7Jul/102
What is the difference between risk of thunderstorm and chance of thundershowers?
So I'm looking up the weather online and tonight it says there is a risk of thundershowers and tomorrow is a chance of thunderstorms. What is the difference between chance and risk and also what is the difference between thunderstorm and thundershowers? I'm planning on going camping this weekend and don't want to get stuck in the rain.
THANKS
July 7th, 2010 - 06:17
Are you asking about “risk” vs “chance?” Usually they give a percent chance. I’d be looking at the percentage. And don’t forget, when they say 30% chance of rain, that usually means, 100% chance that it will rain SOMEWHERE, and 30% chance that you will be in one of the places where it rains.
Are you asking about “storm” vs “shower?” I don’t know, but it sounds like you’ll get wet in either case. If I was in charge of the weather vocabulary, a “storm” would have a lot of wind associated with it and a “shower” would not, but that’s just my opinion.
July 7th, 2010 - 07:06
A risk of a Thundershower implies a greater concentration of Thunderstorms that are actually around you. Risk areas come in five varieties and are based on the expected number and intensity of severe thunderstorm reports over an area (General to Slight, Moderate & High Risk).
A chance of Thunderstorms is normally given in percentages (%). Chance can be defined as an Unexpected, unplanned, unpredictable event that occurs.
Therefore Risk implies a more likelihood of a Thunderstorm over Chance.