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Rainbow Valley

Rainbow Valley, AZ
33.1889°, -112.3800° Directions ↗
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Not flyable at any of Rainbow Valley’s 4 launches right now

Rainbow Valley - West Patterson Not flyable Rainbow Valley - East Patterson Not flyable Rainbow Valley - North Bullard Not flyable Rainbow Valley - South Bullard Not flyable

Showing the full forecast for Rainbow Valley - East Patterson. Pick another launch above to see its outlook.

Showing Paragliding. Switch wings up top ↑
Not flyable
Medium confidence · · Run: HRRR
Wind S (186°) is outside the window — expect cross/tail or rotor
NESW 186° S
Flyability score
10
/100 · paragliding
Wind
4
mph base
Gusts
8
mph
Temp
98°
F
Dew point
69°
F
Elevation
984
ft MSL
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Location

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What we look for at Rainbow Valley

Wind direction

WSW (240°) → WNW (300°)

The wind must blow from within this arc. Direction is the same for both wings.

Ideal speed

7–15 mph

Ceiling · Paragliding

≤ 19 mph base · gusts ≤ 23

Top of the range for paragliding (any rating). Switch wings up top to compare. Hang gliders hold roughly 10 mph more than paragliders.

Low desert launch in the Rainbow Valley area southwest of Phoenix (~980 ft), a zone used mostly for winch/tow launching rather than ridge soaring. As a roughly west-facing slope it would work best in SW-to-NW flow, but no published club guide confirms a wind window here — verify with AZHPA or local Rainbow Valley pilots. Desert thermals can overdevelop midday with dust devils; morning and late afternoon are smoother, and summer is hot with high density altitude.

Next 7 days How calls are made

Sunday Slim window flyable 6pm 🌅 sunset 6:38 PM
6a
4g4
S
7a
1g2
SSE
8a
3g3
S
9a
4g4
SSW
10a
4g4
SSE
11a
3g4
S
12p
4g8
S
1p
4g7
SSW
2p
5g10
SW
3p
4g9
SSW
4p
10g11
WSW
5p
9g12
W
6p
9g12
W
Flyable 1pm–6pm — best around 6pm: 9 mph W, gusts 12. 1 clean hr, the rest borderline.
Monday Not flyable no window 🌅 sunset 6:36 PM
6a
7g12
SSE
7a
9g15
SE
8a
13g18
SSE
9a
15g18
SSE
10a
16g20
SE
11a
16g19
SE
12p
14g19
ESE
1p
13g17
ESE
2p
12g16
ESE
3p
8g15
ESE
4p
14g16
E
5p
11g18
ESE
6p
6g9
ESE
Wind's out of the ESE most of the day — outside the working window, so cross/tail or rotor.
Tuesday Caution workable 5pm–6pm 🌅 sunset 6:35 PM
6a
7g12
E
7a
11g17
ESE
8a
13g21
ESE
9a
12g22
ESE
10a
10g20
ESE
11a
8g19
SE
12p
7g17
SE
1p
6g16
ESE
2p
4g15
ESE
3p
4g15
SSE
4p
6g15
S
5p
9g15
SSW
6p
10g15
SSW
Borderline only 5pm–6pm — best around 6pm: 10 mph SSW, gusts 15. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
🌅 Wonder windGlass-off possible 5pm–6pm — smooth, light SSW ~10 mph (a touch cross), clear evening sky, the day heated up well.
✓ Light, smooth wind– Edge of the window– Wind dying off into evening✓ Clear skies (radiative cooling)✓ Day built a thermal layer
Wednesday Not flyable no window 🌅 sunset 6:34 PM
6a
3g9
SE
7a
9g21
SE
8a
13g28
SE
9a
12g27
SE
10a
10g22
SE
11a
8g18
ESE
12p
8g17
ESE
1p
9g18
ESE
2p
8g19
SE
3p
7g17
SE
4p
5g15
SE
5p
4g15
SE
6p
5g18
ESE
Wind's out of the SE most of the day — outside the working window, so cross/tail or rotor.
Thursday Not flyable no window 🌅 sunset 6:32 PM
6a
5g7
E
7a
6g7
E
8a
6g8
E
9a
7g11
ESE
10a
9g14
ESE
11a
9g16
SE
12p
9g14
SE
1p
7g11
SE
2p
6g9
SE
3p
5g11
SE
4p
5g14
ESE
5p
6g16
ESE
6p
6g15
ESE
Wind's out of the ESE most of the day — outside the working window, so cross/tail or rotor.
Friday Not flyable no window 🌅 sunset 6:31 PM
6a
9g3
ENE
7a
9g4
E
8a
10g6
E
9a
10g10
E
10a
10g14
E
11a
9g17
ESE
12p
7g17
ESE
1p
5g14
ESE
2p
3g13
SSE
3p
2g14
SSW
4p
3g16
WSW
5p
3g17
W
6p
1g16
SW
Wind's out of the E most of the day — outside the working window, so cross/tail or rotor.
Saturday Caution workable 7am–1pm 🌅 sunset 6:30 PM
6a
0g9
E
7a
1g8
ESE
8a
1g8
SE
9a
1g8
SSE
10a
1g8
S
11a
1g8
SSW
12p
3g10
WSW
1p
5g12
WSW
2p
7g15
WSW
3p
8g17
WSW
4p
10g19
WSW
5p
10g21
WSW
6p
9g21
WSW
Borderline only 7am–1pm — best around 1pm: 5 mph WSW, gusts 12. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
See the full 7-day & hourly forecast
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Conditions are an automated estimate from public forecast models, not a go/no-go call. Always check the sky, talk to locals, and fly within your rating. You are responsible for your own safety.