Weather

Weather is a phenomenon in *Going Medieval* that can, sometimes, adversely affect your villagers health.

Most weather types are benign such as rain or snow, however there are a number of weather events that are not.

## Weather Events

* Heatwave
* Cold Snap
* Thunderstorm
* Hail

### Heatwave

This weather phenomenon can last multiple days, it is most common during the summer month but can run over into autumn as well. Due to the higher temperatures your villagers will start to suffer the effects of heat and if it isn't managed properly can lead to unconsciousness and even death. Food items will also begin to rot and degrade faster.

There are, however, a few things you can do to mitigate the high temperatures. Summer clothing and straw hats will increase your villager's resistance to heat allowing them to work outside for longer before becoming overcome by heatstroke, another method is to change their sleep cycle to be more nocturnal. This allows your villagers to sleep in the cooler buildings during the day and at the peak of the heatwave, then to come out in the evening/night when temperatures are much lower.

For food there is only really one method to save the majority of it and that is to build stockpiles underground, the deeper the better.

### Cold snap

This weather phenomenon, like the heatwave, can last multiple days, it is most common during the winter month but can occur during spring time. A cold snap will rapidly reduce the temperature and cause your villagers to suffer the effects of cold, again, like the heatwave if it isn't managed properly it can lead to unconsciousness and death.

To properly counteract the adverse effects of a cold snap you will need to equip your villagers with winter clothing and caps. Unfortunately, unlike the heatwave, there is no sleep schedule that can easily avoid a cold snap's drop in temperature. The lower temperatures also mean that a cold snap during the spring month can lead to a shorter harvest period as the already frigid temperatures will drop below the minimum 5°C required to seed and grow crops, potentially leading to food shortages later.

Heating homes and workspaces during a cold snap is also crucial, providing islands of heat for villagers to recover from long periods of exposure to cold can help to mitigate most of the cold snap's bite. Heating bedrooms and barracks are essential for survival, if a villager cannot raise their temperature they will eventually die from hypothermia.

### Thunderstorm

*"Unexpected thunder roared, crashing through the bruised sky. A violent presence, intruding like a bad omen, held echos of a heathen god. Fork lightening flickered and blazed towards the ground, splitting a mighty oak."*

This weather event is more random than the previous, it can occur at any time but generally does not last longer than a day. Heavy precipitation will be followed by lightning strikes at random locations on the map, it is unknown if this will do harm or damage to villagers or structures.[Citation needed]

### Hail

This weather event, like the thunderstorm, is also random and can happen at any time, even during the summer. Hailstones will fall from the sky for a short period, usually no more than a day. However, contrary to the event message, the hail will not do any damage to your villagers or resources left unsheltered and can be safely ignored, it is not known if this is a bug or a feature that has not yet been developed. It can damage buildings with stability 1. [Citation needed]