Are weather and climate the same thing?
Many people think that weather and climate are the same things. However, these 2 terms are different and have 2 different atmospheric conditions.
Although they are different from each other, they certainly share some common traits.
But before we delve into how our weather and climate are alike, their similarities and differences, let’s talk about what exactly they are.
What Is Weather?
Weather indicates the current condition of the atmosphere. For instance, it tells you whether the atmosphere is hot or cold, dry or humid, cloudy or sunny.
By “weather,” we actually mean the changes in temperature, moisture, precipitation, wind, clouds, and other factors.
Many advanced instruments make it possible for us to measure the changes in these elements precisely. With these measurements, we can make predictions about the weather.
However, weather changes rapidly, and its unpredictable nature makes it difficult to forecast weather for more than 2 weeks accurately; these weather forecasts can be beneficial during severe weather such as tornados, cyclones, or thunderstorms. It helps us to reduce damage to lives and properties caused by storms.
Weather is mainly influenced by heat, moisture, air pressure, and winds. If you have a weather station for your home, you can check the basic things.
Let’s take a look at them:
Heat
Heat transferred from the sun is absorbed by the earth and spread through the atmospheric air. Air temperature varies from place to place because the sun’s rays strike the earth at different angles.
Air Pressure
Air pressure is the measure of the force of the air pressing down on the earth’s surface. It depends on the density of the air. Denser air exerts more pressure than less dense air.
Air pressure on the earth can vary significantly from location to location due to unequal heating of the atmosphere. This air pressure difference causes the movement of the air, which we call wind.
Moisture
The amount of moisture in the air is called Relative Humidity.
It has a considerable influence on the weather as the moisture in the atmosphere condenses, causing clouds to develop and precipitation to fall to the earth.
What Is Climate?
Let’s talk about Climate; the climate is the average weather condition for a particular region over an extended period of time, in most cases 30 years.
For most of us, “climate” means that an area is hot, cold, wet, or dry. These 4 factors mostly determine the climate.
Latitude
The sunray falls differently at different latitudes. The closer the location is to the equator (low latitudes), the warmer it tends to be; the greater the distance (higher latitudes), the cooler it becomes.
The earth is divided into three major climate zones based on the average temperature of these zones; tropical, temperate, and polar zones.
The tropical zone is characterized by high temperature, while the polar zone is always freezing, and the temperature is often below 0°c.
Regarding the temperate zone, they are neither burning hot nor freezing cold, as their temperature is moderate.
Proximity to Coastlines
Due to being next to the sea, the coastal lands are warmer in winter while cooler.
For, unlike mid-continental regions, ocean waters take a long period of time to change temperature.
Altitude
Altitude has a huge impact on the regional climate.
Areas that are high above sea level are called high altitudes. The high altitude begins at 2,400 meters above sea level.
Places at high altitudes are cooler than places at low altitudes.
Wind and Ocean Currents
Wind and ocean currents play a crucial role in determining the climate of a particular region on the earth’s surface.
Similarities between Climate and Weather
- Both of them are related to atmospheric conditions
- Any change in weather or climate has a significant impact on the residents of the local area
- Both of them indicate the atmospheric condition of a specific area
- Temperature and precipitation are critical in determining both weather and climate
Differences between Weather and Climate
- The weather indicates the state of the atmosphere over a brief period of time, whereas the climate means average weather of a specific region over a period of many years.
- Weather conditions can change within a few minutes, while climate change can take several decades to change.
- Weather is studied by the meteorologists. In contrast, the climate is studied by the climatologists.
- The climate is measured over a very long time. Conversely, the weather is measured for short term.
READ NEXT – Check out the Best Home Weather Station 2021 for precise data
Conclusion
We have compared weather and climate in this guide, and although climate and weather are closely related, they aren’t very similar to be fooled.
In fact, they have more differences than similarities.
However, both of them are immensely important as they tell us about the atmospheric conditions and have a huge impact on our lives.
