For how many days did rain fall in the Noah’s Ark story?

In the Noah’s Ark story, rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights. Genesis 7:12 uses this phrase when describing the onset of the Flood.

The number 40 is a recurring period in biblical narratives, including the Israelites’ wilderness journey and Jesus’ fast in the New Testament. In the Ark narrative, it identifies the duration of the rainfall rather than the total time Noah and the animals remained aboard.

That distinction matters because Genesis also describes the waters prevailing on the earth for 150 days. The full chronology includes waiting, rising waters, receding waters, and time spent inside the Ark, so the Flood story lasts much longer than the initial forty-day rain.

Later summaries sometimes say simply that the Flood lasted forty days. More precisely, forty days and forty nights refers to the rain, not necessarily the entire period covered by the narrative.