Question: What’s the difference between “scattered showers” and “isolated showers?” I see both terms used on the National Weather Service website and repeated by local media, but it seems to be a distinction without a difference. As far as I can tell, both mean it may rain once in a while in some places.

Answer: There is a distinction between “scattered” and “isolated,” as well as between “showers” and “rain,” at least in forecasting circles.

Robert Ballard, science and operations officer for the National Weather Service’s Honolulu/Central Pacific Hurricane Center, welcomed the opportunity to explain the nuances in weather terminology.

First, the difference between “showers” and “rain.” We said we thought showers were basically “light rain.”

Not so, grasshopper.

Showers are precipitation from a convective (cumulus or cumulonimbus) cloud and can start and stop suddenly, can change intensity rapidly — so are not necessarily “light” — and often are accompanied by rapid changes in the appearance of the sky, Ballard said.

“Sometimes we will say ‘light showers’ or ‘showers may be locally heavy,’ for example, but showers can and usually do vary in intensity pretty quickly,” he said.

Rain, meanwhile, “comes from stratiform clouds that usually last awhile,” he said. “Rain is steadier and can last for several hours or more without letup.”

This is how forecasters typically describe the chance for showers:

>> “Isolated showers” means about a 20 percent chance of showers.

So, about eight out of 10 times if “isolated showers” is predicted for your location, “it should not rain at your location,” Ballard said. “However, there is still a slight chance, so if you have a very sensitive outdoor activity and you really need a completely dry day, it might be best to wait.”

>> “Scattered showers” means about a 30 to 50 percent chance of showers.

“It probably won’t rain at your location, but we can’t rule it out, because there will be some showers around,” he said.

>> “Numerous showers,” or “showers likely” means a 60 to 70 percent chance of showers.

Get the umbrellas out, because “it probably will rain at your location,” Ballard said.

“If the probability of showers is 80 percent or higher, we will use a duration term to describe how long we expect showers to last,” he said. “We can say ‘brief showers,’ ‘occasional showers,’ ‘frequent showers’ or sometimes even just ‘showers’ if we expect the showers to last awhile.”

Question: Someone moving to Waikiki is asking me if there is a community garden in or near Waikiki where they can plant vegetables. Do you know of one?

Answer: There are a couple near Waikiki, but there may be no plots available.

Of the city’s 10 Community Garden Plots, two are near Waikiki: Ala Wai, at the end of University Avenue next to Ala Wai Elementary School; and Diamond Head, at the corner of Leahi Avenue and Pualei Circle.

To apply for a plot, you have to attend a meeting of the garden you are interested in and fill out an application. If no plots are available, you will be placed on a waiting list.

Call 522-7063 or go to www1.honolulu.gov/parks/hbg/crgp.htm.

AUWE

To businesses that do not allow patrons to use their restrooms. This has happened twice in my presence. My 84-year-old mother was denied access to a restroom at a local animal hospital. Her dog had just passed away! More recently, my 90-year-old father was told at a dentist’s office there were no restrooms available. This is shameful. Would the owners treat their parents in the same way? These people provide a service and are paid very well. The least they can do is provide a restroom. — A.B.

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