diff --git a/src/layers/wind/model.js b/src/layers/wind/model.js
index bdc9cd413..b7e5c8667 100644
--- a/src/layers/wind/model.js
+++ b/src/layers/wind/model.js
@@ -36,9 +36,9 @@ export function windSpeed(u, v) {
   return Math.hypot(u, v);
 }
 
-/** Map wind magnitude to a fixed CSS colour ramp. */
+/** Map wind magnitude to a fixed CSS colour ramp (bright from calm upward). */
 export function windColor(speed, { max = 30 } = {}) {
-  const stops = ['#4a5568', '#7fe3ff', '#7dffb0', '#ffd166', '#ff7a59'];
+  const stops = ['#38bdf8', '#22d3ee', '#34d399', '#fbbf24', '#f87171'];
   const t = Math.max(0, Math.min(1, speed / max));
   const position = t * (stops.length - 1);
   const index = Math.min(stops.length - 2, Math.floor(position));
diff --git a/src/layers/wind/rendering.js b/src/layers/wind/rendering.js
index 646ee6b77..9e556c6e6 100644
--- a/src/layers/wind/rendering.js
+++ b/src/layers/wind/rendering.js
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export function createWindRendering({ cesium, container, getViewer } = {}) {
   let lastTime = 0;
   let cssWidth = 1;
   let cssHeight = 1;
+  let warned = false;
 
   const randomParticle = () => ({
     lon: Math.random() * 360 - 180,
@@ -26,13 +27,46 @@ export function createWindRendering({ cesium, container, getViewer } = {}) {
     age: Math.random() * 180,
   });
 
+  /**
+   * Spawn a particle inside the current view. Prefers the camera's visible
+   * rectangle (robust at any zoom), then ellipsoid picking, then a whole-globe
+   * fallback. Seeding globally would leave almost nothing on screen at regional
+   * zoom, which reads as "the layer is broken".
+   */
+  const spawnParticle = (scene) => {
+    const camera = scene?.camera;
+    if (camera?.computeViewRectangle && cesium.Ellipsoid && cesium.Math) {
+      try {
+        const rect = camera.computeViewRectangle(cesium.Ellipsoid.WGS84);
+        if (rect) {
+          const west = cesium.Math.toDegrees(rect.west);
+          let east = cesium.Math.toDegrees(rect.east);
+          const south = cesium.Math.toDegrees(rect.south);
+          const north = cesium.Math.toDegrees(rect.north);
+          if (east < west) east += 360; // rectangle crosses the antimeridian
+          const lon = west + Math.random() * (east - west);
+          const lat = south + Math.random() * (north - south);
+          return {
+            lon: ((lon + 180) % 360 + 360) % 360 - 180,
+            lat: Math.max(-89, Math.min(89, lat)),
+            age: Math.random() * 30,
+          };
+        }
+      } catch {
+        /* fall through to the global fallback */
+      }
+    }
+    return randomParticle();
+  };
+
   const budget = () =>
-    Math.max(3000, Math.min(8000, Math.floor((cssWidth * cssHeight) / 1000)));
+    Math.max(4000, Math.min(12000, Math.floor((cssWidth * cssHeight) / 150)));
 
   const seed = () => {
     particles = [];
     const limit = budget();
-    for (let i = 0; i < limit; i += 1) particles.push(randomParticle());
+    const scene = getViewer?.()?.scene;
+    for (let i = 0; i < limit; i += 1) particles.push(spawnParticle(scene));
   };
 
   const resize = (viewer) => {
@@ -49,6 +83,7 @@ export function createWindRendering({ cesium, container, getViewer } = {}) {
 
   /** Project lon/lat to CSS pixels, or null when hidden by the globe. */
   const project = (scene, occluder, lon, lat) => {
+    if (!Number.isFinite(lon) || !Number.isFinite(lat)) return null;
     const cartesian = cesium.Cartesian3.fromDegrees(lon, lat, 0);
     if (occluder && !occluder.isPointVisible(cartesian)) return null;
     return cesium.SceneTransforms.worldToWindowCoordinates(scene, cartesian);
@@ -59,42 +94,74 @@ export function createWindRendering({ cesium, container, getViewer } = {}) {
     if (!running) return;
     const viewer = getViewer?.();
     if (!viewer || viewer.isDestroyed?.()) return;
-    resize(viewer);
-    const dt = lastTime ? Math.min(1, Math.max(0, (time - lastTime) / 1000)) : 0.016;
-    lastTime = time;
-    context.fillStyle = 'rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08)';
-    context.fillRect(0, 0, cssWidth, cssHeight);
-    if (!field) {
-      frame = globalThis.requestAnimationFrame(draw);
-      return;
-    }
-    const scene = viewer.scene;
-    const occluder = cesium.EllipsoidalOccluder
-      ? new cesium.EllipsoidalOccluder(cesium.Ellipsoid.WGS84, scene.camera.positionWC)
-      : null;
-    for (const particle of particles) {
-      const wind = sampleWind(field, particle.lon, particle.lat);
-      const before = { lon: particle.lon, lat: particle.lat };
-      advectParticle(particle, wind, dt, { speedScale: 8 });
-      particle.age += dt;
-      const point = project(scene, occluder, particle.lon, particle.lat);
-      const offscreen =
-        !point ||
-        point.x < 0 ||
-        point.y < 0 ||
-        point.x > cssWidth ||
-        point.y > cssHeight;
-      if (particle.age > 240 || offscreen) {
-        Object.assign(particle, randomParticle());
-        continue;
+    try {
+      resize(viewer);
+      const dt = lastTime ? Math.min(1, Math.max(0, (time - lastTime) / 1000)) : 0.016;
+      lastTime = time;
+      // Fade previous trails by ERASING them (destination-out). A translucent
+      // black fill would instead accumulate alpha and saturate the overlay.
+      context.globalCompositeOperation = 'destination-out';
+      context.fillStyle = 'rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.02)';
+      context.fillRect(0, 0, cssWidth, cssHeight);
+      if (!field) {
+        frame = globalThis.requestAnimationFrame(draw);
+        return;
+      }
+      const scene = viewer.scene;
+      // Real wind (m/s) is invisible at globe scale, so the advection is
+      // exaggerated in proportion to camera height: the same visual speed is
+      // legible whether the camera is at street level or over a whole hemisphere.
+      const cameraHeight = scene.camera?.positionCartographic?.height ?? 1e6;
+      const speedScale = Math.max(1, Math.min(4000, cameraHeight / 400));
+      let occluder = null;
+      try {
+        if (cesium.EllipsoidalOccluder && cesium.Ellipsoid && scene.camera?.positionWC)
+          occluder = new cesium.EllipsoidalOccluder(cesium.Ellipsoid.WGS84, scene.camera.positionWC);
+      } catch {
+        occluder = null; // fall back to frustum-only culling
+      }
+      context.lineWidth = 1.8;
+      context.globalAlpha = 0.9;
+      // Normal (non-additive) blending: additive strokes saturate to white when
+      // many trails overlap over a dark globe.
+      context.globalCompositeOperation = 'source-over';
+      for (const particle of particles) {
+        const wind = sampleWind(field, particle.lon, particle.lat);
+        const before = { lon: particle.lon, lat: particle.lat };
+        advectParticle(particle, wind, dt, { speedScale });
+        particle.age += dt;
+        // A NaN/Infinity position (polar divide-by-zero or a bad grid value)
+        // must never reach Cesium: it throws and would abort the whole frame.
+        if (!Number.isFinite(particle.lon) || !Number.isFinite(particle.lat)) {
+          Object.assign(particle, spawnParticle(scene));
+          continue;
+        }
+        const point = project(scene, occluder, particle.lon, particle.lat);
+        const offscreen =
+          !point ||
+          point.x < 0 ||
+          point.y < 0 ||
+          point.x > cssWidth ||
+          point.y > cssHeight;
+        if (particle.age > 240 || offscreen) {
+          Object.assign(particle, spawnParticle(scene));
+          continue;
+        }
+        const previous = project(scene, occluder, before.lon, before.lat);
+        if (!previous) continue;
+        const speed = windSpeed(wind.u, wind.v);
+        context.strokeStyle = windColor(speed);
+        context.beginPath();
+        context.moveTo(previous.x, previous.y);
+        context.lineTo(point.x, point.y);
+        context.stroke();
+      }
+      context.globalAlpha = 1;
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (!warned) {
+        console.warn('[Data:Wind] frame failed:', error?.message || error);
+        warned = true;
       }
-      const previous = project(scene, occluder, before.lon, before.lat);
-      if (!previous) continue;
-      context.strokeStyle = windColor(windSpeed(wind.u, wind.v));
-      context.beginPath();
-      context.moveTo(previous.x, previous.y);
-      context.lineTo(point.x, point.y);
-      context.stroke();
     }
     frame = globalThis.requestAnimationFrame(draw);
   };
@@ -104,6 +171,7 @@ export function createWindRendering({ cesium, container, getViewer } = {}) {
     attach() {
       if (canvas) return;
       canvas = document.createElement('canvas');
+      canvas.dataset.gevWind = '1';
       canvas.style.position = 'absolute';
       canvas.style.inset = '0';
       canvas.style.pointerEvents = 'none';
diff --git a/src/layers/wind/rendering.test.mjs b/src/layers/wind/rendering.test.mjs
index 179b58d86..dade321db 100644
--- a/src/layers/wind/rendering.test.mjs
+++ b/src/layers/wind/rendering.test.mjs
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ function harness({ occluded = false } = {}) {
   };
   const canvas = {
     style: {},
+    dataset: {},
     width: 0,
     height: 0,
     clientWidth: 800,