Hobbies And Interests
Weather Prediction
The technique of weather prediction looks at the amount of moisture present in the atmosphere in the form of clouds and assesses how these weather patterns and atmospheric pressure systems will interact with the air masses and geological formations of different landscapes. It then informs people about the findings. Weather patterns are huge systems that can stretch over large bodies of water and different microclimates over land masses. Determining how geological features and atmospheric conditions interact is the how meteorologists and climate scientists begin the process of predicting the chances of rainfall.
Probability of Precipitation
Meteorologists are taught to use predictive methods involving probability to express the likelihood of rain to a local population. Meteorologists look at the data available on weather patterns in an area before they then calculate the possibility of rain. This means that a meteorologist assesses the possibility of how much of a measurable amount of rain will fall on an area; this is expressed as a percentage.
Meteorological Terminology
Meteorologists use different terms to express different percentage chances of rainfall. Precipitation is a term that meteorologists use to describe water released from the sky in the form of rainfall or snow. If a meteorologist determines that a 20 percent chance of rainfall is possible, the correct way to state this is to say that there is a "slight chance" of precipitation. A "chance" of precipitation refers to a 30 to 50 percent probability of rainfall.
Imminent Rain Chance
The greater the percent chance of rain, the more positive the terminology will be used by a meteorologist to express the likelihood of rainfall. A meteorologist will describe a 60 to 70 percent chance of rain as "likely." Meteorologists, when they have no uncertainty about the chances of rain falling, are able to express rainfall as "imminent" when the percent chance of rain is between 80 and 100 percent.