I'm often asked what the difference is between partly sunny and partly cloudy.

There is no difference!

The only difference is when they are used to describe the sky conditions. They both mean from 10 percent to 50 percent of the sky is covered by clouds.

Partly sunny does sound more optimistic though. However, I can't use that descriptive term in the dark!

Partly cloudy is my only nighttime option.

You can stop reading now if you want, but I feel compelled to share a few more descriptions.

Technically speaking, the sky is mostly cloudy if 60 to 90 percent of the sky is covered by clouds. The sky is overcast if more than 90 percent of the sky is cloudy.

Hopefully you now have a clear understanding of how meteorologists choose the descriptive terms.

Log on to TheIndyChannel.com Monday through Friday for the daily weather blog from RTV6 Chief Meteorologist Kevin Gregory.