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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
James Rodger & Elaine Blackburne

Met Office explains how to truth around the percentage on weather app as TikToker gets it wrong

A TikToker who gave an explanation on how people can read their weather app has been told they are the one getting it wrong. The post has gone viral after claiming people are making mistakes when they use the app.

It suggested when you see a percentage it does not mean that is the chance of rain. And it said people had been making the same mistake for years.

The initial TikTok claimed it actually meant the area of your local region which will be hit by the rain or thunderstorms. However the Met Office has stepped in to put the matter straight.

And they said while in America that might be the case this was not true of their service, reports Birmingham Live. For in the UK it does mean the percentage chance of getting rainfall.

Weatherman Alex Deakin posted the answer in his own TikTok. He gave a clear explanation on how the Met office site works.

He said: "Certainly for the Met Office app, the percentage of rain means the chance of rain at that time for that location." He added: "So 60 percent means a 60 percent chance of rain, 40 percent chance of dry.

"There are different ways of expressing percentages and in the USA they do use the area one, but generally not here in the UK. So if you've got the Met Office app, that's one less thing to worry about; mind unblown."

On the Met Office website, it states: "In weather forecasting, suppose the Met Office says that the probability of rain tomorrow in your region is 80 percent. They aren't saying that it will rain in 80 per cent of the land area of your region, and not rain in the other 20 per cent. Nor are they saying it will rain for 80 per cent of the time.

"What they are saying is there is an 80 per cent chance of rain occurring at any one place in the region, such as in your garden."

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