Difference between Weather and Climate
Key Difference: Weather is the state or conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of
time, usually a day or so. Climate is the average conditions that are expected at a certain
place over a number of years.
Weather and climate are words that are often heard in meteorology, while weather is also
used in day to day in order to refer to the conditions outside. Weather and climate are similar,
but different. The main difference between the two is weather changes day to day, while
climate does not change for longer periods of day.
Weather is the state or conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, usually a day
or so. The weather changes day to day and forecasting must be done continuously in order to
determine the sudden changes in the weather. In many places, weather changes from hour to
hour, minute to minute and season to season. The NASA lists the components that effect
weather includes sunshine, rain, cloud cover, winds, hail, snow, sleet, freezing rain, flooding,
blizzards, ice storms, thunderstorms, steady rains from a cold front or warm front, excessive
heat, heat waves, etc.
An example of weather includes a sudden rain shower in Australia on a hot, sunny day. This
would be a change in weather of the place. Weather is affected by differences in air pressure
of one place and another. The pressures and temperature differences can occur due to the sun
angle at any particular spot. Weather also includes natural disasters such as tornadoes,
hurricanes, typhoons, etc. Though these are rare, they are considered as a change over a small
period of time. Weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, the lowest level of the
atmosphere. Though weather does occur in the stratosphere and can affect the weather in the
troposphere, it hasn’t been completely understood yet. Weather is also an important in
shaping the Earth through erosion, weathering and breaking down of soil segments. Weather
can be forecasted accurately these days due to the science and technology, which can access
the conditions of a certain place and successfully predict the weather conditions.
Climate is the average conditions that are expected at a certain place over a number of years.
Climate is usually the long-term conditions of a certain place over a period of number of
years. For example, if a place is constantly warm and dry, the climate of the area is said to
warm and dry. Scientists claim the Earth’s climate system includes five major components:
atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, land surface, and biosphere.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) glossary defines ‘climate’ as,
“Climate in a narrow sense is usually defined as the "average weather," or more rigorously,
as the statistical description in terms of the mean and variability of relevant quantities over a
period ranging from months to thousands or millions of years. The classical period is 30
years, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). These quantities are
most often surface variables such as temperature, precipitation, and wind. Climate in a wider
sense is the state, including a statistical description, of the climate system.”
Climate can see changes, however these changes happen slowly and over a large period of
time. For example due to global warming, the melting of glaciers is causing snow in places
where it has never snowed before. The climate of a location is affected by latitude, terrain,
and altitude, as well as nearby water bodies and their currents. Climate is determined by the
statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, precipitation, atmospheric
particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements.
Weather Climate
Weather is the state of the Climate is the average
atmosphere on a current conditions that are
Definition
day at a current time. It expected at a certain place
changes day to day. over a number of years.
Weather includes Climate may include
sunshine, rain, cloud precipitation,
cover, winds, hail, snow, temperature, humidity,
sleet, freezing rain, sunshine, and wind
Components flooding, blizzards, ice velocity, phenomena such
storms, thunderstorms, as fog, frost, and hail
steady rains from a cold storms over a long period
front or warm front, of time.
excessive heat, heat
waves and more.
Climate forecast can only
be done over longer
Day to day forecast can
periods of time, such as
be done depending on the
Forecast 30 years. The average of
air pressure, temperature
weather over 30 years
and other similar factors.
helps determine the
climate of a certain area.
Real-time measurements
of atmospheric pressure,
Aggregating weather
temperature, wind speed
Determined by statistics over periods of
and direction, humidity,
30 years
precipitation, could cover,
etc.
Study Meteorology Climatology
