Cloudy and overcast
Also called cloudy, overcast, mostly cloudy, grey sky
Forecast icon on a weather app or a public forecast table.
Forecast weather symbolsCloudy and overcast meaning
Cloudy and overcast are forecast icons for a covered sky, not for rain. WWIS and the Met Office list cloudy and overcast as separate labels.
At a glance
- System
- Forecast icon
- Used for
- An expected covered sky
- Not the same as
- Rain, or partly cloudy
Forecast icons for a covered sky. Cloudy and overcast are not the same row, and neither is rain.
The name. Cloudy and overcast are both covered skies. The Met Office and WWIS still list them apart.
Where it comes from
WWIS has rows for overcast, for cloudy, and for mostly cloudy, apart from partly cloudy. The Met Office guide shows cloudy and overcast as two icons, both distinct from rain and from drizzle. A covered sky can still be dry. If rain is expected, the rain or shower icon is the one that says so.
The line drawing is original to this cabinet. It is not an agency logo, a vendor icon, or the emoji for the same idea.
Weather
What it means
The cloud deck is expected to dominate the period. Overcast is the heavier wording: little or no blue. Cloudy, on services that print both, is a covered sky that they have refused to call overcast. This page keeps them together so the cabinet does not grow a thin page per adjective, and the variants keep the adjectives apart.
Variants
Cloudy
Met Office “cloudy” and WWIS “cloudy” and “mostly cloudy.” A forecast that bothers to say cloudy rather than overcast is making a distinction. Keep it.
Overcast
WWIS label 2001 is Overcast. The Met Office has an overcast icon of its own. Neither icon is a rain drop.
Questions
What is the difference between cloudy and overcast?
They are separate labels on the Met Office guide and in the WWIS table. Overcast is the more complete cover. A service that prints both is not repeating itself.
Does an overcast icon mean it will rain?
No. Rain, showers, and drizzle have their own icons. Overcast names the sky, not the precipitation.
Near this
- Partly cloudyA forecast icon for sun and cloud together. Not overcast, and not a station-model sky circle.
- FogA forecast icon for fog. Not mist, not haze, and not the fog character.
- RainA forecast icon for rain expected in a period. Not a shower, not drizzle, and not the station-model sign.
- Cloud characterThe cloud character U+2601. Not an overcast forecast and not a sky-cover circle.
Sources
- World Weather Information Service, weather icons
- WWIS weather icon table
- Met Office, what does this forecast mean
Named when the entry depends on a text, a date, or a standard. Catalog numbers are not invented.
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symbol.wiki, edited as Sigilla. Last reviewed 18 October 2026. A reading of public tradition, not a ruling.