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Understanding the difference between the daily weather and the long-term patterns of climate.
If you look out your window right now, you are seeing the weather. But if you look at all the clothes in your closet to see what you wear for the whole year, you are looking at your climate!
Weather is what is happening in the sky right now or today. It can change very quickly! It might be sunny when you wake up, but rainy by lunchtime. We describe weather using words like cloudy, windy, hot, or snowy. Because weather changes so much, we check a 'forecast' to see if we need to bring a jacket or an umbrella when we leave the house. Think of weather like your mood—it can change from happy to sad in just a few minutes!
Quick Check
If it is snowing outside your window at this exact moment, is that weather or climate?
Answer
Weather, because it is happening right now.
Climate is the average weather in a place over a very long time—usually 30 years or more! While weather is like your mood, climate is like your personality. A person might be grumpy for one hour (weather), but they are usually a kind person (climate). A desert has a 'dry climate' because it is dry most of the time, even if it happens to rain for one day. Scientists look at patterns of heat and rain over many years to decide what a region's climate is.
1. You look outside and see dark clouds. 2. You decide to wear boots so your socks don't get wet. 3. This is a weather decision because you are reacting to what is happening today.
Quick Check
Which one describes a pattern that stays the same for many, many years?
Answer
Climate
To understand both weather and climate, we need to measure what is happening. We use a thermometer to measure how hot or cold the air is. In the United States, we usually use degrees Fahrenheit (), while other countries use degrees Celsius (). We also use a rain gauge, which is a tube that catches rain. It tells us how many inches () or centimeters () of water fell from the clouds. By writing down these numbers every day, we can see the patterns of our climate.
Imagine you check your rain gauge after a storm. 1. The water level is at the inch mark. 2. This tells you the weather for today was a -inch rainstorm. 3. If you do this every day and find that your town gets inches of rain every year, you have discovered your climate is very wet!
Different parts of the world have different climates. A tropical climate is usually warm and wet all year. A polar climate is very cold and icy. Most people live in temperate climates, where there are four distinct seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Knowing your climate helps you know what kind of house to build or what crops a farmer should plant.
You are visiting a new city. You look at a chart of the last 50 years. 1. The temperature is always between and . 2. It rains almost every afternoon. 3. Even though it might be sunny for one hour, the climate is Tropical because it is consistently hot and wet over a long time.
Which of these is an example of climate?
What tool would you use to see how much it rained last night?
Weather and climate are the exact same thing.
Review Tomorrow
In 24 hours, try to explain the 'Mood vs. Personality' analogy to a friend to remember the difference between weather and climate.
Practice Activity
Start a 3-day weather journal. Record the temperature and the sky conditions (sunny, cloudy, rainy) each afternoon!