What is the difference between weather and climate:
“Weather” describes the temporary changes in the atmosphere, and “climate” refers to long-term changes in weather in a specific location over time.
Weather Vs Climate:
We hear the phrase “climate change” mentioned a lot lately, but what does
climate really mean? And how does it differ from the basic changes that we see in the weather every day? Without understanding the terminology, it can all seem a little confusing.
Basically,
weather is what’s happening outside your door right now. Whether it’s rainy or sunny or snowy or anything else, that’s the weather. Weather changes from day to day, and it can even change throughout the day. If you’ve ever checked the forecast to see what conditions to expect for the day, you’re
checking the weather forecast.
Climate, on the other hand, describes the weather in a particular location over time. The
climate in a certain area refers to how rainy it tends to be overall or how hot it tends to be overall. This is how we know to expect it to be hot and rainy in Florida in the summer or cold and snowy in Minnesota in the winter.
Climate is the average of the weather conditions in a specific place over time.
By keeping track of the
climate in a certain area, you can gauge what the weather might be like seasonally; but you won’t be able to accurately predict it for a specific day. For example, you can plan to wear shorts and a tee-shirt in Florida in July because you know the
climate is generally hot in Florida in July. However, you would need to check the
weather forecast to see if you might need an umbrella on July 4th in Florida. The
climate might typically be hot, but the
weather changes from day to day.
By keeping track of daily
weather over multiple years, scientists are able to determine what the climate is like in a specific region and across the globe. So if you hear that the global
climate is changing, it means that the
weather in a lot of places around the world has consistently been changing for years.
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