We are no strangers to rain in the UK, as many of us spend a lot of time wondering when the next downpour will arrive to ruin our plans.

Some may have even become a little obsessed with the weather app on our mobile phones, as tech companies constantly strive to give us the latest and most accurate forecast.

One feature you might have spotted is the percentage sign which can appear near the rain symbol throughout the day, along with the times and temperature - but what does it actually mean?

This is what the percentage of rain means on the weather app

When there is a forecast for rain predicted, a percentage of rain or precipitation such as 20% or 70% appears within a weather app.

This number tells users the chance or probability of seeing rain throughout the day, Your Weather confirms.

But many may be wondering what this number represents and how meteorologists work the figure out.

The website which provides weather news and forecasts, writes: “The official definition of the percentage of probability of rain - the Probability of Precipitation (PoP) - is the statistical probability that a given point in an area for which the forecast is being prepared, receives at least 0.01 mm of precipitation in the specified time period.”

Staying Safe During a Thunderstorms 

How do meteorologists work out the probability of rain on the weather app?

There is one way among other methods that experts use to work out the probability of rain.

Recommended reading:

Your Weather adds: “Meteorologists calculate the Probability of Precipitation by resorting to a very simple equation: PoP = C x A.

“The "PoP" represents the confidence - "C" - that a meteorologist has that rain will occur somewhere in the area for which the forecast is being prepared, and "A" represents the percentage of the area where a forecast is expected to receive a measurable amount of rain.”

This means if forecasters are “100% confident” that it will rain 20% in a city, then there is a 20% probability of rain.