Climate is how the atmosphere “behaves” over long periods of time across geographic regions. Weather reflects short-term conditions of the atmosphere. The difference between weather and climate is the measure of time. The National Ocean Service (NOS – a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) states that Climate is what you expect, Weather is what you get![1]NOAA – National Ocean Service
Scientists define climate as the average weather for a particular region and time period, usually taken over 30-years.[2]NASA – What’s the Difference Between Weather and Climate?
When scientists talk about climate, they’re talking about averages of precipitation, temperature, humidity, sunshine, wind velocity, phenomena such as fog, frost, and hail storms, and other measures of the weather that occur over a long period in a particular place.
Weather is the way the atmosphere behaves in a specific geographic area from minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day and week-to-week. Weather components include specific, point-in-time measurements of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure, as in high and low pressure.
References
| ↑1 | NOAA – National Ocean Service |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | NASA – What’s the Difference Between Weather and Climate? |
