Rain



Rain is an element in the game. Much like snowfall, it is a type of weather. It currently exists in Classic and Beta versions of the game.

Rain in Classic
Rain is a feature activated by pressing F5 in-game in Classic. Rain can also fall on Multiplayer, but cannot be seen by other players. It will only fall where the sky isn't blocked and currently has no effect on gameplay. Rain is a single moving sprite. When it falls on a block it makes a splashing effect. To improve frame rate, rain isn't replicated all throughout a map. It is instead one sprite on all sides of the player. When the player goes inside and far away from the falling rain it disappears but reappears when you move close to outside again. Water does not stop rain like a solid block. Instead, it falls through as if there was air. The same applies to lava and small plants.

Rain in Beta 1.5
Rain and falling snow were included in Beta Version 1.5. The rain waters hydrate farmland, wets wolves, extinguishes block and mob fires (except Netherrack), and increases fish-catching chances. It also only falls between blocks on the borders, this is most visible when standing on the borders between blocks and looking up.

Rain decreases the light level by 3, to light level 12 in full daylight. During a rainstorm, the moon, sun, and stars are hidden from view, and thunderstorms become possible. Thunderstorms decrease the light level by 8 levels, to light level 7 even in full daylight, which is dark enough to spawn aggressive mobs. Rain and snow are global events. If a pig is directly struck by lightning, it will morph into a Zombie Pigman. Creepers struck by lightning get "supercharged" and will explode more violently than usual. Rain doesn't fall in a desert biome. If it is raining and you enter a desert biome, there will be no rainfall on the sand blocks. Rain will fall on the sand on non-desert beaches. Rain will also fall above cloud level.