Weather effects

Weather effects are ambient graphics that appear in-game that simulate real weather. In patch 1.10 rainfall, snowstorms and sandstorms were added to various zones in World of Warcraft. For several years after being added, weather had no gameplay effect. With the introduction of the Pet Battle System in Mists of Pandaria, some capturable battle pets now only appear during specific weather.

Current weather effects

• Clouds - varies over time.
• Fog - apart from obscuring one's view, has no mechanical effects.
• Lightning - appears in some zones (like the Blasted Lands), but currently has no mechanical effect as a weather phenomenon.
• Snow - can be seen on the ground and on trees in some zones, and now also as precipitation since patch 1.10.0. In such zones, you can see a character's breath, much like you would in real life in a cold environment.
• Rainfall - added in patch 1.10.0.
• Sandstorms - added in patch 1.10.0.
• Snowstorms - added in patch 2.3.2, possibly to showcase heavy snow that may be in WotLK. This is a more intense form of snowfall with visible heavy wind blowing snowflakes in each, and every direction.

Zones with weather

Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms

Weather currently occurs the following areas:

Arcane Storms

• Azuremyst Isle (Arcane energy bolts)

Blood Rain

• Scarlet Enclave

Duststorms

• Badlands

Rain

• Ashenvale
• Arathi Highlands
• Arathi Basin
• Azshara
• Darkshore
• Darnassus
• Desolace
• Deadwind Pass
• Durotar (including Orgrimmar, not always at the same time)
• Dustwallow Marsh (can be triggered in Theramore for the duration of the  [15-30] Take Down Tethyr! event)
• Duskwood
• Eastern Plaguelands (including Stratholme)
• Elwynn Forest (including Stormwind City, not always at the same time)
• Feralas
• Hillsbrad Foothills
• Hinterlands
• Loch Modan
• Mulgore (including Thunder Bluff, but not at the same time)
• Redridge Mountains
• Silverpine Forest
• Stranglethorn Vale (including Zul'Gurub)
• Teldrassil
• Tirisfal Glades (including Scarlet Monastery)
• Tol Barad
• Un'Goro Crater
• Westfall
• Wetlands

Sandstorms

• Silithus (including Ahn'Qiraj)

Note: A sandstorm starts automatically when you engage Ossirian the Unscarred in the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj and does not stop once the encounter is over.

• Tanaris
• Uldum

Snow

• Alterac Mountains
• Dun Morogh
• Winterspring

Outland

Arcane Storms

• Netherstorm

Rain

• Zangarmarsh

Northrend

Rain

• Emerald Dragonshrine in Dragonblight
• Sholazar Basin
• Ulduar (Rain will automatically start to fall nearing phase 2 of the Freya encounter)

Snow

• Dragonblight
• Storm Peaks

Pandaria

Rain

• Isle of Thunder
• Krasarang Wilds
• The Jade Forest
• Valley of the Four Winds

Snow

• Kun-Lai Summit (Mount Neverest)

Draenor

Rain

• Gorgrond
• Shadowmoon Valley
• Talador (Zangarra)
• Tanaan Jungle

Blood Rain

• Spires of Arak (Sethekk Hollow, Lost Veil Anzu)

Snow

• Frostfire Ridge

Fog

• Shadowmoon Valley (Umbrafen)

Ash

• Tanaan Jungle

Broken Isles (and Argus)

Please add any available information to this section.

Rain

• Azsuna
• Eye of Azshara
• Highmountain
• Stormheim

Arcane Sparkles

• Suramar City

Snow

• Highmountain (Mountains)

BfA Zones (Kul Tiras, Zandalar, Nazjatar, Island Expeditions)

Please add any available information to this section.

Ash

• Molten Cay

Blood Rain

• Nazmir

Fog

• Skittering Hollow
• Zuldazar

Rain

• Nazmir
• Un'gol Ruins
• Zuldazar
• Nazjatar

Sandstorm

• Un'gol Ruins
• Vol'dun

Snow

• Dread Chain

Shadowlands (and Exile's Reach)

Please add any available information to this section.

Anima Sparkles

• Ardenweald
• Bastion
• Maldraxxus

Fog

• Maldraxxus
• Revendreth

Plant Particles

• Bastion

Rain

• Exile's Reach (the storm that causes your ship to sink)
• Revendreth

Dragon Isles (and The Emerald Dream)

Please add any available information to this section.

Ash

• Fyrakk Assault camp location (Ohn'ahran Plains or Azure Span)
• Elemental Storm (fire) location
• Zaralek Cavern

Dream Sparkles

• Dreamsurge location (Ohn'ahran Plains, Thaldraszus, The Azure Span, The Waking Shores)

Green Crystal Sparkles

• Zaralek Cavern

Rain

• Elemental Storm (storm) location

• Ohn'ahran Plains
• Thaldraszus
• The Azure Span
• The Forbidden Reach
• The Waking Shores

Sandstorm

• Elemental Storm (earth) location

Snow

• Elemental Storm (Water) location

• The Azure Span

Sulfur Fog

• Zaralek Cavern

Coding details

"Instead, each sub-zone among the 11 where weather is currently available is now linked to a set of variables that allow for the possibility of precipitation. The variables have been set to make the potential weather appropriate, meaning heavy showers are more likely in one region and drizzles in another. As Kaplan described it, the zone is practically asking itself whether there will be weather. "It's sort of randomly picking: 'I'm ready to rain but do I want to rain?' " he said. Duration will be chosen based on an automated system as well, with enough variables to make things unpredictable. "We didn't want it to be such a mathematical formula that somebody could literally sit with a stopwatch, log in, go to a zone and go, 'OK in two, one, go — it's going to rain.' "

Speculation

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

Possible future inclusion

• Volcanic ash - a storm of ashes surrounding in-game volcanoes.
• Monsoon rainfall - the developers may add an intense monsoon everywhere for about a week.
• Christmas Snow - on Christmas it might snow everywhere all at once.

Videos

• Rain (World of Warcraft Weather Effect)
• Snow (World of Warcraft Weather Effect)