By . Tamara Cohen . Last updated at 9:33 AM on 10th November 2011 . As many a forecaster will cheerfully admit, predicting the weather isn’t an exact science. But the Met Office is about to try to make it that little bit more precise with a new format. Rather than telling us that rain, sun or snow will be ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’, they will use percentages to describe the probabilities of what the weather could be. 100% chance of rain: Hundreds of golf spectators huddle beneath their umbrellas at the Royal St Georges Golf Course, Kent, in July this year . So, for example, tomorrow’s forecast could tell you there is a 45 per cent chance of rain. The Met Office said the system would ‘empower people to make their own decisions’ based on the information available. But anyone who’s ever been caught in an unexpected downpour may feel they have simply come up with a way to deflect blame when they get it wrong. In the U.S., forecasts often outline multiple scenarios for what could happen, so people have to make up their own minds as to whether to brave a day out, or stay home. Yesterday the minister who oversees the Met Office, Edward Davey, told MPs that an American-style system of percentages was the ‘direction of travel’. The system is being tested on a separate Met Office website to gain public feedback, and is expected to be launched formally next year. The information on it includes ‘probability of precipitation’ – rain, sleet or snow – the percentage of humidity, wind speed and a UV level between one and ten indicating how strong the sun will be. Edward Davey, who oversees the Met Office, told MPs that an American-style system of percentages was the 'direction of travel' It also gives actual temperatures and what it ‘feels like’ taking into account these factors. Consumer affairs minister Mr Davey told the Commons Science and Technology committee: ‘The Met Office is working with a number of people to look at how best to get over those risks and probabilities. ‘We do know that other countries use percentages to try to get  that over. On the website they are beginning to use a lot of probability data, fan charts and so forth, so this is the direction of travel. ‘But if we do move away from “it is likely to rain” or “it is very likely to be foggy” or the phrases we see and hear on our TV screens, we need to make sure where we end up is something the British public feel happy with and are able to use in their daily lives.’ Met Office spokesman Dan Williams said: ‘It would mean the public can assess the likelihood of what they do. Instead of us saying it is likely to rain, it will empower people to make their own decisions based on the best information we’ve got.’ He said that broadcasters such as the BBC would have to decide whether or not to use the probabilities in their weather reports. In 2009, the Met Office came under fire for predicting a barbecue summer which turned out to be a washout, then months later was accused of failing to warn the public of the coldest winter for  30 years. As a result, it ditched its 90-day seasonal forecasts.
Met Office says it will 'empower people to make their own decisions'
By . Tamara Cohen . Last updated at 9:33 AM on 10th November 2011 . As many a forecaster will cheerfully admit, predicting the weather isn’t an exact science. But the Met Office is about to try to make it that little bit more precise with a new format. Rather than telling us that rain, sun or snow will be ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’, they will use percentages to describe the probabilities of what the weather could be. 100% chance of rain: Hundreds of golf spectators huddle beneath their umbrellas at the Royal St Georges Golf Course, Kent, in July this year . So, for example, tomorrow’s forecast could tell you there is a 45 per cent chance of rain. The Met Office said the system would ‘empower people to make their own decisions’ based on the information available. But anyone who’s ever been caught in an unexpected downpour may feel they have simply come up with a way to deflect blame when they get it wrong. In the U.S., forecasts often outline multiple scenarios for what could happen, so people have to make up their own minds as to whether to brave a day out, or stay home. Yesterday the minister who oversees the Met Office, Edward Davey, told MPs that an American-style system of percentages was the ‘direction of travel’. The system is being tested on a separate Met Office website to gain public feedback, and is expected to be launched formally next year. The information on it includes ‘probability of precipitation’ – rain, sleet or snow – the percentage of humidity, wind speed and a UV level between one and ten indicating how strong the sun will be. Edward Davey, who oversees the Met Office, told MPs that an American-style system of percentages was the 'direction of travel' It also gives actual temperatures and what it ‘feels like’ taking into account these factors. Consumer affairs minister Mr Davey told the Commons Science and Technology committee: ‘The Met Office is working with a number of people to look at how best to get over those risks and probabilities. ‘We do know that other countries use percentages to try to get that over. On the website they are beginning to use a lot of probability data, fan charts and so forth, so this is the direction of travel. ‘But if we do move away from “it is likely to rain” or “it is very likely to be foggy” or the phrases we see and hear on our TV screens, we need to make sure where we end up is something the British public feel happy with and are able to use in their daily lives.’ Met Office spokesman Dan Williams said: ‘It would mean the public can assess the likelihood of what they do. Instead of us saying it is likely to rain, it will empower people to make their own decisions based on the best information we’ve got.’ He said that broadcasters such as the BBC would have to decide whether or not to use the probabilities in their weather reports. In 2009, the Met Office came under fire for predicting a barbecue summer which turned out to be a washout, then months later was accused of failing to warn the public of the coldest winter for  30 years. As a result, it ditched its 90-day seasonal forecasts.
Met Office said the system would ‘empower people people to make their own decisions based on the