---
title: "How to Get an Email Before It Rains"
description: "Set up a rain alert that lands in your inbox the day before — weather apps, automation tricks, or one written sentence. No app needed."
url: "https://mailmewhen.com/guides/rain-alert-email"
lang: "en"
published: "2026-09-01"
modified: "2026-09-06"
---

# How to Get an Email Before It Rains

*Updated September 6, 2026*

There are a few ways to get an email before it rains: rain notifications in a weather app, an automation tool such as IFTTT, a calendar app that shows the day's forecast, or one sentence handed to MailMeWhen, which needs no account or app.

The forecast is always somewhere — an app, a widget, a website. The problem is you have to remember to look, and the one day you forget is the day it pours on your commute.

## Ways to get a rain alert by email

1. Weather apps: they can push rain notifications, but they're chatty — pollen counts, wind advisories, 'feels like' updates — and the one alert you care about drowns in the noise. They also live on one phone; email lives everywhere.
2. Automation tools: IFTTT has a classic 'email me if rain is forecast' applet. You'll need an account, the right applet, and some patience when the weather service behind it changes.
3. Calendar apps: some show a forecast on the day — which still relies on you opening the calendar and noticing.

## A rain alert in one sentence

With MailMeWhen you write the request the way you'd say it to a person: name your city, say you want a heads-up the day before rain. Then forget about it — on dry weeks you hear nothing at all.

The first 7 days are free with no payment details; after that it's $5/month, and it stops by itself if you don't subscribe. One reply stops it any time.

## Good to know about rain alerts

This is an event-driven request: letters arrive only when the condition is met, which is exactly what makes it useful. If you'd rather get a daily weather summary instead, write that — the sentence is the setting.

Forecasts are forecasts. A heads-up letter beats being surprised, but it can't promise the sky anything.

## Try it — hand us this sentence:

> I live in New York. Mail me the day before rain is expected, so I remember the umbrella.

[Take me there →](https://mailmewhen.com/?need=I%20live%20in%20New%20York.%20Mail%20me%20the%20day%20before%20rain%20is%20expected%2C%20so%20I%20remember%20the%20umbrella.)

## Common questions

**How far ahead does the rain alert arrive?**

The evening before, unless you ask otherwise. If you'd rather have it two days ahead or on the morning itself, write that in your request — the sentence is the setting.

**Does it work for any city?**

Yes. Name the city, or the neighbourhood if your area's weather differs from the city's. Forecasts are forecasts, though: the letter reflects the forecast for your place, not a promise.

**What if it doesn't rain for weeks?**

You hear nothing, which is the point. Within 24 hours of your request you get one letter confirming what we're watching; after that, letters come only when rain is expected.

## More guides

- [How to Get a Daily Weather Forecast by Email](https://mailmewhen.com/guides/daily-weather-forecast-email): Have tomorrow's weather for your city land in your inbox every morning or evening — weather-service emails, automation tools, or one written sentence.
- [How to Get a Word of the Day by Email, in Any Language](https://mailmewhen.com/guides/word-of-the-day-email): Daily word or phrase emails for the language you're learning — dictionary newsletters, language apps, or one written sentence that fits your level. No app.
- [How to Get a Daily Fact or Quote of the Day by Email](https://mailmewhen.com/guides/daily-fact-quote-email): One good fact or a quote of the day in your inbox — fact newsletters, quote services, an RSS feed, or one sentence describing the letter you want. No app.

---

[MailMeWhen](https://mailmewhen.com/) · [Guides](https://mailmewhen.com/guides) · [Privacy](https://mailmewhen.com/privacy) · [Terms](https://mailmewhen.com/terms)

Questions or ideas? Write to hello@mailmewhen.com — we always answer.

Markdown twin of every page: append `.md` to its URL or request it with `Accept: text/markdown`. Site summary for AI agents: https://mailmewhen.com/llms.txt. Full text of every guide: https://mailmewhen.com/llms-full.txt.