Partly cloudy
Also called sun and cloud, sunny intervals, partly bright, broken cloud
Forecast icon on a weather app or a public forecast table.
Forecast weather symbolsPartly cloudy meaning
Partly cloudy, as a forecast icon, means sun and cloud are both expected in that period. It is not an overcast sky, and it is not the sky-cover circle on a station plot.
At a glance
- System
- Forecast icon
- Used for
- Sun and cloud expected in one period
- Not the same as
- Overcast, or the sky-cover circle
A forecast icon for sun and cloud together. Not overcast, and not a station-model sky circle.
The name. Partly cloudy, sunny intervals, sunny periods, and partly bright are neighbors in the WWIS table, not synonyms this page merges.
Where it comes from
WWIS lists partly cloudy, sunny intervals, sunny periods, and partly bright as separate labels, in a different band from cloudy and from overcast. The Met Office prints “sunny intervals” and a partly cloudy night icon of its own. Apple lists partly cloudy, including a night version. The half-filled circle on a station model is an observation of how much sky was covered, not this forecast.
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
Some of the period is expected to be bright and some clouded. The icon does not say which hour the sun appears, and it does not name a cloud genus. Showers can sit beside broken cloud. If the forecast means showers, it should say showers. A sun peeking from a cloud is not, by itself, a shower.
Variants
Night
Partly cloudy night keeps the cloud and swaps the sun for a night mark. The Met Office lists that pair. The condition is still mixed sky, not clear night.
Sunny intervals
The Met Office uses sunny intervals as its own icon. WWIS also lists sunny intervals apart from partly cloudy. Treat the printed label as the forecast’s word.
Questions
What does a sun-behind-cloud icon mean?
As a forecast, it means the period is expected to have both sun and cloud. WWIS, the Met Office, and Apple each draw that idea in their own way.
Is partly cloudy the same as cloudy?
No. WWIS lists partly cloudy and cloudy as different labels, and overcast as another. Cloudy and overcast are on the overcast page.
Near this
- Clear skyA forecast icon for an expected open sky. Not the alchemical sun, and not a clear night.
- Cloudy and overcastForecast icons for a covered sky. Cloudy and overcast are not the same row, and neither is rain.
- Sun behind cloudU+26C5 sun behind a cloud. Not the partly cloudy forecast, though it resembles one.
- Sky coverThe filled circle on a station model. More ink means more of the sky was covered.
Sources
- World Weather Information Service, weather icons
- WWIS weather icon table
- Met Office, what does this forecast mean
- Apple, weather icons on iPhone
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.