FAQs
What does a ‘60% chance of rain’ really mean? ›
Closer look at percentages
What does percentage of rain real mean? ›If the chance of rain is less than 50%, there's a greater likelihood of it staying dry than not. For example, a 20% chance of rain means there's an 80% chance of dry weather. On the other hand, an 80% chance of rain means there's only a 20% chance of dry weather.
What does 80% chance of rain mean? ›An “80% chance of rain” means an 80% chance that rain will fall somewhere within the forecasted area. Rain refers to 0.01 inch or more.
What does 70% chance of rain mean? ›A chance of rain refers to a probability between 30% and 50%. A likely chance of rain would be between 60% and 70%. And with any probability of precipitation higher than 75%, the forecaster has the option of describing it as “periods of rain,” “occasional rain” or simply “rain,” Blier said.
What does 40% chance of rain mean? ›(2) If the forecaster expected a widespread area of precipitation with 100% coverage to approach, but he/she was only 40% certain that it would reach the forecast area, this would, as well, result in a "40% chance of rain" at any given location in the forecast area.
What does 50% chance of rain mean? ›1. that 50 percent of the area will get wet. 2. or that it will rain 50 percent of the time. A 50 percent chance of rain means there is a 50 percent chance for any one spot in the forecast area to get wet during the forecast period.
Does 100% chance of rain mean all day? ›When you see a "100% chance of rain," it doesn't mean it's going to pour everywhere, all the time. Think of it like this: the forecasters are super confident that rain will fall somewhere within a certain area, but they're not sure exactly where or for how long.
Does 80% chance of rain mean it will rain all day? ›An 80% chance of rain suggests that there is a high probability of rainfall, but it does not guarantee continuous rainfall throughout the day. It means that there is an 80% possibility that rain will occur at some point during the day, but there may also be periods of dry weather.
What does 90% chance of rain mean? ›The National Weather Service uses “PoP,” or probability of precipitation, when talking about the chance of precipitation in a specific forecast area. The PoP represents both confidence and area. It is defined as the probability that a select area will receive at least 0.01” of rain.
What is a 100% chance of rain? ›A 100% chance of rain means it will certainly rain in a particular area during a particular time, but it may or may not include your forecast zone or area.
How bad is 60% chance of rain? ›
Closer look at percentages
Let's use 60% as the rain chance in the forecast. That means 60% of the entire area (Central Florida) could see measurable rain at some point in the day, while the other 40% won't. That goes beyond the city that you live in.
The equation for the "Probability of Precipitation" or, "PoPs" is simple: "C x A," where "C" represents the confidence of precipitation occurring in the area and "A" represents the percent of the area forecasted to receive precipitation.
What do periods of rain mean? ›“Rain likely” is the forecast with POPs of 50 to 70 percent, while 30 to 50 percent gets translated as a “chance of.” “Occasional” or “periods of rain” or “rain at times” means the POP is 80 percent or higher but only for part of the forecast period.
What does 20% chance of rain really mean? ›A forecast of a 20 percent chance of rain means the forecaster believes there is a one in five chance (20 percent) that measurable rain will occur in the time period covered by the forecast.
Is 50% a high chance of rain? ›“Scattered” showers or thunderstorms typically refer to a chance of rain between 40% and 60%. Anything above 70% is typically a chance for “widespread” showers or storms.
What does 30% chance of rain mean on Reddit? ›It says that somewhere within the geographic area there is a 30% chance that it will rain. Meaning if it said 100% chance of rain there still is a possibility that a certain area may not get rain. But somewhere definitely will get rain. DogD666.
Does 20 chance of rain mean 20% of the area? ›It means that there's only a twenty percent chance of rainfall in the entire area wherever it's indicated. For example if it says that there's a 100% chance of rain, that means that it is raining outside. This has nothing to do with a percentage of area, but of the entire area that's indicated.
Does 10% chance of rain mean? ›If there are 100 days in which the forecast for rain is 10%, then it should rain on 10 of those days and not rain on the other 90. So if you hear a forecast of 10% chance of rain, and it rains, it doesn't mean that the forecast is wrong, it just happens to be one of those rainy days.
What does 100% mean rain? ›A 100% chance of rain means it will certainly rain in a particular area during a particular time, but it may or may not include your forecast zone or area.