diff --git a/wres-config/src/wres/config/yaml/DeclarationValidator.java b/wres-config/src/wres/config/yaml/DeclarationValidator.java
index 44e573b113..11d8852e43 100644
--- a/wres-config/src/wres/config/yaml/DeclarationValidator.java
+++ b/wres-config/src/wres/config/yaml/DeclarationValidator.java
@@ -4023,11 +4023,13 @@ private static List<EvaluationStatusEvent> evaluationTimeScaleIsValid( TimeScale
             {
                 EvaluationStatusEvent event
                         = EvaluationStatusEvent.newBuilder()
-                                               .setStatusLevel( StatusLevel.ERROR )
-                                               .setEventMessage( "The evaluation 'time_scale' is prescriptive and "
-                                                                 + "cannot be instantaneous. Please remove the "
-                                                                 + "evaluation 'time_scale' or increase it and try "
-                                                                 + AGAIN )
+                                               .setStatusLevel( StatusLevel.WARN )
+                                               .setEventMessage( "The evaluation 'time_scale' is instantaneous. If the "
+                                                                 + "datasets all contain instantaneous values, this "
+                                                                 + "declaration is redundant and should be removed. "
+                                                                 + "Otherwise, the declaration is invalid because "
+                                                                 + "the smallest possible 'time_scale' is "
+                                                                 + "instantaneous and downscaling is not supported." )
                                                .build();
                 events.add( event );
             }
diff --git a/wres-config/test/wres/config/yaml/DeclarationValidatorTest.java b/wres-config/test/wres/config/yaml/DeclarationValidatorTest.java
index 8cacd54406..8d60796614 100644
--- a/wres-config/test/wres/config/yaml/DeclarationValidatorTest.java
+++ b/wres-config/test/wres/config/yaml/DeclarationValidatorTest.java
@@ -701,7 +701,7 @@ void testEvaluateDatasetTimeScaleIsValidResultsinError()
     }
 
     @Test
-    void testEvaluationTimeScaleIsConsistentWithDatasetTimeScalesResultsInErrors()
+    void testEvaluationTimeScaleIsConsistentWithDatasetTimeScalesResultsInWarningsAndErrors()
     {
         TimeScale timeScaleInnerSource = TimeScale.newBuilder()
                                                   .setPeriod( Duration.newBuilder()
@@ -754,8 +754,9 @@ void testEvaluationTimeScaleIsConsistentWithDatasetTimeScalesResultsInErrors()
 
         List<EvaluationStatusEvent> events = DeclarationValidator.validate( declaration );
 
-        assertAll( () -> assertTrue( DeclarationValidatorTest.contains( events, "cannot be instantaneous",
-                                                                        StatusLevel.ERROR ) ),
+        assertAll( () -> assertTrue( DeclarationValidatorTest.contains( events, "The evaluation 'time_scale' "
+                                                                                + "is instantaneous",
+                                                                        StatusLevel.WARN ) ),
                    () -> assertTrue( DeclarationValidatorTest.contains( events, "is smaller than the "
                                                                                 + "evaluation 'time_scale'",
                                                                         StatusLevel.ERROR ) ),