Will my washing dry outside today?

In short: your washing (or laundry) will dry outside today if it stays dry, there's a breeze and the air isn't damp. Put your postcode in the box above and we'll check for you. Wind and dry air matter more than warmth, so a cold, breezy day often beats a warm, muggy one. Get it out by mid-morning and in before dusk.

Is today a good day to dry washing outside?

Today's a good drying day if four things line up: no rain in the next few hours, a breeze, air that isn't damp, and enough daylight left. Here's how to check each one on a forecast:

1. Rain: look at the next few hours, not the day. A shower at 4pm doesn't matter if you're bringing it in at 3.
2. Wind: anything from a light breeze to a fresh one. In Weather for Dads, a cream wind arrow (12 to 25 kph) is ideal drying weather.
3. Damp air: fog, drizzle or low murky cloud mean the air is already full of moisture, so your shirts have nowhere to put theirs.
4. Daylight: in October you've got until mid-afternoon; in June, well into the evening.

What weather dries washing fastest?

A dry, breezy day with some sun dries washing fastest. The breeze carries the damp air away from the fabric, dry air takes the moisture up quickly, and sunshine adds energy to help it evaporate. Heat on its own helps less than you'd think: a warm, still, muggy afternoon can leave a towel damp for hours.

What temperature will washing dry outside?

There's no temperature where washing stops drying; it just gets slower as it gets colder. Even below freezing, the Royal Meteorological Society notes that ice in the fabric can turn straight into vapour if the air is dry enough, which is how a frozen-stiff sheet can still come in dry. What matters far more is how damp the air is and whether there's a breeze.

Will washing dry on a cloudy day?

Yes, washing dries on a cloudy day as long as it's breezy and the cloud is high and dry rather than low and murky. You lose the boost from the sun, so give it longer and peg it so the wind can get through it. Grey and breezy is fine; grey and still and clammy is a tumble-dryer day.

Will washing dry outside in winter?

Washing will dry outside in winter on a dry, breezy day, just more slowly. The short days are the bigger problem than the cold: get it out first thing and in by mid-afternoon, before the air cools and the dew starts. A crisp, sunny, breezy winter morning can be a surprisingly good drying day.

Will washing dry outside overnight?

Usually not. As the air cools after dark it gets closer to its dew point, so moisture settles back onto everything outside, your washing included, and on a clear night it can frost. Bring it in before dusk and finish it indoors.

Will towels and bedding dry outside today?

Towels and bedding dry outside on the same days as everything else. They just need two or three hours more. A bath towel holds far more water than a shirt, and a folded-over sheet traps damp air in the fold. So on a short autumn day, get the towels and sheets out first, peg sheets by the edges so the wind gets right through, and give towels a hard shake before and after. If the box above says it'll be slow, keep the towels for the next good drying day.

How windy is too windy for washing?

It's too windy once the wind averages 25 kph or more, or gusts reach about 40 kph: rotary lines spin, airers go over and pegs give up. That's exactly where Weather for Dads turns the wind arrow amber, which the app sums up as "bring the washing in". A steady breeze is your best friend; a gale is your neighbour's garden collecting your socks.

How does the box at the top decide if my washing will dry?

The box says yes when the hours left before dusk look dry, breezy and not damp, using the same forecast as the app. These are our rules, built on the Royal Meteorological Society's advice above:

• Rain: an hour with a 50% chance of rain or more is a no, unless there are at least three dry hours after it ("not yet, dry from") or before it ("yes, but in by"); 35% to 49% is "risky".
• Wind: an average of 25 kph or gusts of 40 kph is too windy for the line.
• Damp air: humidity of 90% or more, or fog or drizzle, means slow drying.
• Daylight: we count the hours to dusk, about 4pm from October to March and 7pm in summer.
• Drying power: a good drying day needs the air pulling moisture out of the fabric (its vapour pressure deficit, at least 0.4 kPa) and a breeze of at least 8 kph.

It's a forecast, so it can be wrong, and a shower can pop up out of nowhere on a breezy day. Our rain alerts will tell you when proper rain is minutes away if you turn them on in the app.

How do I check if it will rain on my washing?

Check the next hour and the next few hours, not just the day's icon. A day marked "showers" can still have a dry morning that's perfect for a load. In Weather for Dads, the next-hour panel says when rain is due to start, and the day graph shows the dry hours at a glance. If you want to know how far to trust it, how far ahead the forecast is accurate has the numbers, and what a chance of rain means explains the percentages.