Counter-Strike: Global Offensive now has a cool-looking changing weather system thanks to a couple of modders.

There have been attempts before, and certainly mods which add new weather patterns in, but fans Luke Millanta and Lewis Palfrey claim they have now launched the first set of weather-altering maps. Each comes with 10 different weather patterns which are picked at random at the beginning of each round.

Cache, Dust2, Mirage and Overpass have all been given a makeover with thunder, rain, sandstorms and fog, all of varying intensities and with a number of side effects.

Dust2, mid-sandstorm.

Rain will extinguish fire around the map and collect into puddles. Heavy rain will come with occasional lightning flashes. Sandstorms will severely limit visibility.

"I've been playing Counter-Strike since 2005," Millanta told Eurogamer. He got into modding a couple of years ago and now makes professional weapon finishes for esports teams like Fnatic and hardware makers such as Razer.

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"In August I came up with the idea for adding changing weather conditions into CSGO. I knew I needed a partner as I only had a small amount of time to work on the project and knew that my mapping skills were not as advanced as others."

That's where Palfrey came in - who is known within the CSGO and GoldenEye: Source modding scene.

The weather is designed to effect play, so that rounds with a sandstorm force players into up-close battles.

"When raining it is harder to both hear enemies approaching and to see without the aid of a sniper rifle," Millanta continued. "This means that while your enemy may have an advantage while AWPing [aka while using the Arctic Warfare Magnum sniper rifle, famous for one-hit kills], it is easier for those stealthy players to sneak up on said AWPers.

"The feedback thus far has been quite good."

Indeed, the Dust2 map currently holds a five-star rating on Steam Workshop, where many users are asking for Valve to add the idea officially. Not bad for two guys and a 17-year-old series.