Weather is crucial information that directly affects laundry, work, school events, and outings on your days off.
Many of you probably check the weather forecast on TV or online every day.
So, how much do you really know about the weather?
In this article, we’ll share trivia and fun facts about the weather that will make checking the forecast even more enjoyable.
We’ve gathered tidbits about the hidden meanings behind common forecast terms and surprising facts about the weather—things that will make looking at the sky and sensing the changing seasons more fun.
Just like you check the weather forecast, be sure to check this out too!
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Make weather forecasts more fun! Trivia and fun facts about weather (1–10)
Even a 0% chance of precipitation doesn’t mean it will never rain.
Some of you may have experienced something like, “The forecast said a 0% chance of precipitation, but it rained.” In fact, a 0% chance of precipitation does not mean it will never rain.
It’s a statistical figure based on how often it rained under similar atmospheric conditions in the past.
For example, a 40% chance of precipitation means that out of 100 past instances with similar atmospheric conditions, it rained 40 times.
Also, the chance of precipitation does not indicate how heavy the rain will be.
It only reflects how likely it is to rain, so interpreting “a 90% chance of precipitation means heavy rain” is incorrect.
It’s dangerous to take a bath when there’s thunder.
When there’s thunder, it’s considered dangerous to go to high places or hold things like umbrellas up high.
I’m sure many of you know this.
But did you know that taking a bath during a thunderstorm is also dangerous? In fact, the high voltage from lightning can travel through water pipes and drains.
It often rains when there’s thunder, and many people want to jump into a bath as soon as they get wet.
But please hold off and wait until the thunder has stopped before getting in.
A rainbow forms on the side opposite the Sun.
After the rain stops, a rainbow appears in the sky.
On days when you can see a distinct semicircle with seven colors, some people may feel happy.
Did you know that rainbows form on the side of the sky opposite the sun? Because a rainbow is created when sunlight is reflected and refracted by raindrops, it appears on the side opposite the sun.
Furthermore, rainbows form when the sun is low in the sky, such as in the morning or evening, either just after the rain has stopped or even while it’s still raining.
By the way, under the right conditions, rainbows can also be seen in moonlight.
These are called moonbows, and Hawaii is the most famous place to observe them.
The number of colors in a rainbow differs around the world.
A beautiful rainbow that appears in the sky when the rain lets up.
In Japan, a rainbow is said to have seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
In fact, however, this perception differs from country to country.
Although rainbows look the same everywhere, the way colors are categorized varies.
Because a rainbow is a gradient with no clear boundaries between colors, the number of colors it’s said to have can differ: what is called a seven-color rainbow in Japan may be five colors or even three in other countries.
For reference, it’s said to be six colors in the United States and five in Germany.
If contrails disappear quickly, it will be sunny.
Contrails that look like white paths flown by airplanes.
You can predict the weather by observing the state of contrails.
The reason lies in the moisture contained in aircraft exhaust.
Airplanes fly at around 10,000 meters, where the surrounding temperature can be as low as minus 50 degrees.
The moisture in the exhaust turns into ice crystals, and the way these ice crystals persist aloft changes the appearance of contrails.
If a contrail quickly disappears, it indicates fair weather; if a contrail stretches out for a long distance, it suggests rain.
When the upper atmosphere is covered by a high-pressure system and contains little water vapor, the air is stable and clear weather is likely.
When a low-pressure system approaches, the upper air becomes moist, contrails extend for a long time, and rain is forecast.