Portal guide
User categories
Choose the activity you need weather information for. The category sets the emphasis of weather explanations and the initial weather AI profile.
What the selection affects
- The explanation emphasizes weather factors relevant to your activity: everyday plans, travel, outdoor work or a particular kind of flying.
- The saved category can initialize the weather AI profile when available. A profile explicitly selected in the current tool or supplied with the weather context can take precedence.
- Source measurements, forecast accuracy and available map layers stay the same. A category is not an account role and does not grant additional permissions.
General users · 4
| User category | Weather focus |
|---|---|
| Everyday weather | Temperature, precipitation and wind by time of day. Plain-language weather for clothing, walks and everyday plans. |
| Tourists and outdoor enthusiasts | Wind, gusts, precipitation, visibility and changes around the activity area. Focus on time windows for walks, hiking and outdoor recreation, with terrain context. |
| Drivers | Precipitation type, near-freezing temperature, visibility, fog and crosswinds. Explanations follow road sections and expected travel times. |
| Gardeners, farmers and outdoor workers | Precipitation intervals, temperature, humidity, wind and gusts. Focus on weather windows for gardening, farming and outdoor work. |
Aviation users · 11
| User category | Weather focus |
|---|---|
| Airline and transport pilots | METAR/SPECI, TAF, SIGMET and upper-air wind, temperature, icing and turbulence. Briefings focus on transport routes, flight levels, aerodromes and timing. |
| General and business aviation pilots (IFR) | Visibility, ceiling, wind, freezing levels, icing and turbulence. Focus on instrument-flight aerodromes and routes in the context of the particular aircraft. |
| General aviation pilots (VFR) | Visibility, clouds, wind, precipitation and fog along the route. Focus on visual flight, low altitudes and terrain, distinguishing observations from forecasts. |
| Powered ultralight pilots | Surface wind, gusts, wind changes with height, visibility, clouds and convection. Focus on the lower atmosphere and the specific powered ultralight subtype. |
| Helicopter pilots | Visibility, clouds, low-level wind, gusts, temperature and pressure. Focus on landing sites, low-altitude routes and terrain. |
| Glider pilots | Temperature, humidity and wind profiles, inversions, clouds and convection. Soaring potential is separated from weather hazards; calculated cloud base is identified. |
| Hang glider pilots | Wind relative to launch, gusts, wind shear, thermals, clouds and precipitation. Focus on the specific hang gliding launch and flight area. |
| Paraglider pilots | Wind, gusts, direction variability, lower-air profiles and convection. Focus on launch, landing and changing route conditions. |
| Balloon pilots | Wind by layer, gusts, wind shear, inversions, clouds and visibility. Focus on balloon drift and differences between launch, flight and landing for its subtype. |
| Drone operators | Wind at operating height, gusts, temperature, precipitation, visibility and clouds. Weather factors are compared with supplied drone limits. |
| Skydivers and jump organizers | Surface and upper wind, cloud layers, visibility, precipitation and convection. Exit, descent and landing conditions are described separately. |
Choosing between similar categories
| Categories | Difference |
|---|---|
| Everyday weather / outdoor recreation / outdoor work | Everyday weather explains conditions for daily plans. Outdoor recreation emphasizes wind, precipitation, visibility and terrain in the activity area. Outdoor work emphasizes precipitation periods, humidity, wind and suitable work windows. |
| Transport aviation / general aviation IFR / VFR | Transport aviation emphasizes aerodromes, routes and flight levels. IFR focuses on instrument-flight weather for the particular aircraft. VFR emphasizes visibility, cloud conditions and terrain along a visual-flight route. IFR and VFR describe flight rules: choose the task, not simply the aircraft size. |
| Powered ultralight / glider / hang glider / paraglider | These are separate aircraft categories. Powered ultralights emphasize low-level conditions and the aircraft subtype. Gliders emphasize atmospheric profiles and soaring potential. Hang gliders and paragliders emphasize their launch, landing and local wind conditions. |
| Balloon / drone / skydiving | Balloons emphasize drift and wind by layer. Drones emphasize conditions at operating height and supplied equipment limits. Skydiving separates exit, descent and landing conditions. |
The same weather, different emphasis
For the same forecast of wind and gusts, a driver needs attention to crosswinds along the road, a balloon pilot to wind direction by height and drift, and a drone operator to wind at operating height and equipment limits. The source forecast remains the same.
How to change your category
- Open the portal home page and press “User” in the navigation bar.
- Choose the category closest to your current activity and read its description.
- Press “Apply” to save. “Cancel”, Escape and closing the window discard unsaved changes.
- To clear the preference, select “Choose a category” and press “Apply”.
Where the choice is saved
The choice is saved in this browser. It is not synchronized through your account to another browser or device. Clearing browser data removes it. Saving requires browser storage to be available.
If more detail is needed
A category does not specify aircraft performance, operating limits, route, height or time. Provide these in the relevant tool or question. If several categories fit, select the one closest to your current task.
Learn about altitudes and flight levels