What Do Rain Dreams Mean?

What Does It Mean to Dream of Rain?

Rain can appear in our dreams in many different ways. Because they’re all related to water, these dreams are said to represent our feelings and desires. Happily, they usually revolve around good fortune.

Water is essential for life and is seen by many as a divine gift. It helps plants grow and sustains every living being, so dreaming of rain is seen as a sign that you’re set to receive a blessing in your waking life.

On the other hand, the saying “rain on your parade” refers to the inconvenience or dismay that rain can bring to those outdoor activities that are more enjoyable in sunny weather. So some dreams of rain can symbolise that your plans seem to be frustrated by logistical issues that may not be anyone’s fault, according to The Symbolism.

This all means there are different answers to the question, depending on just how rain came to feature in your dream. Here we’ll find out what these could be.

The Dream:

Sipping on an exotic cocktail from your beachside hammock, you let out a sigh of complete happiness. You have the most incredible view of the ocean from your spot in a tranquil little bay on a tropical island.

The sun’s setting, the sky’s a gorgeous golden red and, resting in the hammock hung up outside your wooden beach hut, you think life couldn’t get any better!

You hear a gentle pitter patter as the hypnotic sound of rain splashing on the hut roof provides the perfect soundtrack to the scene. The raindrops are soft and warm and you let them wash over you. You’re drenched in rain, but it feels incredible, refreshing and cleansing.

Then you awaken from the heavenly dream. But what could it mean?

Meaning(s) of the dream:

Dreams about rain often signify positive and happy feelings about life in general. This dream should encourage you to move on with your life, no matter how things currently are.

Jungian analyst Brian Collinson believes rain’s importance as a ‘blessed bringer of fertility to earth, crops, vegetation and ultimately all animal life’ are crucial aspects of our experience of water. Many cultures with limited rainfall worship a god who’s often a key member of the pantheon — such as Chac, the Mayan god of rainfall.

Rain is the quintessential symbol of fertility, streaming down onto the earth and, according to Collinson, this symbolic fertile abundance is often part of the meaning of these dreams.

Common meanings behind rain dreams

Rain falls outside a window, with the inside darkened but the outside lush with trees.

There’s a huge variety of dreams about rain. From watching it pouring down outside a window in your home, to being caught out in a heavy shower and getting soaked, or seeing a violent and frightening thunderstorm.

Here we explore more precise meanings of each of these variations.

1. Dreaming of rain over a house

If you watch rain falling directly onto your house in a dream, it’s said to mean you’ll receive a blessing, but if the rain was falling over your whole town in the dream, this is even better as it means blessings for everyone.

Whenever you dream about water leaking into your house because of rain, or your home becoming flooded, this is said to be a sign that you’ll need to spend some money for some unexpected reason in the near future. According to Aunty Flo, dreaming about water entering your house and flooding your possessions represents the emotions, the water in your home is symbolic of your creative energy and its effects on the world.

This dream also signposts that you’re set to have a passionate love. According to Psychologist World dreaming that your house is leaking during rain predicts illicit pleasure will come to you out of the blue.

2. Dreaming about rain on your window

Watching the rain pouring onto the ground outside your window in a dream could be a sign that spiritual ideas and insights are coming into your awareness. Additionally, it can also symbolise fortune and love.

If you were watching raindrops slowly trickling down your windowpane from the inside of your room, get ready for good news! True love or good fortune could be heading your way.

3. Dreaming about heavy rain

Likewise, when you dream of dark clouds and a downpour of heavy rain it’s said to be a sign of your conscious spiritual growth and that your life is soon set to change for the better. If you‘re unhappy with your daily routine or disappointed about something going on in your life, prepare yourself to experience real happiness.

And, according to Regular Dream, a rainstorm dream may hold the solution to your most significant problems as rain washes away the dust from the air, and blesses the dry land with its moisture. So if you’ve been suffering deep pain recently, take comfort that happiness is not so far away.

4. Dreaming about rain with lightning and thunder

Did you hear the roar of thunder and lightning crackling during a rainstorm in your dream? If so, you’re in for some serious enlightenment as you may be set to discover something shocking, pleasant, or even both. If there was both sun and rain in your dream, this could mean that you are going to taste some success in the near future.

A fully veiled person walks through a rainy, yet sunny, forest with a blue umbrella.

Answering the dream:

It’s common not to remember the details of your dream exactly. In fact, it’s natural for us to forget most of your dreams within moments of waking up. If you dreamt about rain but can’t recollect the details, it mostly means that you have an optimistic approach towards life. You can make good use of this positivity and start improving yourself.

Rain in your dream might also indicate there’s an important issue you need to communicate with people. You may also feel overwhelmed about something. As a result, it could be time to get more in touch with your feelings and emotions. If you have a tension in your current relationship and your love life, or you have problems at work, this could be at the root of why you had this dream.

So what are the most important issues this kind of dream can bring to light? Although there may not be a definite meaning, your brain processes things as you sleep, so it can show you areas that need your attention. These could be connected to your emotions, patience, or even fears.

Notable appearances in popular culture:

“I’m singing in the rain, just singin’ in the rain
What a glorious feeling, I’m happy again
I’m laughing at clouds so dark up above
The sun’s in my heart and I’m ready for love.”

Who doesn’t know and love these wonderfully evocative and uplifting lyrics, sung by Gene Kelly in the famous dreamlike sequence from the classic musical Singing in the Rain? It’s often ranked as one of the best films ever made and is a milestone in western culture.

Another wet weather-based song to stand the test of time is Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head, a No 1 pop hit and an Oscar-winner for best original song as part of one of the biggest movies of 1969, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. In fact, there are a plethora of pop songs that use rain as a metaphor and many of the great songwriters have used it. For example, in Bob Dylan’s masterpiece, ‘A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall’, The Beatles’ experimental ‘Rain’, and Led Zeppelin’s sublime ‘The Rain Song.’

Of course, like storms or clouds, rain is seldom used literally. Instead, it’s mainly used to denote hardship, bad times, or even suicide. Fortunately it’s not all doom and gloom, as if you’re a Weather Girl, it’s sometimes “raining men.”

Find out more about dreams that evoke strong emotions by reading our articles on being chased in your dream, why your teeth fall out in your dream and what it means to be late in your dream.