Retract an awning in wind and rain
Updated: 22.10.2026
The cloth is out, the table is laid, and the forecast has turned from bright to a line of showers with a breeze behind them. A polyester bullet that says weather-resistant is not a reason to leave a 5 m awning open. You retract an awning in wind and rain before the front bar starts to move, and you do not borrow a wind class the listing never printed. The [5 m x 3 m cassette awning comparison](/hub/sun-shades/5m-x-3m-cassette-awning) is the six amazon.co.uk rows, none of which states a class or a sensor. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The cloth is out, the table is laid, and the forecast has turned from bright to a line of showers with a breeze behind them. A polyester bullet that says weather-resistant is not a reason to leave a 5 m awning open.
The cloth is out, the table is laid, and the forecast has turned from bright to a line of showers with a breeze behind them. A polyester bullet that says weather-resistant is not a reason to leave a 5 m awning open. You retract an awning in wind and rain before the front bar starts to move, and you do not borrow a wind class the listing never printed. The 5 m x 3 m cassette awning comparison is the six amazon.co.uk rows, none of which states a class or a sensor. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Hand crank | Cloth | Drive | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  MBDRKVGF MBDRKVGF electric awning 5 x 3 m (Anthracite 2) | 165 cm | 240 GSM, PU | Electric | 6.4 | about £139.95 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  MBDRKVGF MBDRKVGF electric awning 5 x 3 m (Anthracite 3) | 165 cm | 240 GSM, PU | Electric | 6.1 | about £139.95 | View offer |
| Alternative |  MBDRKVGF MBDRKVGF electric awning 5 x 3 m (Anthracite 6) | Not stated | 240 GSM | Electric | 4.8 | about £139.95 | View offer |
On this page
When the cloth has to come in
Folding-arm awnings are sunshades. The classes that exist sit in retained Regulation (EU) 2019/1188, Table 3, on legislation.gov.uk. Folding arms stop at class 2, at least 70 N/m². There is no class 3 for this product type. Samson, for the awnings they sell, reads a correctly installed class 2 as about 17-23 mph, and says retract when the front bar bounces. Weinor maps the same class to about 28-37 km/h. Those are makers' versions of a pressure figure, not a speed on these six listings.
If the front bar is lifting while people are still sitting under the cloth, it should already be in. Samson also says widths over about 4 m should be motorised, with a sensor if a device is making the decision. Sensors are not a fail-safe.
None of these extracts states a class or a sensor. You cannot call a £139.95 MBDRKVGF, or the £1,409.99 Generic, class 2 because the regulation has a row for it. Retract in a fresh breeze, and earlier if the bar moves.
Rain, frost and a wet roll
Light rain is the only rain a folding arm is commonly said to tolerate, and only if the cloth is pitched so water leaves. Samson treats the awning as a sunshade first. Light rain is acceptable at ideally 14 degrees or more. Heavy rain, wind-driven rain, frost and snow mean retract. A flat sheet pools, and a pool becomes a load on the brackets.
If your front bar is almost level with the cassette, you do not have that pitch, whatever a PU line says. Several cheaper listings state 240 GSM, and some add PU. The Generic states PU and no GSM. A coating can shed a shower. It is not a roof you leave out through an afternoon of rain.
Dry a wet cloth open once the weather has passed. Samson is explicit: a wet roll in the cassette marks the fabric. A cassette lid protects a stored roll. It does not protect an open 5 m sheet.
Sensors are an aid
A wind sensor is absent from every listing in this set. Samson and the British Blind and Shutter Association both say a sensor helps, gusts still exceed the limit, and some sensors only arm when the cloth is fully out. A partly extended awning can be the one the sensor is not watching.
An electric motor stops when the circuit is dead. Four MBDRKVGF electrics state a 165 cm crank: Anthracite 4 (B0HGGX9192), the charcoal (B0HGGX7Y5G), Anthracite 2 (B0HGH9BG21) and Anthracite 3 (B0HGHKS43G). Anthracite 6 (B0HGHKR73C) mentions a crank and gives no length. The Generic is manual only, so a power cut does not trap it, and a 5 m cloth on an unstated handle is still hard work in wind. Who wires the motor is how to fit a cassette awning.
Leave the cloth in when you leave if the forecast is unsettled.
Planning is not a free pass
Fixing a 3 m projection to the house is a planning question as well as a weather one. The Planning Portal treats an attached awning as an alteration, not as a freestanding gazebo. GOV.UK's householder guidance says development is not permitted on the principal elevation, or on a side elevation that fronts a highway, and that a veranda is outside those rights. A retractable sunshade on a rear wall is the case that often stays inside the rights, and often is not always.
Greater Cambridge uses 3 m as the rear projection for semis and terraces, and flags flats and listed buildings. It is one council, not the order in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
A lawful development certificate records that the council agrees. It does not replace Building Regulations. Permission to fix the brackets is not permission to leave the cloth out in a gale.
Common questions
Can I leave it out in the rain?
Only in light rain, and only if the pitch sheds the water, ideally around 14 degrees or more. Heavy rain, rain driven by wind, frost and snow mean the cloth comes in. A PU coating or a 240 GSM line is a fabric description. Dry a wet cloth open before you store it.
What is wind class 2 in ordinary language?
It is the top class Table 3 gives folding-arm awnings: a nominal test pressure of at least 70 N/m². Samson turns that into about 17-23 mph for the awnings they install correctly. Weinor uses about 28-37 km/h. A class 2 claim has to be the maker's claim for that model. It is not a general permission for every cassette.
Do these amazon.co.uk listings have a wind class?
No. The six extracts read for this comparison state no wind class and no wind sensor. The electric rows are semi-cassettes or half cassettes around £140, and the manual is cassette design at £1,409.99. Weather-resistant wording is not a class. You use them as sunshades you retract, or you buy a product that prints the class you need.
Will a wind sensor close it if I am out?
Not on these listings, because no sensor is included. On awnings that do have one, the sensor is an aid. Gusts can exceed the limit, and some sensors work only when the awning is fully extended. If you will be away, retract it before you go.
What if the power fails while it is open?
The motor stops. Four MBDRKVGF listings include a 165 cm crank so you can close the cloth by hand. Anthracite 6 includes a crank of unstated length. The Generic is manual already. Closing by crank is the emergency. Wiring a new outdoor circuit is a separate job for a registered electrician.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 19 October 2026. Updated 22.10.2026.
- Retained Regulation (EU) 2019/1188 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Planning Portal: awning FAQ (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- GOV.UK permitted development technical guidance (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Approved Document P (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Samson: retract in strong winds (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Awnings Online buying guide (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- amazon.co.uk listing B0HGGX9192 (retrieved 22.10.2026)