Originally Posted by rm -rf

~~~~
Wind seems to be variable most of the time. I've never heard of a forecast that shows wind speed ranges or probabilities like it does for rain!
There's an app that reports headwind and tailwind durations for an uploaded GPS recording, since it has the local weather data and the timing of the ride. I've seen a few cyclists show it, and it doesn't seem that helpful or accurate.

Here in Ohio, we had some windy forecasts in the spring and early summer, so I was paying more attention to conditions on those days.

Chaotic wind speeds
I noticed that the predicted "12 mph, gusts of 18" was quite variable most of the time. Maybe I'd see 4 mph, then 10, 14, 8 mph, etc. Chaotic. The wind came in gusts of various durations. And some windy days seemed to be windy even down into the sheltered woodland roads. Other times, the woods and valleys seemed calmer. I suppose the wind / air movements and gusts are vertical, not just horizontal.

Originally Posted by skidder

Did you ever try using the NOAA's weather.gov with your smartphone? Its not 'real time' for your exact location, but its free so it can't hurt to try it out. type in your zip code or location in the upper left and it'll come up with a general weather report for your area, then look on the middle of the page on the right and click '3-day History' for most recent weather data (including general wind speed) for your area. The reporting can be anywhere from every 15 minutes (in my suburban area) to every hour. Also below that '3-Day History' you'll see 'Mobile Weather' which isn't too accurate, but the 'Hourly Weather forecast' right below it has some good graphs that project into the future. The display will be small so you'd have to stop pedaling to check it. Remember, its free so worth a look if you're not too concerned with exact data.

National Weather Service