iPhone users shocked after just discovering what snow percentage on weather app really means

Our iPhones are evolving faster than we can keep track of, and with Apple dishing up a brand-new model every year, it's easy to lose track of where things are up to.

Apple intelligence is taking the phone giant into a new era of artificial intelligence domination, and with it, there are a host of new features to get our heads around - yes, you're able to create your own AI emojis.

Your iPhone comes pre-loaded with plenty of excess stuff that you might not think you need, but alongside Health, Books, and Compass, the Weather app is one that we actually use all the time.

Whether it's checking you've got the right footwear on before your walk to work or sussing out what the weather is like at your next holiday destination, the Weather app is a popular little feature that tends to get it right more often than the anchor on the local weather channel.

Still, the Weather app can be a little confusing, and we're not going to pretend we understand all the bar charts and percentages.

Basically, just tell us if it's going to rain and we can get on with our day.

With Christmas just around the corner, some of us are regularly checking our Weather app to see whether a white Christmas is on the cards.

When loading up your Weather app and seeing 50% next to the snow symbol, you might think it's going to blanket 50% of the area we're in. Instead, the Met Office claims it has nothing to do with coverage, and instead, there's a 50% chance you'll see snow within the next hour.

The Met Office even had to make a TikTok on it, claiming that while some countries like the USA might use the area percentage, others like the UK use it to mean the chance of that weather occurring.

It's even more confusing if you listen to AccuWeather, with Chief Video Meteorologist Geoff Cornish saying that the percentage shown is the chance that it'll rain. If there are 100 simulations run by meteorologists and you see 50%, that means 50 of them think it's going to snow during that timeframe.

Cornish says: "Your probability of precipitation is the likelihood that you will receive measurable precipitation during the forecast timeframe.

"It is the probability that at least 0.01 of an inch of precipitation will fall on your rooftop if you live in the forecast area.

"That's about enough rain to produce a small, underwhelming puddle."

He reiterates that two factors are built into the probability percentage seen on smartphones, with the confidence level and how widespread being taken into account. The probability of weather also has nothing to do with how long it'll occur or its intensity.

Cornish did say that we probably overthink the weather too much, and just like not everyone trusts the weatherman, he concluded: "Your probability of precipitation is simply the chance of rain on a scale of zero to 100, if it's warm enough for rain, at some point in the forecast time. The same applies to snow, freezing rain or sleet."

Basically, if it looks like it's going to snow outside, make sure you take your gloves and hat with you.