How to document weather delays on a construction project
To claim time for weather, you need contemporaneous records showing what the conditions were, which activities they stopped, and that the weather was worse than what the contract expected you to price for. All three parts must be written down on the day — a weather claim assembled from memory is a weather claim denied.
The three records every weather claim needs
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The conditions themselves
Log temperature, wind speed, precipitation and ground conditions at the start of work and when conditions change. Use a consistent source — an on-site reading or a named weather service — so the data is defensible.
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The effect on specific activities
“Wind gusting 65 km/h, crane lifts suspended 09:40–16:00, cladding installation lost the day” is a claim. “Too windy to work” is an anecdote. Name the activity, the hours lost, and the crew standing idle.
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The comparison against the baseline
Most contracts only compensate weather that is exceptional versus historical averages for the location and season. Keep the daily record consistent so your project data can be set against the 10-year norms when the claim is made.
Where weather documentation goes wrong
- Recording weather only on bad days. If your log shows weather entries only when you claim, it reads as advocacy, not record-keeping. Log it every day, automatically if possible.
- No link to the program. A rained-out day only matters if it hit a critical activity. Tie each weather stop to the affected task.
- Round-number estimates. “Lost about a week to rain in March” invites a fight. Fourteen dated entries with photos ends one.
- Missing photos. Standing water, snow on the slab, mud where the access road was — photograph the conditions, not just the sky.
Doing this in TerenIQ
TerenIQ removes the discipline problem by logging weather for you:
- Live weather is recorded per site, every day — including the days nothing went wrong, which is exactly what makes the record credible.
- Site advisories flag conditions that threaten planned work, such as wind against a lift plan, so the hold is documented before anyone stands idle.
- Weather stops become entries in the daily report with photos, affected tasks and idle labor attached.
- The whole history is exportable in printable project reports when the claim is assembled.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a compensable weather delay?
It depends on the contract, but the common standard is weather exceptional for the location and season that affects critical-path activities. Your records must prove both the exceptionality and the effect.
Should weather be logged even on normal days?
Yes. A complete daily weather log is what makes the exceptional days believable — and it is the baseline your claim is judged against.
Can I rely on a public weather service instead of site records?
Regional data supports a claim but rarely carries it alone, because conditions on site (wind at height, standing water) differ from the airport ten miles away. Best practice is both: site records backed by a named service.