Weather

Weather is a system of precipitation and brightness that occurs in the Overworld. There are three types of weather: clear, rain, and thunder.

Precipitation

Clouds are visible as a varied stripe moving against the background that straddles world coordinates y = 123(upper) and 122(lower). During rain and thunder, all rain and snow falls from these two layers. Any blocks above these layers will not experience the effects of precipitation.

Clouds also become darker during rain and thunder.

Shelter

Suitable blocks at the lower cloud layer or below will stop rain and snow reaching the area beneath them. Barriers include solid blocks and water.

Puddles, snow, and moss can form as high as the upper cloud layer, while ice and snow blocks can form on the lower.

Rain

Precipitation falls in the form of rain in most areas, however deserts experience no precipitation.

Contact effects:

• Water blocks (puddles) form in 1x1 holes with a dirt floor and dirt walls.
• Moss forms on rock and cobblestone.

Snow

Precipitation falls in the form of snow in snowy areas. These areas can generate in any biome.

Contact effects:

• Ice replaces water.
• Snow forms on most surfaces.
• Snow blocks replace snow given walls, and can pile as deep as the walls allow.

Brightness

The game will become darker during certain types of weather.

In clear weather, the brightness is normal.

During rain, the game will appear darker.

During thunder the game will appear even darker than it does during rain.

Lightning

During thunder, lightning occurs every so often. Thunder sounds are played and the screen can flash slightly yellow. Lightning can spawn from the clouds, and it will look like a yellow branch. If it hits a mob or the player, it can cause damage, or even death.

Commands

The /weather command can be used to manipulate the weather. These are its parameters: /weather <get|set [clear|rain|thunder]>

Typing /weather get outputs the current weather. The player can change the weather by typing /weather set [clear|rain|thunder], eg. /weather set clear sets the weather to clear.

The player can also change the weather in the creative inventory.

History

Version	Date	Changes
Prior to 1.4.34	Day 15	Added snow biomes
Prior to 1.4.34	Day 19	Added rain Added snow Made thunder sounds in storms Made moss form in rain
Prior to 1.4.34	Day 20	Added rain sound loops Rain may seep through leaves Snow blocks form in 1x1 areas while it snows Puddles form in 1x1 areas while it rains It gets darker while it's raining Weather is now random
Prior to 1.8.8	N/A	Snow can turn lava and acid into obsidian Lowered rain sound volume Rain and snow pause when the game pauses No raining in deserts
1.21	May 27, 2012	Loud rain noises fixed
1.23	Oct 31, 2012	Rain bugs fixed Rain can be collected in 1x1 blocks again Snowy regions are saved when a player exits Snow and snow blocks are placed correctly when snowing
1.26.5	Jul 3, 2014	Added weather command Tweaked rain sound effect Snow doesn't form on lily pads
1.27	Nov 13, 2015	Fixed loud and strange rain sound effect

See also

• Rain
• Snow
• Overworld