As a general rule, the descriptions below illustrate the effects of various amounts of rainfall. Use these as general guide only. Many variables such as terrain, temperature and intensity can modify the descriptions.

1/100th of an inch – The least amount measurable by the National Weather Service. This amount would not leave puddles on the ground and would slightly wet the surface. Example: A light shower for 2-5 minutes or drizzle for 2 hours. Rarely does this amount of rainfall cause cancellation of an event, although it may affect attendance.

1/10 of an inch – A light rain for 30-40 minutes, moderate rain for 10 minutes or heavy rain for 5 minutes. Small puddles would form but usually disappear after a short period of time.

1/4th of an inch – A light rain for 2-3 hours, moderate rain for 30-60 minutes or heavy rain for 15 minutes. Many puddles on the ground that do not disappear quickly.

1/2 of an inch – A light rain never reaches this amount, moderate rain for 1-2 hours or heavy rain for 30-45 minutes. Deep standing water for long periods of time.

No, rarely should the times be the same. Here are some examples:

A concert that starts at 8pm and ends at 11pm. You would probably want coverage to start earlier than 8pm because if it is raining at the time patrons are about to come to the concert (say 6pm), they may decide then not to attend. It would be safe to end coverage at a time when you would not be obligated to refund ticket money if it did rain. This might be an hour after the headliner is scheduled to be on stage. In this example a rain policy that started at 6pm and ended at 9 or 10pm would be appropriate.

A family arts, craft & food festival that starts at 10am and ends at 8pm. Generally, the peak time for this type of event is early afternoon to early evening. Unlike the strict scheduling of the concert example above, if it’s raining earlier in the morning, patrons can still attend later in the afternoon if the weather clears, thereby preserving your ticket sales, parking revenue and concessions income potential. Therefore it’s important that the rain policy cover your peak attendance times. It would be safe to end coverage at a time when anyone who is coming to your event is already there! In this example a rain policy that started at 1pm and ended at 6 or 7pm would be appropriate.

A film shoot that starts at 8am and ends at 8pm. Because of the ability of film productions to improvise and adapt to weather conditions, it is usually not necessary to insure the full 12 hours of a production against rain. In this example, the shoot may only need 6 hours of good weather out of the entire 12 for actual filming. (The balance of the hours used for prep which can be accomplished in the rain). Therefore, a rain policy that guaranteed no rain for any 6 out of the 12 hours would be recommended.

Unless you specify otherwise, we use the closest National Weather Service Office for hourly readings. (See your quote for the nearest office to your event according to the information the insurance company has on file.) However, if the closest office is some distance from your event, weather patterns may not be the same. (It could rain at your event and not rain at the weather reading station.)

If you feel this verification station is too far from your event, or if you want readings other than on the hour,  you have the option of:

1. Using an independent weather observer who will take readings on-site. Or

2. Using Doppler Radar readings for your specific location.

There are costs involved in both of these options. There is no additional cost to use the closest National Weather Service Office.