Weather is what you see or experience outside at any time on any day.
So, for example, it may be 75° degrees and sunny or it could be 20° degrees with heavy snow. That’s what the weather is. We can discuss long term forecasts of what the weather will be, or what happened last year in this month. It’s all weather, but it is not the same as climate.
How is Climate different?
Climate is the average of “weather” over an accepted period of time which is normally 30 years or more. When people discuss changing climate they are describing changes from the normal averages. Weather is what is going on right now – it is what we see out the window.
What causes the Weather?
The two most important influences in weather are the Sun and Earth’s atmosphere. The Sun heats objects on Earth and this heat is absorbed by the atmosphere. The absorption may include water vapor which creates the clouds and can attribute to rain and other types of precipitation. Other factors ( variables ) such as high and low pressure effect the winds and storm systems.
More Learning about Weather Topics