Can you Skydive in the Rain?

Here at Skydive Oklahoma, Spring is in the air and we often get asked questions around weather conditions and our ability to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Specifically, people wonder if it’s safe to go skydiving in April showers, aka the rain. 

Skydiving in the Rain

We don’t want to beat around the bush on this one – the answer is no. We don’t skydive in the rain because it presents some added issues that make it not worthwhile. One of the main concerns is visibility, and when it’s raining, visibility is compromised. Another reason we don’t skydive in the rain is because our gear is not waterproof! Not only is it difficult and costly to dry out wet parachutes, but there are expensive electronic components that could get ruined if they become too water-logged. At this point, you may find yourself curious about what other conditions could be problematic for skydiving. Continue reading to find out what is a green light vs. what halts our operations.  

Skydiving with Clouds

If you guessed that clouds could present their own set of issues, you’d be correct. Clouds definitely play a factor in the visibility issue. Visibility is important to us as skydivers because we need to be able to see each other in the sky and we need to be able to spot our landing area. Additionally, it’s important for nearby aircraft to see us during a skydive. If the clouds are at a high enough altitude, then we will be jumping out of our plane all day long. But if there’s low cloud cover, fog or a blanket of clouds, we’ll be staying safely on the ground until our visibility improves. 

Skydiving and Wind Speeds

You may look outside, see blue skies, sunshine, zero clouds, and no rain. However, Spring weather can bring along strong winds. How much wind is too much for skydiving? The answer here is it depends. For solo students learning to skydive, the maximum winds allowed to jump are 14 miles per hour. For tandem skydiving, your instructor is allowed to jump in any wind conditions, but that definitely doesn’t mean they will take unnecessary risks just to skydive. Oftentimes, high or gusting winds can cause us to choose to stay on the ground until they subside, which can be as short as a few hours or as long as the entire day. 

What isn’t as much of an issue for us? People are generally surprised to learn that the ground temperature isn’t as much of a factor in our decision to toss ourselves out of an airplane a couple miles over the earth. The key for us here is to dress for the season that we are in. Comfortable clothes make all the difference!

How far in advance do we know if the weather is good for skydiving? If you’re curious about the forecast for your scheduled date, don’t hesitate to give us a call!  If the weather is not skydiving-friendly on the day of your jump, we will contact you to reschedule. We look forward to sharing in the adventure of skydiving with you and will make sure the conditions are just right!