In general, Weather and Climate are very important concepts in geography. They shape our lives in many ways. and many people confuse the terms and say “weather” when they mean climate and vice versa. you will know the difference by the end.
Weather briefs the short-term atmospheric condition whereas climate briefs the long-term conditions.
Weather:
This mixture of gases and particulates that we call the atmosphere is not sitting still. It is very dynamic; It moves up and down and horizontally in all directions. As it does this, its characteristics change – it may get warmer or cooler, wet or drier, etc; when we describe the condition of the atmosphere for a small period of time (usually about 10 days at most)weather can change daily even within a day!
Climate :
Climate is a description of the average atmospheric conditions for areas over a long period of time. Climatic conditions are based on decades of atmospheric data and finding the averages of them. Climate descriptions tell us what conditions are for a given time of year, but not on specific days.
How do we describe the atmosphere? We use temperature, pressure, wind, humidity, and precipitation. These are called the elements of weather. we use these to describe climate also, so these are also elements of climate
Difference Between Weather and Climate:
| Weather | Climate |
|---|---|
| Weather is a condition of the atmosphere for a small period of time. | Climate is a condition of the atmosphere for a long period of time for a place. |
| Weather is forecasted by the meteorology department. | Climate is observed by climatology and it is a scientific study of the climate. |
| It is temporary in nature | It is permanent in nature |
| It changes from minute to minute depending on the temperature, rainfall and air or wind pressure. | It is average weather in a region and may slightly change from year to year. |
| Elements of weather are temperature, pressure, wind, humidity and precipitation. | The same elements of weather are used to describe the climate. |
| Weather is different in different parts of the world and so we have weather reports. | Spread over a large area and a long period of time |
Bottom line:
As a result of the preceding discussion, When we compare the terms Weather and climate we can say that weather is what we get and climate is what we expect. So, we ask a person how the weather is outside today rather than the climate…it may be cloudy, sunny, or rainy so we worry about the weather rather than the climate.
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