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Kim Adams Newsletter: Partly sunny or cloudy? 50% chance of rain? What it all means

Clouds in the sky with sun. (Photo by Brett Sayles/Pexels)

Hey everyone!

I will answer both those questions and more in a moment. But first I want to tell you about something AMAZING that happened last weekend.

A friend of mine from my radio days Rachel Hunter of WYCD and her daughter (also Rachel), hosted a “pageant” called Michigan Miss Amazing. But the event is more than just a pageant. It’s a national self esteem movement for girls and women with disabilities.

I signed up to be a “buddy” for one of the girls competing. Her name is Khara Gilmore a 6th grader who’s been blind since birth. From the second we met, I knew she was going to be in my life forever. And I would be a better person because of her.

She plays violin by ear, sings with perfect pitch, and has the attitude of an Olympic champion combined with the best motivational speaker you’ve ever heard. AND she WON!

She will be competing at the National pageant outside Chicago in July. I will be following Khara and her story so stay tuned!

Kim Adams. (WDIV)

🌤️ Understanding some common weather terms

Now let’s answer those meteorology questions. Which is sunnier partly sunny or partly cloudy? Neither. They are exactly the same. The National Weather Service describes both as being “3/8 to 5/8 of the sky covered by clouds.”

So why do we need both?

Because we can’t use partly sunny can only be used during the day. Side note, mostly cloudy means 3/4 to 7/8 of sky is covered by clouds.

As far as the POP or probability of precipitation, this is one of the most misunderstood parts of the forecast. Even some meteorologists disagree on how to measure the POP. The less common way is to use the formula Pop=C x A where C stands for confidence and A for area.

For example a 50% chance of rain in 80% of the area means your probability of rain is 40%. The standard definition by The National Weather Service is “the probability that the forecast grid/point in question will receive at least .01″ of rain over a certain time period. You can read more detail here.


🌧️ Connect with 4Warn Weather

Track the weather with us daily with the 4Warn Weather app, available for free on your mobile device. You can get alerts on your local weather, as well as updates from the 4Warn Weather team, and severe weather warnings and watches from the area. You can also follow live radar, wherever you are!

You can also track the latest on the ClickOnDetroit weather page right here.

Until next time,

- Kim Adams, 4Warn Weather (Email me here if you have a question or want to say hello)


About the Author
Ken Haddad headshot

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.

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