What's the difference between
partly sunny and partly cloudy?
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| I wonder how the haze from forest fires figures into the partly sunny and partly cloudy usage? (Sandia Mts., NM) |
We're checking a lot on the weather these days trying to see if snow or ice is coming. That way we can plan our activities for the best weather conditions possible. Checking all of these forecasts has reminded me of something I've always wondered about. What is the difference between partly sunny and partly cloudy? Here's what I found out.
As you might assume, there really is no difference. They mean the same thing--a mixture of sun and clouds in the sky. But the issue gets confused in everyday use because, unfortunately, every meteorologist has their own way of using these terms. Some say partly sunny only during the daytime because the sun is not out at night, where as partly cloudy is used during the day or night. Sometimes partly sunny is used when there is more sun expected than clouds and vice-versa for partly cloudy. Also, the two terms can be used to infer changes in the weather. When cloudy weather is improving, they will say partly sunny because the meteorologist wants to be optimistic. When the weather will be deteriorating, they will predict party cloudy to let you know the weather will be changing for the worse. There you have it, partly clear. :)
I think I am just going to go with the working definition I used before I researched this. Partly sunny and partly cloudy both mean that there will some clouds in the sky with more or less sun peaking out.
Want to read more:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2008/02/partly_sunny_partly_cloudy_mos.html
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Partly_Cloudy_vs_Partly_Sunny
I've always thought it was the difference between an optimist and a pessimist!
ReplyDeleteI like your definition the best.
DeleteI live in a part of the US known for gray skies and rain. If there's even light gray skies predicted for the day, the weather people say it's going to be partly sunny.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I'm from sunny southern California. We have family there, so we visit often. If there's even a teeny-tiny cloud in the sky, the weather people seem to call that a partly cloudy day. I always check weather.com before visiting, and see about %% of precipitation.
Growing up, if we had a few sprinkles in the day, we always called it a rainy day. Here in Seattle, a few sprinkles could still be a good weather day. So, I guess it's all a matter of perspective. We have light gray skies today, so it looks like its partly sunny for me!
You're right, with almost everything it's all a matter of perspective. I think we forget that sometimes.
DeleteOn southern California. My first visit there was a two week field trip for work.I was on the beautiful beaches in rain every day. Talk about disappointment. It was nothing like I had seen in the movies or heard about in the songs."It never rains in southern California..."
Oh, no! That's too bad. I guess December and January can be rain months, but only some years. If there's an El Nino winter, then it cane be rainy. And because it doesn't rain all that often, storm drains aren't built to handle a large storm. My dad's place flooded one December, because the drain in the patio just outside his living room door was blocked, and really too small to handle run-off from the roof. I do remember street drains backing up, when I was a kid. But most of the time, the weather is for the most part sunny. When I was in elementary school, we didn't even have a cafeteria, just picnic tables set up outside.
DeleteIt's too bad you managed to be there when they were stuck in a storm system.
I always thought it was kind of like "glass half-full" and "glass half-empty" !
ReplyDelete