The crosswind component measures the amount of crosswind you will be exposed to when you land.  It is a combination of the wind strength and direction. You obviously want to determine the expected crosswind component at your destination as part of your preflight planning. In order to do this you will need to do the following: - Determine the surface wind forecast at the time of your arrival. The easiest method for doing this is through a TAF (Terminal Area Forecast), if one exists for that airport. If a TAF does not exist you can use the surface winds chart from any appropriate source. - Convert the winds in the TAF from true into magnetic - Find the angular difference between the magnetic winds and the runway of intended use Refer to a crosswind chart If all this sounds too complicated, there are now apps that will enable the calculations to be done more easily.  But in practice, if the wind seems too strong and is perpendicular to the runway, you might prefer to simply give it a miss, which is what most of us do.  There is no point in pushing either the aircraft or your own skills right to the limit!