In today’s world, with the constant discussions regarding global warming and climate change, the terms ‘weather’ and ‘climate’ are often used interchangeably. Though these two words are closely related, and can describe many similar phenomena, they are not the same. The best way to describe the difference between them is to say that is it a matter of time.
The term ‘weather’ most accurately describes the conditions of the atmosphere over a relatively short period of time. Weather consists almost entirely of short-term changes in the atmosphere, usually anywhere from minutes to months. When thinking of weather, most people refer to things such as humidity, temperature, pressure, precipitation, cloud cover, visibility, and wind. These things, when taken over a short period of time, are the basic components of weather.
Meteorologists are scientists who study weather, not climate. These people look for short-term weather configurations that can result in semi-predictable patterns. The weather forecasters on the radio and television, some of whom are meteorologists, predict weather, not climate. They are interested in conveying short-term changes. However, accurately predicting the weather has often proved to be more of a guessing game than anything, even for seasoned meteorologists.
Weather can change quickly and with little warning, from minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, and season-to-season. Changes that occur over a longer period of time are generally classified under the term ‘climate.’ Weather patterns, tracked over a long period of time, are used to determine climate, but weather itself is not climate.
Climate refers to how the atmosphere behaves over much longer periods of time, usually in regards to a particular area. Climate, in general, is more predictable than weather, and tends to remain stable, except in the case of climate change. One popular definition of climate is the average weather patterns of a particular region over a period of time, most commonly thirty years. Though climate is related to weather, it would be a mistake to say that climate determines weather. Actually, the opposite is true.
When a scientist talks about climate, he or she is generally referring to averages in humidity, temperature, pressure, and precipitation. Also, climate can include various weather phenomena such as frost, fog, tornadoes, hail storms, or ice storms — but always over a long period of time. One hailstorm in July does not constitute climate. However, if there were hailstorms in July over many years, perhaps twenty out of thirty years in a row, then hailstorms might be considered to be a part of the climate of that area.
Climate is measured carefully, and climate change can only be assessed after many years, as climate can have some variability over time. Having one dry summer does not mean that the climate is changing, it simply means that the year in question was drier than average. However, if it continues to be dry for many summers in a row, it would likely indicate a change in climate.
It must be understood that there are some factors that might affect climate for several years, but not result in a permanent climate change. For example, volcanic eruptions, unexpected weather phenomena, and any general changes in the earth’s system may have an effect on local climate for a few years before things return to more normal patterns.
Those who study the science of climate are called climatologists. These scientists track climate and its changes using centuries of collected data. A climatologist does not determine averages in climate, but rather establishes a range. Climate can be more easily understood by using ranges for the classification of climatic conditions.
Climate and weather both refer to changes in the atmosphere. However, it can be said that climate is much more predictable than weather. For example, it is fairly easy to predict that next summer in Arizona will be, on average, hot and dry. It is much more difficult to determine, at least with any accuracy, what the weather will be like in Atlanta five days from now.
For the most part, humans are more interested in weather than in climate. Those relocating to a new area might be well served to research the local climate, but in general, the question most often asked is “What will the weather be like tomorrow?” Of course, it is quite natural to be more interested in that which has a more immediate effect, and weather is certainly immediate.
