A First of Its Kind Data-Driven Look at Lost Play Days

Across the country, young people, and really people of all ages, rely upon public parks, playing fields and playgrounds for recreation, exercise, and outdoor enjoyment. And many of us are disappointed when fields and facilities are closed due to inclement weather.

So at the Better Play Initiative, we were curious about how many days a year facilities are closed as a result of rain.  We looked and looked, but we could not find any annual data about closures anywhere across the country. There are clearly places where you can get daily alerts – either by phone or text – when there are field closures, but nothing that aggregates that data.  

At least to us, that leaves key community leaders flying blind when it comes to making informed decisions about what are the most appropriate facilities investments that municipalities and parks departments are making, leaving parents, and local decision-makers without basic information. 

This is the gap that the Better Play Initiative is seeking to fill with our new report, Rained Out: Quantifying Precipitation-Driven Play Loss on Grass Fields in Western Washington. 

Western Washington is one of the wettest regions in the United States. The Olympic Peninsula, in particular, receives some of the highest rainfall totals anywhere in North America. Many of these communities are already having conversations about field surfaces, field renovations, and long-term infrastructure investments, making actionable data on lost play days especially important. The report looks at how precipitation affects grass-field availability and how many play days communities in the region lose each year due to rain.

This first-of-its-kind study gives communities a clearer sense of the impact that inclement weather has on outdoor play. Additionally, it offers a framework that other communities can use to begin tracking lost play days and making field-access decisions with better information. 

Using 2025 precipitation data from 312 NOAA weather stations, the report analyzed 12 counties in western Washington. The report showcases that field access is dictated not only by whether it rains, but by how much it rains, how well fields drain, and how long grass fields need to recover after heavier weather events.

For Pacific, Grays Harbor, Mason, and Lewis counties, the report estimates more than 70 lost grass-field play days annually due to precipitation. That represents more than two months of potential field availability and a significant number of lost games and practices. At the other end, Jefferson County averages just 18 lost play days, and Clallam County averages 30.3. Across all counties analyzed, the mean is nearly 49 lost play days per year.

The report also shows that different counties experience lost play days in different ways. Some places have frequent light rain, while others see fewer rainy days but more intense storms. A heavier rain event can keep a grass field closed beyond the day it rains because the field needs time to drain and recover.

These numbers matter because access to fields matters. With better information, communities can make more informed decisions.

For example: administrators can align sports calendars with seasonal rainfall patterns, expand summer programming when weather risk is lower, and invest in drainage improvements in areas with frequent high-intensity rain events. In high-demand, high-precipitation locations, they can consider artificial turf as an option for improving field reliability. In areas where grass fields regularly lose a high number of play days, alternative surfacing is worth evaluating alongside other infrastructure improvements.

Many parks departments and municipalities already publish field availability day to day, but do not historically track closures or a condition status. 

Communities would benefit from a clearer picture, such as an annual field-usage and closure transparency report. These reports should track how many play (full and partial) days are lost each year, closer duration, program impact and makeup capacity, field status, as well as highlight which fields are most affected. 

Communities need safe, reliable, and accessible places to play. Better data can help local leaders understand where field access is limited and take steps to improve it.

Rain will always affect outdoor sports. But communities can plan for it more effectively.

To learn more, please read our report, Rained Out: Quantifying Precipitation-Driven Play Loss on Grass Fields in Western Washington.

Let me know if you have any questions.  Looking forward to hearing your feedback.