@nkinnan @idefix37 there is already a user preference for the particle animation speed:
504d7073-6d31-4453-9bc4-b4e42cde36b9-image.png
Maybe adding a "None" option there could do the trick, without confusing casual users?
On the technical side, from a cursory look in the web developer console, it seems JS code is driving the animation. Freezing the animation loop in the debugger stopped the animation & CPU usage. Maybe adding "exit after one iteration" logic in that animation loop would go a long ways towards implementing a "no animation" preference?
On a recent paragliding trip I really noticed wind animations chewing through my phone battery quickly. While I was day tripping & had means of recharging my phone at the end of the day, energy usage is usually really tight on extended backcountry trips. This can be a safety issue. It would be great if we could understand wind flow forecasts without quickly running down phone batteries, and without manually toggling all wind display on & off.