08/11/2026
I love this explanation of why we sometimes cancel when it βlooks fineβ:
βοΈ πππ πππ πππ ππππππ? ππβπ πππππππ
ππ πππππππ!
Itβs probably the #1 question we get when Mother Nature grounds us.
Hot air ballooning is πππ% π°ππππ‘ππ« πππ©ππ§πππ§π, and what you feel standing on the ground is only one small piece of a much bigger weather puzzle.
π¨ ππππ ππ #π
More balloon flights are canceled because of wind than anything else. We prefer light, stable winds under 7-10 mph or less, because wind affects every single phase of a balloon flight.
π¬οΈ πππ πππππβπ ππ ππππ ππππ! (We hear this one A LOT.)
Our pilots arenβt only looking at the wind where youβre standing. Theyβre also looking at winds aloftβwhatβs happening hundreds and thousands of feet above you.
It can be perfectly calm on the ground while winds above us are too strong or unstable, or conditions are creating wind shear or turbulence. Balloon pilots have to think about weather in three dimensions, not just what the trees are doing at the launch field.
βοΈ πππ ππ'π πππ ππππππππ ππππ!
It doesnβt have to.
Storms miles away can produce dangerous winds and outflow that reach our flying area even when the sky above us looks perfectly fine. We have to consider forecasts, radar and storms throughout the surrounding areaβnot simply whether itβs raining where we are.
Sometimes we cancel and the weather turns out beautiful.
That doesnβt mean we made the wrong call.
It means we made the safest decision possible with the information available at the time the decision had to be made.
β° π'π πππππππ π
πππ π πππππ ππππ, πππ ππππ'π πππ ππππππ ππ π
πππππ πππππππππ?
Because weather changesβand sometimes it changes FAST.
Forecasts are constantly updating, which is why we typically make our decision just a couple of hours before flight time. We want the most current and accurate information possible before making that call.
And even then, Mother Nature can change her mind.
A βgoβ two hours before the flight is never a guarantee that weβll fly. We continue monitoring conditions right up until the balloon leaves the ground. If the weather changes between decision time and launch time, our decision changes with it.
We know cancellations are disappointing. Theyβre disappointing to us, too. Flying balloons is what we do for a livingβwhen we donβt fly, we donβt make money. So believe us when we say we πΎπ¨π΅π» to fly!
But after more than 25 years in this business, one thing will never change:
π πΎπ ππππ πππππ ππππππ ππππ πππ ππππππππππ, πππ ππππ ππ πππ πππππππππ ππππ ππ πππ π ππππππ ππ.
When Mother Nature says no, we listen.
Blue skies are great. Safe skies are better. β€οΈπ
