Weather
Under the open sky (outdoor areas and the overworld) there is weather: clear, overcast, rain, or heavy rain. It is the same everywhere in the land at a time. In dungeons you cannot tell what the weather is outside.
The pause menu (Esc) tells the weather while you are under the sky, for
example The 12th of Rainmoon, 1444, under a waxing gibbous moon, rain at 9 °C, the world waits.
It calls clear weather clear skies and overcast grey skies.
How the weather changes
The weather changes every three hours or so, not always on the hour. It tends to last: a rainy spell often goes on for half a day. It mostly changes to a neighbouring kind: from clear to overcast, from overcast to rain, from rain to heavy rain, and back. When it changes, the light dims or brightens over about an hour as the clouds come and go.
How likely each weather is depends on the month. Rainmoon is the wettest month and Highsun the driest:
| Month | Clear | Overcast | Rain | Heavy rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frostmere | 40% | 40% | 15% | 5% |
| Thawmonth | 35% | 35% | 22% | 8% |
| Seedtide | 40% | 30% | 22% | 8% |
| Rainmoon | 20% | 30% | 35% | 15% |
| Greenleaf | 40% | 30% | 22% | 8% |
| Highsun | 70% | 18% | 9% | 3% |
| Emberheat | 65% | 20% | 10% | 5% |
| Harvestide | 55% | 25% | 14% | 6% |
| Leaffall | 40% | 30% | 22% | 8% |
| Mistmoon | 30% | 45% | 18% | 7% |
| Darkening | 30% | 35% | 25% | 10% |
| Deepwinter | 35% | 45% | 15% | 5% |
Over many days each weather comes up as often as its chance says. Nothing you do changes it: the weather is the same however you spend the time, waiting, resting, or travelling.
Clouds and light
Clouds take light away from the sky. They block most of the direct light of the sun and the moon, so shadows grow faint. They spread some of that light over the whole sky, so the light is flat and grey. Overcast days are duller, and rainy days darker still:
| Weather | Light at noon, in the open | In the shade | A full moon’s light | Overworld sight lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear | 100% | 100% | 100% | none |
| Overcast | 57% | 152% | 58% | none |
| Rain | 41% | 124% | 44% | 2 cells |
| Heavy rain | 28% | 90% | 30% | 4 cells |
Percentages are of the light of a clear sky at the same moment. The shade is where the sun does not reach but the sky does; the brighter it is next to the open ground, the fainter the shadows. The last column is what the weather itself takes from your sight on the overworld; at night its clouds also dim the moon, and with it how far you see by moonlight (see the overworld).
By day you still see well enough in any weather. At night clouds hide the moon: under an overcast sky even a full moon is too faint for normal eyes. So outdoor areas are dark unless you bring a lantern. See Sun, moon, and sky.
Clouds and warmth
The weather also changes the temperature: clear nights are colder, overcast ones milder, and rain cools the air (see Temperature and ice).
Rain and sight
On the overworld, rain shortens how far you see by the cells in the last column above, but never below the 2 cells you see on the darkest night. Overcast skies take no cells away. At night, though, any cloud cover dims the moon, and with it how far you see by moonlight: on an overcast night a full moon shows you less than on a clear one. On foot, in outdoor areas, the weather only changes the light.
Messages and resting
When the weather changes while you are under the sky, the message line says so:
| From | To | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Clear | Overcast | “Clouds gather.” |
| Clear or overcast | Rain | “It starts to rain.” |
| Clear or overcast | Heavy rain | “It starts to pour.” |
| Rain | Heavy rain | “The rain grows heavy.” |
| Heavy rain | Rain | “The rain eases.” |
| Rain or heavy rain | Overcast | “The rain stops.” |
| Rain or heavy rain | Clear | “The rain stops and the sky clears.” |
| Overcast | Clear | “The sky clears.” |
Arriving under the sky says nothing; the pause menu tells the weather.
Rain starting, or growing heavier, wakes you: it stops a rest. Other news (clouds gathering or parting, the rain easing or stopping) is written to the message line but does not stop a rest.
What you see
While it rains, faint drops fall on the cells you see under the sky, splash on open ground, and ring on still water. They never fall under a roof. Heavy rain falls thicker. Drops are lit like everything else, so you hardly see them at night except in the light of your lantern. The Weather switch in the settings, and reduced effects, turn the falling rain off. The darker light stays, since it is part of what you see.
See also: Sun and moon, Temperature and ice, and The overworld.