Weather Explainers

Should You Walk Or Run To Stay Driest In The Rain? Science Has The Answer

Walk and spend more time getting wet, or run and collide with more raindrops? Science has the answer.

Getting caught in the rain without an umbrella is never fun, but is there a way to minimize how wet you get?

Many people wonder whether it’s better to walk and spend more time in the rain or run and crash into more raindrops. It turns out, there's a scientific answer. Let's break it down:

Physics tells us that no matter how fast you move, the amount of rain hitting you from above always stays the same. Picture raindrops frozen on a vertical plane. As you pass through a section of falling rain, you’ll encounter the same amount of water from the top whether you’re walking or sprinting.

Here it is in equation form:

Rain Drops From Above x Time Spent Under Rain = How Wet You Get

However, moving forward means you also collide with raindrops from the front or the side. So that equation only applies if you’re standing still and only the rain from above is soaking you. As soon as you start to move, you add more rain to the equation:

(Rain Drops From Above + Rain Drops From Side) x Time Spent Under Rain = How Wet You Get

This is where speed starts to matter – but not how you would think.

Over a given distance, you’ll hit the same amount of rain from the front regardless of your speed, so the key factor in staying dry is actually time. The longer you spend in the rain, the more water falls on you – simple as that.

(Rain Drops From Above + Rain Drops From Side) x LESS Time Spent Under Rain = LESS Wet

Since the amount of rain hitting you from above is constant over speed, and the amount of rain hitting you from the side is constant over distance, you can only control how quickly you get indoors. That means running is the best strategy for staying as dry as you can.

(MORE: Can You Get A Cold From Being Out In The Rain?)

The Fine Print

Wind speed and direction can complicate things, pushing rain at different angles and affecting how much water hits you. If the rain is blowing sideways due to strong winds, the equation is no longer straightforward.

And as we all know, wind often accompanies rain. At least one study has also been done on whether the shape of your body impacts how wet you get. But in the simplest of cases, speed is your friend when it comes to escaping a downpour – so run for cover, but do it safely!

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