diff --git a/.changeset/shaggy-peas-shop.md b/.changeset/shaggy-peas-shop.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..48ccfea8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/shaggy-peas-shop.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@hyperdx/api': patch
+---
+
+Adjust time window for sum-rate alerts
diff --git a/packages/api/src/clickhouse/index.ts b/packages/api/src/clickhouse/index.ts
index 9bd89008..f0e12b4a 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/clickhouse/index.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/clickhouse/index.ts
@@ -689,7 +689,7 @@ const getMetricsTagsCached = async (teamId: string) => {
   }
 };
 
-const isRateAggFn = (aggFn: AggFn) => {
+export const isRateAggFn = (aggFn: AggFn) => {
   return (
     aggFn === AggFn.SumRate ||
     aggFn === AggFn.AvgRate ||
diff --git a/packages/api/src/tasks/checkAlerts.ts b/packages/api/src/tasks/checkAlerts.ts
index f0bd70d4..e0ccd1a5 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/tasks/checkAlerts.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/tasks/checkAlerts.ts
@@ -421,12 +421,21 @@ export const processAlert = async (now: Date, alert: AlertDocument) => {
           series.field
         ) {
           targetDashboard = dashboard;
-          const startTimeMs = fns.getTime(checkStartTime);
+          let startTimeMs = fns.getTime(checkStartTime);
           const endTimeMs = fns.getTime(checkEndTime);
           const [metricName, rawMetricDataType] = series.field.split(' - ');
           const metricDataType = z
             .nativeEnum(clickhouse.MetricsDataType)
             .parse(rawMetricDataType);
+          if (
+            metricDataType === clickhouse.MetricsDataType.Sum &&
+            clickhouse.isRateAggFn(series.aggFn)
+          ) {
+            // adjust the time so that we have enough data points to calculate a rate
+            startTimeMs = fns
+              .subMinutes(startTimeMs, windowSizeInMins)
+              .getTime();
+          }
           checksData = await clickhouse.getMetricsChart({
             aggFn: series.aggFn,
             dataType: metricDataType,