"A Baraita taught that because of God's displeasure with the Israelites, the north wind did not blow on them in any of the 40 years during which they wandered in the wilderness.Rashi attributed God's displeasure to the Golden Calf, although the Tosafot attributed it to the incident of the spies in 
Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai taught that because the generation of the Flood transgressed the Torah that God gave humanity after Moses had stayed on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights (as reported in and and 18, 25, and ), God announced in that God would "cause it to rain upon the earth 40 days and 40 nights."