The local weather forecast helps you plan your day. But if you're checking if it's going to rain, for example, you won't usually see a "yes" or "no" in the forecast. Instead, most weather reports give precipitation as a percentage. So what does this "percent" mean?
The percent chance of rain or snow is called the probability of precipitation (POP). This is the probability that there will be at least 0.01 inch (0.25 millimeters) of precipitation at a given location, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). For example, a Tuesday weather report of "30% rain" in Atlanta means there is a 30% chance it will rain at least 0.01 inch in Atlanta on Tuesday.
