type a location , city , region or weather station of your interest in the Search field.
Once the location for which you want to know the wind forecast appears, press on the Forecast item to read, in the new screen, all the parameters, divided by day (up to 10 days) and by hour, relating to the wind (such as direction and knots ) and the waves as well as the weather conditions ( temperature and weather forecast ).
By moving to the Report tab at the top (if available), you can instead view a complete bulletin of the wind and air conditions for both the current date and the previous 2 days . If you want to save the location in your favorites, just tap on the star at the top right or on the Add to favorites button. You can later consult your favorite locations by pressing the Favorites icon on the bottom bar.
Windfinder also has a useful alarm function (paid version only) to receive personalized wind alerts. You can set up notifications as soon as a wind condition matches your favorites.
Ventusky (Android/iOS/iPadOS)
Another great app to check the wind is definitely Ventusky . Thanks to its animated map, it is possible, in fact, to quickly and intuitively know the weather conditions of any part of the world and select the meteorological phenomena of interest, with the relative parameters, updated in real time.
Ventusky is available for free in a limited version, alternatively the Premium version is also available at a cost of 9.99 euros/year , which includes all the meteorological layers (such as the wind at 16 levels of height), notifications and email support in the work newspapers.
To try the service, first of all, you need to download the app , which can be used for both Android (also available on alternative stores ) and iOS/iPadOS and, once launched, you need to select the Allow once or Allow when using the app (recommended) option to allow location services to find your location.
Once your location is displayed on the main screen of the app, to find out the wind forecast, tap on the temperature icon in the top right and select wind gusts or wind speed (paid version only). This way you can read all the information related to the wind forecast in real time. By holding two fingers pressed on the screen and widening or narrowing them, you can even adjust the zoom level and further detail the forecast.
If you are interested in knowing future conditions, tap on the bottom bar and select the day (up to 2 weeks) and the time to get the most specific wind forecast possible.
If you want to know the wind forecast for another location, on the animated map screen, press the magnifying glass at the top left and type the city you are interested in in the Enter a location field. Then proceed in the same way as above.
Finally, to have a detailed report of all the weather conditions, once you have identified the location of interest on the map, simply tap on the graph- shaped icon at the bottom left and read the current forecast and the trend for the next few days with the related parameters, such as temperature , precipitation risk , total wave height , atmospheric pressure , etc.
The app can also be used as an online service , if that interests you.
Other apps for wind and sea
In addition to the solutions I showed you above, there are many other apps for wind and sea . Here is another list of applications that you should take a look at.
- 3B Meteo( Android / iOS / iPadOS ) — one of the most accurate and reliable weather apps, with which you can monitor the conditions of your neighborhood in real time. Among the many parameters available is also the possibility of checking the presence of winds for the entire world. 3B Meteo includes minimally invasive advertising banners, which can be removed with a paid subscription starting from 99 euros/month .
- Surfline( Android / iOS/iPadOS ) — is a must-have application for windsurfing enthusiasts around the world. Surfline allows you to know the wind and sea conditions in real time, with detailed reports and the possibility of planning your surfing sessions based on the weather as well as being able to quickly find the location with the ideal conditions to practice this sport. Surfline is available in a free basic version and a Premium version at a price of 99 euros/month or 49.99 euros/year .
- PredictWind — Marine Forecasts( Android / iOS/iPadOS ) — is one of the most used apps by professional sailors to check the weather anywhere in the world and get detailed wind and sea forecasts up to 5 days. PredictWind is free to use but there is a paid version of the app starting from $12/3 months to unlock some premium features such as gusts and wind observation via Webcam.