If you like reading gardening articles, you would likely have read to wait until your grass has dried before mowing your lawn. But, you may be wondering, ‘how long does it take for grass to dry after rain?’
The amount of time it will take for your lawn to dry depends on various factors such as the climate, season, and how long it rained for. Provided the weather is reasonably warm, and there aren’t reoccurring showers, it will take one or two days for the grass to dry out completely. Let’s look at how long it takes for grass to dry and what factors affect how quickly grass dries.
How long does it take wet grass to dry?
To tell whether your grass is dry, you can look at the ground and examine the grass blades. The grass may look damp, with visible water droplets clinging to the blades.
On other days it’s likely to be more of a challenge to tell how wet the grass is just by looking. If you’re able to walk across your lawn and your shoes don’t get wet, this indicates that the grass is dry enough to mow your lawn.
Here are some factors that will affect how long it takes for your lawn to dry out after it’s been raining:
Rain Duration and Intensity
The main thing that will affect how long your lawn takes to dry is how long it rains for and the intensity of the rain. The grass won’t be able to start drying until it’s completely stopped raining.
It will also take significantly longer for grass to dry if the rain has been very heavy. Again, this is because the ground will be a lot more soaked after a heavy downpour.
Weather After the Rain
Once the rain stops, the weather will also affect how long it takes for the grass to dry out. Rain showers often occur at different times of the year and during various types of weather.
Spring rain showers
Many states often have Spring rain showers, and due to the moderate temperature and frequency of the rain, the grass will take longer to dry. It can often take between one and three days for the ground to dry out entirely during the spring. The exact amount of time will also depend on how wet your lawn was already if there have been past rain showers. Sometimes the grass won’t dry out completely as there will be ongoing showers at regular intervals.
This is common in states with high spring rainfall and is the best time to plant grass.
Showers on Sunny Days
Sometimes there are rain showers on a sunny day, although this is less common. You’ll be able to see a rainbow if it’s sunny and raining at the same time, and the grass will also dry out a lot quicker once the rain has stopped. Sunny showers are generally short and less intense than rain at other times of the year. The grass is likely to dry out completely in less than a day.
Freezing Rain
During the winter, rain falls as snow, sleet, hailstones, or freezing rain. As temperatures fluctuate, the rain will either soak the ground, and the grass will remain wet for weeks, or if it’s cold enough, the ground will freeze. The good news is that your lawn doesn’t need to be mowed during the winter season as it doesn’t grow much, so it doesn’t matter that the grass is unlikely to dry.
Location
Your location will also affect how saturated your lawn becomes. Grass at lower altitudes or at the bottom of a hill is likely to be affected by water runoff, making it wetter. Grass in higher altitudes will dry more quickly as the water will seep downhill.
How much sunlight your region gets will also determine how quickly the grass can dry. Grass in shaded areas will take a lot longer to dry up completely.
Conclusion
It takes an average of one or two days for the grass to dry out thoroughly. The exact amount of time will vary slightly depending on the weather, how heavy the rain was, and the geographical region you live in. It’s always a good idea to wait for the grass to dry after rain. Mowing when the grass is wet can be dangerous. Do now mow in the rain.
To check whether your grass is dry enough to cut, you can walk through it, and if your shoes don’t get wet and you can’t see any water droplets, it will be ok to mow your lawn.