What a great service this gentleman has done for all of us by posting his mishap. The slower the aircraft we fly the more important the wind direction is. A thirty knot landing speed with ten knots tailwind mean landing at forty knots as opposed to a twenty knot landing speed into wind. That is a huge difference in landing distanced required and potential damage and injury. Because we almost always land into wind, and are used to the sight picture this presents, we will always be much too high if we stuff up the wind direction in an emergency, then of course we lower the nose to get into our paddock and speed increases.
We have very good forecasts. I try to be aware of the general ground wind forecast when I am flying. That can be updated enroute by the visual signs others here have pointed out, but at least if you have the forecast you have an early idea of which direction to land in. Trying to figure out the wind after an engine failure with the mind in overdrive is always going to be so much more difficult. With a new, untried aircraft especially, why fly low if you don't have to? Height AGL equals time. Time to think and time to cover distance.