The phrase "a probability of rain" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing weather forecasts or predictions regarding the likelihood of rain occurring.
Example: "The weather report indicates a probability of rain later in the afternoon, so you might want to take an umbrella."
Alternatives: "chance of rain" or "likelihood of rain".
If, for example, a high probability of rain is predicted for the evening, the irrigation of the garden may be delayed.
"You and I probably wouldn't carry an umbrella if the probability of rain was 1% to 5% … [But] the consequence of missing a magnitude 7 or greater earthquake on the San Andreas is a very, very serious consequence," said James Goltz, a former emergency manager on earthquake hazards for the state.
If you're going out and can't decide whether to take an umbrella, you could come to a decision by following a formula that assigns weights to the probability of rain, the pleasure you'll feel in strolling unencumbered, and the displeasure you'll feel if you get wet.
For instance, the use of probabilistic terms (for example, the probability of rain at a "normal", "below normal", or "above normal" level) often is outside local experience and language.
Providing information on meteorological uncertainty, such as the probability of rain or the probability of exceeding a certain threshold such as a warning level, makes it possible to deviate from the temporal restrictions of official warnings and to provide information on possible events already in the temporal domain of a weather watch.
This time there was a warning – England's whole strategy has been predicated on the probability of rain on the last two days of the second Test – so it will not have come as a great surprise that the penultimate day was so disrupted that there was no play possible between lunch and 5.10pm, at which point 22 overs were left to bowl.
This type of probabilistic questions are usually preceded by some explanations and examples about the meaning of probabilities (e.g. using examples about the probability of rain) and/or accompanied by some visual aid (e.g. a ruler).
Instead of predicting rain with 100% certainty, we recognise the uncertainty in our forecast – perhaps the probability of rain is just 90%, for example.
In another test, the researchers delivered information about barometric pressure and temperature and the brain network computed the probability of rain.
But this was the only gap in the crowded Future Tours Programme, and as of Tuesday night Sri Lanka time, there was said to be a 60% chance of rain on Thursday in Kandy, where England face West Indies in one of the opening two Super Eight matches in nearby Pallekele, and the same probability of rain in Colombo for the first games in the other group the following day.
