Rain delay in measurement

I used to think measuring in rain was a bad idea because it would often prove inaccurate when checked under dry conditions. But I think the inaccuracy is not as bad as I (or we, many of us thought this way) thought. Of course it's important to get a calibration ride under similar conditions as when you measured.

So, since I don't really like measuring in the rain, I've had to come up with other excuses -- er, I mean good reasons. One was that your notebook will get too wet and you either can't write in it or what you write will get washed away. But then I discovered, from other track officials, that you can purchase rain-safe notebooks, pencils, and pens-- so there goes reason #2!

I'm just left with this: when conditions are too wet you cannot apply paint marks on the road, or get tape to stick on it. There it is, you can't mark the course . . . until some smart-aleck points out that you could drive in a nail and washer. AND you can often give a precise location by referring to landmarks . . . What can I say? It's possible, I've done it, I don't like it, but I seem to be running out of excuses!

It's certainly not unusual to get rained out here in Michigan. But this year has been dry and I can't think of a single time a measuring day was rained out for me.
Like Bob, I doubt there's much loss of accuracy when measuring in the rain as long as you also calibrate in the rain. But I have no interest in testing this theory, and instead will just continue to tell RDs that it's not accurate, even though I suspect that's not true.

I was snowed out once, 6 inches of snow kept me from venturing out in traffic. No shortage of excuses to back out.

Being on the west coast measuring in the rain is sometimes unavoidable and I learned early in my measuring career to always use waterproof notebooks and to carry rain-gear when rain is forecast. Riding in the rain is not so bad, but I still avoid it whenever possible.

One of the concerns I have about measuring in the rain is that a cold rain can cause a significant temperature change in your tires which disappears when the rain stops. The worst part is the extra time it takes to maintain your bike after the ride.

I've measured in plenty of rainy days. This Spring season was rife with them. I haven't seen any major variance in my calibrations from what dry day numbers look like. It does of course impact my ability to mark the course with any paint marks and requires a follow up visit if they are needed/requested.