Weather

Weather is a game mechanic in Minecraft which provides an extra level of immersion for players, as the effects are intended to somewhat mirror real-world phenomenon. There are a few different types of weather effects, which only occur in the Overworld. The weather may have positive or negative effects on the environment, mobs or players.

Effects[]

Rain[]

Rain is a semi-common weather occurrence and is one of the two possible forms of precipitation. When it is raining, blue particles streak directly down from the sky until they come into contact with a surface. Small blue particles are left for a few seconds when individual droplets hit the ground (similar to how drops can seep through blocks when seen from below).

Rain will extinguish fire on the surface of the Overworld, as well as flaming arrows. Netherrack that is on fire will not be extinguished, however.
Mobs that are on fire are extinguished on contact with rain, preventing skeletons and zombies from burning during the day. Contrarily, Endermen, Blazes, Striders, and Snow Golems may die due to their weakness to water.
Fire Aspect is useless in rain.
Rain cannot be heard near the bedrock layer of a world.
On multiplayer servers, players can toggle between rain and clear skies using the /weather command.
Farmland becomes hydrated if it isn't already.
Cauldrons are slowly filled up with water in the rain.
Wolves shake themselves dry if they are not moving.
Fish are more abundant during rain.

Thunderstorms[]

Thunderstorms (sometimes called thunder or lightning) are a special type of weather. They are considered dangerous because they not only make the environment dark enough for hostile mobs to spawn but have various effects on certain mobs, nearly all of which is bad for a player. Villagers become Witches and Creepers become a variant known as "Charged Creepers". Lightning can also set blocks on fire. If lightning strikes within a few blocks/meters of any mob, they will lose 5 () health.

As of the Combat Update, lightning may spawn a Skeleton Trap Horse. These mobs spawn additional skeleton horsemen when a player comes near them.

Snow[]

Snow falls occasionally in cold biomes, such as the Ice Plains Biome, Ice Plains Spikes Biome, and cold Taiga Biomes. Snow can also occur in the Extreme Hills Biome, at high altitudes. Snow can cover the land with a layer, creating "ice caps" on the mountains of an extreme hills biome.

Overcast[]

Overcast occurs in dry biomes, such as deserts, savannas, and badlands. While it doesn't rain in those biomes, the light level will still drop and the Sun and Moon will become shrouded, so a player can only tell the sun/moon's position with a clock. Overcast skies can be a useful sign that weather is occurring elsewhere while a player is in a desert, savanna, or badlands.

Trivia[]

Since thunderstorms are darker than rain, it is possible for mobs to spawn at any time of day or Night.
Players can still sleep during a thunderstorm, even during the daytime.
It is extremely rare, but possible for a lightning bolt to activate a Nether Portal.
If a charged creeper is struck by lightning again, it will die. This is because lightning deals damage.
Rain can deal damage to Endermen, Blazes, and Snow Golems.
If Endermen are out in the Overworld during a storm, they will rapidly teleport around randomly as they attempt to find a spot where they won't get wet.
Weather was introduced to Minecraft in Beta 1.5.
Weather can be changed using the /weather command. To use the weather command a player must type: /weather [clear/rain/thunder].
When the Sun is visible, it can be considered "clear weather".
Leaving a cauldron in the rain, may cause it to fill up with water, if a block tick hits the cauldron; however, this only has a small chance of occurring.
A block of farmland may become hydrated during a rainfall.
Rain used to fall through anything, so you could see it if you were underground or in a shelter.