Forecast Sources
Free forecast sources, all set to the coordinates of the 1700 takeoff, and which source answers which question.
Last updated 2026-09-01Every source below is free and every link is set to the coordinates of the 1700 takeoff. When you fly a site for the first time, comparing two or three sources beats trusting a single model, especially for wind direction.
36°32'20.3"N 29°10'11.0"E
36.538972, 29.169722
Use these if you want to create your own point in an app. Coordinates for the
other sites are on the takeoff sites page.
On this page
Which source answers which question
| Your question | Where to look |
|---|---|
| What is the wind doing right now? | Live wind, the station readings |
| What will this afternoon be like? | Windfinder Superforecast, Meteoblue hourly |
| Which direction will the wind come from? | Windy, Ventusky, Windfinder |
| How will the thermals and cloudbase be? | Meteoblue vertical profile, Paraglidable |
| Should I come next week? | Meteoblue 14 day, Windy |
| Is a front coming? | Windy pressure charts, the Turkish State Meteorological Service |
Models on a map
For the regional picture, where fronts are coming from and how the sea breeze builds, map based sources are the best.
| Source | What it gives | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Windy | Wind, gusts, cloud, rain, pressure and different altitude layers | You can switch models. Comparing ECMWF and GFS is worthwhile. |
| Ventusky | Animated wind and temperature | Good for watching how the breeze establishes through the day. |
Point forecasts
Sources that show hour by hour conditions at a single point. These are what you use to plan the hour you launch.
| Source | What it gives | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Meteoblue | 14 day and hourly forecast, wind, cloud, rain probability | The most practical option for longer term planning. |
| YR | Hourly forecast in a plain table | Run by the Norwegian meteorological institute, fast and ad free. |
Sources built for flying
These use points already defined for the Babadağ site, so you do not need to enter coordinates.
| Source | What it gives | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Windfinder, Babadağ | Wind speed, gust and direction forecast for the takeoff | A point defined directly for Babadağ. |
| Windfinder Superforecast | Higher resolution, hourly, up to three days | The most detailed free option for the short term. |
| Windfinder, Ölüdeniz | Wind forecast for the landing area | The wind below can differ from the wind above, check it separately. |
| Windy.app, Babadağ takeoff | Wind and gusts for the launch point | Some detailed features are paid, the basic forecast is free. |
| Paraglidable | A flyability estimate for flying sites | It produces a model based assessment, not a substitute for your own judgement. |
Vertical profile
To see how high thermals will go, where cloudbase will form and at what altitude the inversion sits, you look at a vertical profile of the atmosphere, the sounding.
| Source | What it gives | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Meteoblue sounding | Temperature, dew point and wind against altitude | This is where you find the inversion layer and the forecast cloudbase. |
- Where the temperature curve steepens is the altitude where thermals stop.
- Where the temperature and dew point curves converge is the level at which cloudbase will form.
- Wind changing direction with height means a different air mass above. Your drift can change as you climb.
Official forecast
| Source | What it gives | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Turkish State Meteorological Service, Fethiye | Official regional forecast and warnings | Followed for storm and strong wind warnings. |
Reading a forecast here
Global models work in cells kilometres across. A mountain rising steeply from sea level to 1900 metres sits flattened inside those cells. The result is this: the model gets the sea breeze broadly right, but it can show the real strength and direction at the takeoff quite differently.
- Ask the model for direction, the station for strength. Models know where the wind will come from; what it is actually doing at launch comes from the live readings.
- Two models agreeing raises confidence. Compare ECMWF and GFS in Windy. If they diverge, the day is uncertain.
- Look at the hourly trend, not a single hour. What matters here is which way it is heading. A rising curve tells you the window is closing even if the current value is low.
- Watch the gap between gust and average. The wider it gets, the rougher the air. High gusts make takeoff difficult even with the average below the limit.
- Forecasts refresh in the morning. What you looked at the day before is for planning. The decision to fly is made with the morning update and with what you see on the ground.
To combine what these sources say with how the site actually behaves see local weather, and for the current readings see live wind.
All the sources listed are freely accessible. Some services offer paid subscriptions for extra features; the basic forecasts are free. Links are set to the coordinates of the 1700 takeoff.