by Elizabeth S. Craig
We’ve all read mysteries where a thunderstorm conveniently knocks out the power just as the sleuth is about to make a breakthrough, or where fog rolls in to create the perfect atmosphere for a murder. Weather tropes can have their place, but can do more for a mystery than set a spooky scene.
Thoughtful use of weather can help with character development, create plot complications, establish timelines, and even provide some clues.
Weather and Character Development
How characters respond to weather conditions can reveal glimpses of their personalities, backgrounds, and hidden traits. There could be the retiree who still rises at dawn to check the frost on his garden. Or the transplanted Floridian who bundles up at the first hint of a chill. Or maybe the neighbor who tracks rainfall amounts when everyone else is rushing indoors to get out of the storm.
These weather-related characteristics feel natural while subtly reinforcing the traits that drive characters’ actions throughout the story.
Weather as Timeline Verifier
Weather events make great timeline markers that characters can’t easily lie about. This could be the sudden downpour that soaked everybody at the farmers market or the surprise hailstorm that damaged cars in the school parking lot.
These events create fixed points to verify alibis or expose inconsistencies. “If you were really walking home at 3 PM, why weren’t your shoes muddy from the cloudburst?”
Climate and Regional Identity
Weather doesn’t just happen in a mystery, but shapes the community where your story unfolds. Local weather patterns influence your setting’s culture, economy, and social rhythms.
In my books, which are set in the South, hot weather can make a graveside funeral uncomfortable, mourners grouchy, or make folks a little more candid.
Moving Beyond the Thunderstorm
Here are a few alternate weather scenarios:
- Morning ground fog that makes travel tricky
- An early heat wave that affects personalities and moods
- Persistent drizzle that keeps characters indoors
Weather can affect moods, decisions, and activities. How do you use weather in your books? Do you notice it as a reader?
Weather as Plot Device in Mysteries Share on X
The humidity that soaks everyone to the bone…
I got better the more I wrote about including weather. Of course my characters were on a spaceship most of the time in a couple stories and a thunderstorm would've been a bit out of place then…
I'm really glad you brought this topic up, Elizabeth. One of the things I like about effective use of weather is that it grounds the characters a bit more in reality. Bundling into a coat or switching to a tank top because of the heat are things that real people do. That helps the whole story seem more real. And of course, as you say, the weather can form a plot element, offer a clue, and a lot more!