CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you have watched or listened to any weather forecast, the terms isolated and scattered when talking about rain showers and thunderstorms almost all the time come up.
Isolated, scattered and widespread are adjectives that do not determine the intensity or duration of a particular rain shower or thunderstorm event but refer to the coverage of that precipitation. Let's dive a little deeper.
Isolated 10-20%:
When rain or storms are isolated we can also use the term spotty. This is the chance we have during pretty much any summer day in the Carolinas. This is all based on a Pop (Probability of Precipitation). 20% or less is considered isolated and that means that portion of the WCNC viewing area will be impacted.
During this scenario, most of us will stay dry but some of these isolated or pop-up storms, depending on the ingredients in place could dump some quick heavy rain and even produce damaging winds and hail.
Scattered 30-50%:
When there is a 30-50% chance for rain, this range would be deemed scattered.
For the lower end around 30%, the term WIDELY SCATTERED can be used meaning that most likely you will avoid the storms but the radar is not clear.
Once there is a 40-50% chance for rain… a portion of your day is in jeopardy of getting wet.
Side Note:
It is at this point I would for sure suggest bringing an umbrella if you are going to be outside.
Here is an example of what scattered storms can look like. You may stay dry but the rain has a decent shot at joining you at least once in the day.
Widespread 60-100%:
A chance at 60% and above means that rain is likely.
When looking at the 7-day forecast, may it be day 1 or 7, if any day has a 60% or higher, that is indicating that if you have any outdoor plans or are planning some, that the rain has a solid chance at ruining any dry fun you had planned.
The radar can also look like this (below) during a widespread threat. Not sure about you but I am not betting my BBQ on that threat.
The higher the percentage is from here, the more widespread rain and storms will be for that day.
One More Note:
Percentages tell you nothing about timing. A 100% could mean a wet start to the day but a dry finish or vice versa. So it is important to also know the rest of the story when making plans and not basing it just on the percent.