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The exact parameter behavior can vary with the server build. No official 2026 reference confirming every range and default is available, so treat acceleration limits and older forum workarounds as version-dependent.
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Which file controls each setting?
Keep the two jobs separate when troubleshooting:
| What you want to change | File | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Starting date and clock | serverDZ.cfg |
The server’s main configuration directory |
| In-game time speed | serverDZ.cfg |
Near the serverTime setting |
| Cloud, rain, fog and wind behavior | cfgweather.xml |
The active mission folder |
cfgEconomyCore.xml and types.xml are economy and loot files, not the documented location for clock or weather settings. Changing them will not set the server’s time or sky.
Before you edit anything
- Stop the DayZ server. Editing while it is running can be overwritten when the process saves its current state.
- Identify the active mission. The weather file must belong to the mission and map the server actually starts.
- Download or copy both files. Keep an untouched backup of
serverDZ.cfgandcfgweather.xmlso you can restore the previous behavior. - Use a plain-text or XML-aware editor. Do not let a word processor change quotation marks, indentation, or line endings.
- Make one logical change at a time. It is much easier to determine whether a clock or weather change worked when both were not altered simultaneously.
Set the starting time in serverDZ.cfg
Use the machine’s local time
Set serverTime to SystemTime when the server should start according to the host machine’s local clock:
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serverTime = "SystemTime";This follows the machine’s local time, so check the operating system’s time zone if the in-game clock appears offset from your expectation.
Use a fixed date and time
For a repeatable start, use a quoted date in the form YYYY/MM/DD/HH/MM. The documented example is:
serverTime = "2015/4/8/17/23";That example represents 8 April 2015 at 17:23. Keep the slash-separated order and the quotation marks. A malformed value can be ignored or produce a fallback, depending on the server build.
Control how quickly the in-game clock advances
serverTimeAcceleration is a multiplier for in-game time. A community guide used:
serverTimeAcceleration = 3;That guide reported days moving three times faster and nights lasting about 45 minutes in its setup. Those observations are not a guaranteed duration for every map, server build, or configuration, and a complete official range for the setting has not been confirmed. If you use a different multiplier, record the result on your own server rather than assuming a linear real-world schedule.
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Restart and verify the clock
- Save
serverDZ.cfgwhile the server is stopped. - Start the server normally and join after the mission has loaded.
- Check the in-game sun position and clock at more than one point in the session.
- If the server starts at an unexpected hour, recheck spelling, quotation marks, separators, and whether you edited the configuration used by that instance.
Choose the correct cfgweather.xml
Weather is read from the active mission directory, not from the main server configuration. A Chernarus mission commonly uses:
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mpmissions/dayzOffline.enoch/cfgweather.xmlOther maps use their own mission names. The reliable rule is to edit cfgweather.xml inside the mission folder that appears in the server’s launch configuration. Editing a similarly named file for another map has no effect on the running mission.
Enable and reload weather settings
Make sure the file is enabled
The weather configuration must have enable set to 1. If it is disabled, the server ignores the file and uses default weather:
enable="1"Preserve the surrounding XML structure and edit the existing attribute rather than creating a second weather block.
Use reset when changes are not being loaded
The reset option controls whether the server reloads the file’s values on boot. A forum header note describes reset as false by default and identifies both enable and reset as Boolean-style settings. Set:
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reset="1"temporarily when you need to force a reload after a configuration change. Restart, check the weather, and then decide whether to leave that behavior enabled according to the conventions of your server build. If the file still appears ignored, do not assume the setting was accepted: verify the mission path and XML validity first.
Adjust overcast, rain, fog and wind
Open the existing weather elements in cfgweather.xml. The documented controls are:
- Overcast: cloud-cover targets and limits.
- Rain: rain targets and limits.
- Fog: fog targets and limits.
- Wind: wind targets and limits.
Each weather type includes a value, limits, time limits, and change limits. The value describes the current or target level; limits constrain how high or low it may move; time-related fields govern how long transitions take; and change limits constrain the size or rate of a transition. Keep the element names and attributes supplied by the mission’s original file. The available numeric range and default values have not been verified against an official current-version specification.
Force a generally clear pattern
The reported method for clear skies is to lower the maximum overcast and rain values and keep the fog maximum low. Do not delete the elements or remove their timing and change-limit attributes. A low maximum does not necessarily mean an instant change: the server may still move toward the target over the configured transition period.
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Snow and the Sakhal map
Snow settings apply only to the winter map Sakhal. A snow-related change in a Chernarus or Livonia mission will not create snow there; use the weather options supported by that map and its mission file.
Validate the XML before restarting
A malformed XML tag can make the server revert to default weather. Before starting the server:
- Check that every opening element has a matching closing element, unless it uses the file’s existing self-closing form.
- Confirm that quotation marks around attribute values are paired.
- Remove accidental characters before the first element or after the final closing tag.
- Use an XML validator in your editor, if available.
- Compare the edited file with your backup when the validator reports an error.
Do not “fix” an error by deleting an entire weather element. Restore the original structure and change only the intended value.
A complete change-and-test workflow
- Stop the server. Wait until the process is fully stopped.
- Back up the files. Save dated copies of
serverDZ.cfgand the mission’scfgweather.xml. - Edit the clock. Set
serverTimetoSystemTimeor a fixedYYYY/MM/DD/HH/MMstring. AdjustserverTimeAccelerationonly if you need a different day/night pace. - Edit the weather file. Confirm
enable="1", usereset="1"when a reload is required, and adjust the existing overcast, rain, fog, or wind limits. - Validate the XML. Correct structural errors before proceeding.
- Start the server. Allow the mission to finish loading.
- Check in game. Observe both the clock and the sky. Weather transitions may take time according to the file’s time limits.
- Change only one remaining variable. If the result is wrong, revert the last change rather than rewriting the whole file.
Troubleshoot common failures
The server is always starting at night
An older forum report describes serverTime being ignored after an update, with the server starting at night. That report may not apply to current versions. First confirm that the line is in the active serverDZ.cfg, uses the exact parameter name, and contains a valid quoted value. Then perform a clean stop and restart. If the behavior persists, test a fixed date rather than SystemTime to separate a time-zone issue from a parser or version issue.
Weather stays at maximum overcast, fog, rain and wind
Forum users reported weather remaining at 100 percent for several categories when the weather file was enabled. One reported improvement after setting reset="1" and restarting. Treat this as a troubleshooting lead rather than a guaranteed fix: verify the active mission path, validate XML, and ensure the file is enabled before changing other values.
Weather keeps drifting toward rain
One forum theory says the vanilla overcast target of 0.45 sits close to a rain threshold of 0.5, causing weather to hover near the boundary. This is unverified. Do not build a production configuration around that explanation. Instead, inspect the overcast and rain limits in the mission file, lower the maximums if your goal is clear weather, and allow enough time after a restart to observe the configured transitions.
The file appears to do nothing
- Confirm that
enableis set to1. - Confirm that you edited the mission folder for the running map.
- Set
reset="1"for a restart test. - Validate the XML and look for a broken tag.
- Check that the server was actually stopped before saving.
- Restore the backup if the file has accumulated conflicting edits.
A script-based weather change is not sticking
Some forum users experimented with init.c scripting and reported that weather state is stored in events.bin. They also reported that negative values did not work. These are unresolved community observations, not a confirmed current API contract. If you use a script, first establish a working file-based configuration, then test the script separately and keep a backup so you can remove it without losing the known-good XML.
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How to choose practical settings
Stable daylight for building or administration
Use a fixed serverTime so every restart begins at a predictable hour. Keep the acceleration conservative until you have observed a complete day/night cycle on your own server. A faster multiplier can make night shorter, but the reported 45-minute night with a multiplier of 3 came from one community setup and should not be treated as a universal promise.
Natural changing weather
Leave the mission’s transition and change-limit fields intact and adjust only the category limits you need. This preserves gradual movement instead of forcing abrupt jumps. Observe the server through several transitions before making another edit.
Mostly clear conditions
Lower the maximum overcast and rain values and keep fog’s maximum low, then restart with the weather file enabled. If the sky remains cloudy or wet, confirm that the server has had enough time to move from its previous state and that reset was used when necessary.
Rollback and maintenance
Keep dated backups whenever you update the DayZ server or change maps. A configuration that works for Chernarus may not be the correct file for Livonia or Sakhal. When a future update changes behavior, restore the last known-good files, test the unmodified mission configuration, and reapply one setting at a time. This also gives you a clean way to determine whether a problem comes from the game version, the mission file, or an added script.
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What is confirmed and what remains version-dependent?
The file roles, the serverTime formats, the mission-folder location of cfgweather.xml, the need for enable="1", and the use of reset="1" as a reload test are the practical foundations described by available guides and forum reports. The valid acceleration range, exact defaults, and current behavior after a game update are not established by an official 2026 reference. Plan a short restart-and-observe test after every significant server update rather than assuming an older configuration will behave identically.
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