Best Patio Umbrellas for High Wind Conditions

When purchasing an outdoor umbrella to complement any installation design consider the probability that bad weather conditions could eventually affect the result. It can be difficult to plan for the unpredictability of weather, but it still makes sense to understand the potential effect of high wind by examining how it can impact the umbrella system you choose.

What Factors Determine How Outdoor Umbrellas Hold Up to High Winds?

The most important element of any umbrella’s ability to withstand the wind is the type of support base used to hold the umbrella support pole in place. An outdoor umbrella with an anchoring system is the best patio umbrella for high wind conditions.

An anchored base (fastened down to the supporting surface) will almost always be more stable than a free-standing one. But reliable stability can still be attained with a base that has a large enough “footprint” (or has sufficient weight) to prevent the umbrella from becoming too top-heavy.

What Kind of Support Design Provides the Best Stability?

Single Central Pole Base

When choosing a commercial-grade umbrella, the single central pole base is usually the most wind resistant umbrella design. Reliance on a single central support makes the umbrella less likely to topple exclusively to one side if filled with air. They have a greater tendency to allow the harmless escape of air from under the rim of the umbrella canopy, enabling the umbrella to right itself as the trapped air escapes. This also minimizes potential wind damage to the canopy.

Cantilever Base

The one-arm cantilever umbrella style can be less stable than the single central pole option because its offset structural support relies on an extension arm, asymmetrically balanced, and more prone to flip.

This is much less of a problem for multi-sided cantilever umbrellas with two or more arms that can be symmetrically arranged in a more evenly-balanced configuration to resist wind shear.

Multiple cantilevers act as extra “legs” between the umbrella canopy and the base. Two, three, or four cantilever umbrellas, when deployed symmetrically, provide much sturdier support.

But adding additional umbrellas comes at a cost: multiple canopies offer more surface resistance to the wind force. Rectangular canopies also add “corners” as potential wind traps, adding to the tipping hazard. But this is easily alleviated through the use of one of the more robust base options below.

Your Choice of Base  

Traditional four-sided tents and awnings often rely on corner guy wires to lock them down and prevent tipping. But a modern commercial-grade, wind resistant patio umbrella shouldn’t require such measures. Bulky tie-downs and unwieldy cables would detract from an umbrella’s beauty and functionality.