When you’ve spent a lot of time creating a beautiful fireworks display, the weather forecast could quickly turn your mood sour. Rain might seem like the worst thing that could happen. But is it so? Can fireworks go off in the rain?
What does water do to your fireworks?
Fireworks use ignition to explode and the chemical mixture inside the fuse needs to be dry in order to go off. Therefore, if your fireworks are soaking wet, the fuse is unlikely to ignite and your fireworks simply won’t explode.
However, this doesn’t mean that fireworks and rain are automatically a bad idea. It all depends on how you’ve stored your fireworks before setting them off and how severe the rain is. So, just because the weather forecast is predicting rain, it doesn’t mean the show is necessarily off.
Keeping your fireworks dry beforehand
To ensure rain doesn’t stop your show, you have to store your fireworks properly. In fact, because dampness can ruin the fuse ignition, you always have to ensure your fireworks remain dry before you set them off.
The best way to do this is to ensure you keep your fireworks covered from the elements. Storing them in a dry and cool place, perhaps wrapped in a plastic bag is a good option. If you want to be extra careful, you can waterproof your fireworks’ fuse with cling film. Below is a good video to show you just how to do this:
Setting off fireworks in the rain
If the weather is rainy on the day of your display, you want to keep the fireworks covered in cling film or plastic bag as long as possible. You want to avoid the fuse from coming into contact with any large pools of water and you shouldn’t remove the protection until right before you’re about to ignite the fireworks.
Before lighting up the firework, check the fuse area carefully and ensure it is dry and undamaged. If you notice anything unusual, simply skip that firework and contact the retailer afterwards. Remote ignition can come in handy especially during rainy weather conditions.
If the firework doesn’t set off, you should never light it again. Simply skip this firework and take the firework back to the retailer.
When Might You cancel your fireworks display?
The key to using fireworks safely is all about waterproofing the fireworks and storing them safely before use. Light amount of rain and drizzle isn’t normally enough to ruin your fireworks if you follow the above tips.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should go on with the show in all sorts of weather conditions. If the rain is heavy and the weather is stormy, you might want to wait for things to calm down or to move your display to another day. Furthermore, you have to look out for the wind conditions. Strong wind can make the setting off dangerous and huge gusts of wind are always something you want to look out for. It’s essential to leave enough space between the person setting off the fireworks and the audience.
You can find plenty of safety tips on the Firework Crazy website. Always follow these instructions and do ask us, if you have any more concerns! You’ll end up having a lot more fun with your firework display when you put safety first.
