Rain days, mud days and dry-out days

Rain stops work on the day it falls. The ground can keep a job shut down for days after. People use different words for these days, and contracts treat them differently. This guide explains the terms in plain English and what to record. It is general information, not legal advice.

The three terms

• Rain day. A day when rain stops or limits work. Some contracts define it with a rainfall number.
• Mud day. A day when no rain falls, but the site is too wet or muddy to work safely or properly.
• Dry-out day. A day, or several days, needed for the site to dry enough to resume work after rain.

These are job-site terms, not official ones. A contract may use one, all or none of them. Use the words in yours.

What weather records can and cannot show

The daily records WeatheredOut uses report rainfall, temperature and wind. They come from NOAA’s GHCN-Daily database. They do not report how wet the ground is. A record can show that it rained, how much, and on which day. It cannot show a mud day or a dry-out day on its own.

WeatheredOut counts days from the rules you enter, using rainfall, temperature and wind. It does not count mud days or dry-out days. What it can do is show you the rain dates, so you know which days to look at in your own log.

How to document the days after rain

Treat each of these days like a rain day: a dated entry with facts, so the record stands on its own.

• Note the date and what the site looked like that morning, such as standing water, soft ground or ruts.
• Take dated photos of the same spots each day until work resumes.
• Record which work could not go ahead and what stopped it, for example equipment sinking or ground too soft to work.
• Record when work resumed and what changed.
• Write down who you spoke with about the conditions, including the owner’s representative or an inspector, with the date and time.
• Keep any test results or inspection notes about ground or material conditions.

Check what your contract says about days after rain

Some contracts say something about days after rain. Many say nothing. If yours says nothing, do not assume how those days are treated. Keep the record and ask whoever manages the contract.

If your contract does give a rule for days after rain, write it down exactly as it is worded and apply it to the rain dates from your weather record.

Use the rain dates as your starting point

Run the month in the calculator to see which days had rain that met your threshold. The day-by-day table in the full report lists every day, so you can see which days came after rain and check your log for those dates.

For the basics of keeping a log, see the guide on documenting weather delays.

Common questions