![Weather forecast for Friday 18 July 2008](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylHRGWd4pwFKlyiLHPxkPyZZ1mnJ8pB_9mewFM-QDOBEtswSNNscksEhsPZFSCZjJi8EczWM2-Z2-86bcjkyp3QuofChdTFXb5PIh2EhwRE3ulUg8cQjwK3FcLmlvFIKbNe2Q/s320/long-term_forecast.jpg)
In fact, in order to avoid confusion, we in the National Weather Service do not use the term "thundershower". If a shower is strong enough to produce lightning, even just one single bolt, it's called a thunderstorm.
The difference between a risk and a chance of seeing one or the other is more puzzling. You might think that a 60% probability of precipitation (P.O.P.) compared to 40% might explain the difference in terminology, but apparently not, as today's forecast talks about chance at both percentages:
![Forecast for Thursday 17 July 2008](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaESFqGy2ZnMIw7iw7gTZbvc1YgT8pznPMtqMOxFt-1UMHulB8y9D12xR5lt1pBuZFDRzpyBaEmW4JjVwQriTXpRDcFu8rznDJPrLc0Yzw3V9wR2eT3jEdOYRzGau4hTzAaPp/s320/short-term_forecast.jpg)
So I think it must come down to a difference in perceived levels of danger - thunderstorms being something inherently risky, while thundershowers are less so? Maybe I'm spending far too much time worrying about this...
1 comment:
Aren't these weather reports totally confusing and frustrating?
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