Internet users were shocked after discovering what the percentage chance of rain shown in the iPhone weather app really means.
If you’ve ever opened the iPhone Weather app and had to cancel plans because of a high chance of rain, only to be disappointed when not a drop fell from the sky, you’re not alone.
With this in mind, a Reddit user made an enlightening post to explain what the chance of rain shown in the iPhone weather app (or any other weather app) actually means.
“If the meteorologist was 80% sure it would rain, but expected it to cover only 50% of the forecast area, the forecast would show ‘40% chance of rain’ for any location,” the user explained in the post.
“If the meteorologist expected a large precipitation area with 100% coverage to approach, but was only 40% sure it would hit the forecast area, that would also result in a ‘40% chance of rain’ at any point within the forecast area.”
While this was clear to some, others understandably remained confused. So, other users took the opportunity to share some knowledge on the topic.
Basically, the percentage means the probability that it will rain at any specific point within an area. “There is the area (city/county/any other place) and the specific location (for example, where you are),” another user said.
“The chance of rain at a specific location is estimated as the chance of rain somewhere in the area multiplied by the % of the area covered by rain,” they added.
So, if meteorologists are 100% sure it will rain in your city but find it won’t rain in your specific neighborhood, that would lower the percentage.
Photo and video: Unsplash. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
