Wet weather, and wet bowstrings decided, in part, the Battle of Crecy in 1346.
They lose elasticity when they get wet.
This happened to the Genoese mercenary crossbowmen at the Battle of Crecy in 1346. Their range was seriously hampered by their wet bowstrings, and they were unable to counter the English bowmen,who had wisely kept their strings dry (being able to unstring a simple bow when not in use comes in handy).
The result was a slaughter inflicted on their French employers, and the introduction of the longbow as a primary weapon of warfare.
Thank you both. I did not know it could make that much of a difference.