Spanish (Castilian) · B2 weather

Saber de qué lado sopla el viento

Literally: "To know from which side the wind blows"

To know which way the wind blows / assess a situation

Example

Antes de tomar una decisión en la reunión, quiero saber de qué lado sopla el viento.

Before making a decision at the meeting, I want to see which way the wind is blowing.

Pip says

Use this when you want to see how people feel about something before making your own move. Smart thinking!

What does this phrase mean?