In the Genesis flood story, in which month did the flood begin?

In the Genesis flood story, the flood began in the second month.

Genesis 7:11 dates the beginning of the flood to the seventeenth day of the second month in Noah’s six hundredth year. On that day, the fountains of the deep burst open and the windows of heaven were opened. The date is part of Genesis’s detailed chronological framework.

The second month should not be confused with the seventh month, when Genesis 8:4 says the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Later dates mark the appearance of mountain tops, the sending of the raven and dove, and the eventual drying of the earth.

Calendar terminology can create confusion because ancient Israelite calendars and later calendar systems do not map neatly onto modern named months. Genesis itself uses numbered months here, so “the second month” is the safest exact answer.