Joined-up percentiles
Although the joined-up median-quartiles-extremes bands are an effective way to compare the distributions in ordered groups (months for the Samaru monthly rainfall data), sometimes other percentiles are also important. This type of display can show any percentiles.
Monthly rainfall in Samaru
The diagram below again shows jittered dot plots for the monthly rainfall in Samaru.
Select Dot plots and percentile bands from the pop-up menu. Initially the median and quartiles for the months are joined. Drag the slider to show the 10'th, 50'th and 90'th percentiles. Note that the dark blue band is wider since it now includes 80% of the data values for each month. (Click on any month to show how its percentiles relate to its jittered dot plot.)
This display of the 10'th and 90'th percentiles may be of more practical use to climatologists since it shows the rainfalls that are exceeded in 1-in-10 years and that are not reached in 1-in-10 years.
Tables of percentiles
Percentiles are often presented in tabular form as well as graphically.
Monthly rainfall in Samaru
The extremes and 10'th, 50'th and 90'th percentiles are shown as bands in the diagram below and also in tabular form
Click any month in the diagram or any row of the table to see how these displays are related.