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In Polished Crystal, certain areas have dynamic overworld weather: rain, thunderstorms, snow, or sandstorms; based on story flags, day-of-week checks, or permanent map settings. While the vanilla would only darkened the screen at night, this game creates a more immersive experience with the weather visuals and sound effects.

Each overworld weather corresponds to the standard in-battle weather: Rain, Hail, or Sandstorm.

List of Overworld Weather

Main databases: engine/events/overcast.asm, engine/events/weather.asm, and engine/overworld/weather.asm

The code defines how each map is flagged for permanent or conditional weather, how the game decides thunder vs. rain, and the probabilities behind lightning and thunder effects.

Overcast: Rain and Thunderstorm

Some areas can have rain or a thunderstorm instead of clear weather, designated as "overcast":

• Rain: Falling raindrop sprites and raindrop splashes on the ground
• Thunderstorm: Heavier rain plus occasional lightning flashes and thunder sounds (about a ~0.5% chance for each game frame to trigger a flash/crash)

When you (re-)enter an overcast map, the game randomly decides whether it’s normal rain or a thunderstorm; there is roughly a 25% chance for a thunderstorm. The weather stays the same while you remain on that map; re-entering the map re-rolls the weather, potentially switching from rain to thunder or vice versa.

Overcast translates to Rain at the start of battle.

Locations

• Azalea Town + Route 33:
  • Overcast (rain/thunder) on Sun./Tues./Thurs./Sat. after defeating the Team Rocket in the Slowpoke Well
  • Clear until the Slowpoke's return
• Lake of Rage + Route 43:
  • Always overcast before defeating the Team Rocket in the Mahogany Hideout (i.e. before the civilians return)
  • Afterward, overcast only on Mon./Wed./Fri.; clear otherwise
• Stormy Beach: Permanently overcast (no day/event conditions)
• Goldenrod City and nearby Routes:
  • Overcast only during the Team Rocket takeover
  • Reverts to clear once the takeover is resolved

Snow

Gentle snowflake sprites drift downward across the screen. It translates to Hail at the start of battle.

Locations

• Snowtop Mountain, both inside and outside: Always snowing (no special requirements or day-of-week checks)

Sandstorm

Sand/sandgrain sprites blow across the screen. It translates to Sandstorm at the start of battle.

Locations

• Rugged Road, both north and south: A desert-like area with a permanent sandstorm