it is about to rain vs it is likely to rain

Both phrases are correct and commonly used in English. They convey a similar meaning, indicating that rain is expected to happen soon. The choice between them may depend on the level of certainty or the context in which they are used.

Last updated: April 08, 2024 • 260 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used to indicate that rain is expected to happen soon.

"it is about to rain"

This phrase is used to convey the imminent arrival of rain, suggesting that it will start raining in the near future.

Examples:

Look at those dark clouds, it is about to rain.
The weather forecast says it is about to rain this afternoon.

Show examples from the web [+]

it is about to rain
As it is about to expire, the Council regulation which controls this programme has been revamped.
In fact, it is about to lose its credibility.
The euro zone has never been tested but it is about to be.
In the Church it is about to repeat the Nuremberg trials.
Nana10 always informs users that it is about to be installed.
The blood I collected revealed that it is about to lay eggs.
Well, he, she or it is about to get two rounds to the face.
Greetings, all and sundry, and welcome to your second semester of Anthropology, where it is about to get real.
Reality as we know it is about to be altered forever.
Reality as we know it is about to be altered forever.
No, I ate a special brownie and it is about to kick in.
The astronauts name it Planet X and further discover that it is about to decimate the solar system.
Now it is about to hold the 3rd missionary congress which is part of the archdiocese's three year pastoral plan 2003-2005.
With the boys - many of them - it is instead important to have an activity where it is about to accomplish something and be active.
AVIATEST is set to use yet another service provided by HBM as soon as it is about to get to the next stage of Irkut MS-21 tests.
You know, it is about to come.
As it is about to begin, this Presidency has already been described as a sort of transitional phase.
However, it is about to launch a study on costs and benefits of the retrofitting of blind spot mirrors to existing vehicles.
I sell her unwillingly because as motto and the auto that I use every day but it is about to increase the family therefore...
With a reaction speed of 20 milliseconds, the mechanism keeps correcting the position of the pencil as it is about to loose balance.

Alternatives:

it is going to rain
rain is imminent
rain is on the way
it will rain soon
it is going to start raining

This phrase is correct and commonly used to indicate the probability of rain occurring.

"it is likely to rain"

This phrase suggests that there is a high chance or probability of rain happening, without specifying the exact timing.

Examples:

The clouds are gathering, it is likely to rain soon.
Based on the weather forecast, it is likely to rain tomorrow.

Show examples from the web [+]

“If smoke hovers low near the ground it is likely to rain.” Smoke particles tend to absorb moisture from the air. The more moisture present in the air, ...
Jul 3, 2011 ... ... who employ observations about whether it is likely to rain, and when, as a way to fill in the conversational gaps.
Oct 1, 2020 ... Harvesting grapes when they are fully ripe need to be done quickly and at the right time. If it is likely to rain, you would like to see it done ...
As in the example above, science can tell us if it is likely to rain tomorrow, but not whether we ought to prefer staying dry to getting wet.
Many translated example sentences containing "it is likely to rain" – Spanish-English dictionary and search engine for Spanish translations.
If the weather forecast calls for a 20% chance of light rain tomorrow, would you say that it is likely to rain tomorrow? If the probability of a tornado ...
... or attend church, or the theatre, you never look up at the clouds to see whether it is likely to rain or not -- you look at the almanac.

Alternatives:

there is a high chance of rain
rain is probable
rain is expected
it may rain
there is a good possibility of rain

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it is about to rain vs it is likely to rain