Wonderwind
All sites Arizona

Rainbow Valley

Rainbow Valley, AZ

Paragliding and hang gliding weather and wind forecast for Rainbow Valley, Arizona.

33.1889°, -112.3800° Directions ↗
☆ Favorite

Checking for active TFRs… Verify on the FAA ↗

Flyable, with caution now. Best launch: Rainbow Valley - East Patterson

Rainbow Valley - West Patterson Flyable Rainbow Valley - East Patterson Flyable Rainbow Valley - North Bullard 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 ↑
Flyable
Medium confidence · · Run: HRRR
Flyable but demanding: needs P4 P4
NESW 251° WSW
Flyability score
83
/100 · paragliding
Wind
14
mph base
Gusts
19
mph
Temp
78°
F
Dew point
62°
F
Elevation
984
ft MSL
Sign in to log whether you flew here today.

Location

Loading map…
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 Flyable flyable 5pm–6pm 🌅 sunset 6:00 PM
6a
7g27
SSE
7a
8g26
SE
8a
12g33
SE
9a
21g36
S
10a
21g33
S
11a
23g30
SSW
12p
29g36
SSW
1p
29g37
SW
2p
17g28
WSW
3p
16g22
WSW
4p
14g19
WSW
5p
11g15
W
6p
7g10
WNW
Flyable 3pm–6pm — best around 5pm: 11 mph W, gusts 15. 2 clean hrs, the rest borderline.
Monday Not flyable no window 🌅 sunset 5:59 PM
6a
9g15
SE
7a
8g14
SSE
8a
8g20
S
9a
14g22
S
10a
16g24
S
11a
17g26
S
12p
19g24
S
1p
16g22
SSW
2p
16g23
S
3p
16g24
SSW
4p
16g26
SSW
5p
16g23
SSW
Wind's out of the S most of the day — outside the working window, so cross/tail or rotor.
Tuesday Slim window flyable 10am 🌅 sunset 5:58 PM
6a
9g11
W
7a
9g20
WNW
8a
8g16
WNW
9a
4g10
W
10a
3g7
W
11a
3g11
WSW
12p
6g13
WSW
1p
8g15
WSW
2p
9g17
WSW
3p
9g17
WSW
4p
8g16
W
5p
7g15
W
Flyable 12pm–5pm — best around 10am: 3 mph W, gusts 7. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
Wednesday Flyable flyable 7am–8am 🌅 sunset 5:57 PM
6a
5g8
SSW
7a
6g9
SSW
8a
6g11
SW
9a
4g10
SW
10a
1g9
W
11a
3g9
N
12p
4g10
N
1p
5g11
NNW
2p
6g13
NNW
3p
6g13
NNW
4p
6g13
NNW
5p
5g12
NW
Flyable 11am–5pm — best around 7am: 6 mph SSW, gusts 9. All borderline — fly it with a close eye.
🌅 Wonder windGlass-off possible 3pm–5pm — smooth, light NW ~5 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
Thursday Caution workable 6am–8am 🌅 sunset 5:55 PM
6a
5g10
NE
7a
5g11
NE
8a
6g13
NE
9a
7g15
NE
10a
8g17
NE
11a
9g18
NNE
12p
10g19
NNE
1p
10g19
NNE
2p
10g19
NNE
3p
9g19
NNE
4p
7g19
N
5p
6g19
N
Borderline only 6am–8am — best around 6am: 5 mph NE, gusts 10. All borderline — fly it with a close eye. Outside the window, light enough for a sledder.
Friday Not flyable no window 🌅 sunset 5:54 PM
6a
17g5
ENE
7a
18g6
NE
8a
19g8
ENE
9a
19g11
ENE
10a
20g16
E
11a
22g18
E
12p
22g16
E
1p
21g13
E
2p
20g11
E
3p
21g15
E
4p
21g21
E
5p
21g25
E
Wind's out of the E most of the day — outside the working window, so cross/tail or rotor.
Saturday Not flyable no window 🌅 sunset 5:53 PM
6a
11g24
ENE
7a
11g23
ENE
8a
11g23
ENE
9a
12g24
E
10a
12g25
E
11a
12g26
E
12p
12g24
E
1p
11g23
E
2p
10g22
ENE
3p
10g22
ENE
4p
9g22
ENE
5p
9g22
ENE
Wind's out of the ENE most of the day — outside the working window, so cross/tail or rotor.

Reviews

Sign in to write a review

No reviews yet. Be the first.

Send feedback about this flying site

Sign in to contribute

Thanks, it’s submitted for review

We’ll check it against the site’s sources and let you know here when the update is live.

About Rainbow Valley

Rainbow Valley is a paragliding and hang gliding site with 4 launches near Rainbow Valley, Arizona. Between them they face west, south and north, and each launch above has its own forecast. There are 2 more Wonderwind sites within 50 miles, and the closest is South mountain, 21 miles away.

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.