1. Climate Vs. Weather

CLIMATE or WEATHER

Weather changes in the short-term and it's how we describe the conditions we find in the atmosphere. It changes every day or even several times a day. Weather also changes seasonally with typical summer, fall, winter, and spring seasons. Weather is the daily atmospheric conditions (rain, wind, snow, rain, ice, sun cloud etc) in a local (small) region like a city.

The term climate is used when discussing larger areas (provinces, countries etc) and over long periods of time. Climate is the average weather data and its patterns observed over many years and/or a large area. Climate data is used to compare how weather patterns are changing over time. Here are some comparisons that show the differences in how we talk about weather versus climate change.

Remember, weather changes daily and sometimes more than once in a day. "This morning it was hot and sunny outside and then there was thunder storm at 1pm. Right after the storm the temperature dropped by 15 degrees."

Climate however is when we look for patterns (averages) of daily weather, often in seasons, and try to explain how it might be changing. "When i was young the now banks were so high, you could not see over them. But for the last 3 years, i have not needed to use my snow blower more than 2 times a year". or "My grandparents built our cottage beside the Ottawa River in 1910. It has never been affected by the river flooding. But, this year and last year, my cottage flooded twice!!.. The river has never been this high, and yet, it broke records 2 years in a row!"

Talking about Weather

"I think it's supposed to snow a lot today."

"It feels so dry today."

"It's warm today - it seems like spring!"

Talking about

Climate Change

"I can remember 50 years ago when every winter meant getting a lot of snow. Now, we only get one or two big snowfalls a season."

"I've been growing crops here for 40 years, and we now have to use irrigation sprinklers because there is less rain than there used to be."

"It seems like springtime is coming earlier these days than it did 50 years ago."

Weather and Climate

Definition of Weather

Weather refers to atmospheric conditions, including temperature, precipitation, clouds, and winds in a local area (small), on time scales of hours or days,to weeks. - a short period of time

Definition of Climate

Climate also refers to atmospheric conditions (weather), but averaged over a much longer time period than weather, on time scales of months, years,decades to millions of years averaged over a region or short time and large region (country/continent)

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The weather can change quickly – it can change several times in a day! It can also vary between locations that are close together, such as one side or the other of a mountain, or on the leading or trailing edge of a cold or warm front.

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Climate usually takes a very long time to change. Major changes typically take thousands of years. Now, scientists are discovering that it is changing quicker than we thought, with measurable alterations in decades. If it changes too quickly, it can be difficult for our planet.

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2. Weather and Climate

Examples of Severe Weather

Listening to the nightly news, we hear discussions of sun, rain, clouds and daily temperature expectations. Those are all weather. Here are some additional examples of severe weather.

THUNDERSTORMS

Thunderstorms produce heavy rains and lighting. Severe storms can produce strong winds, tornados, and flooding.

FLOODS

Heavy rains or slow-moving thunderstorms can create flooding. A flood can develop quickly within minutes or gradually over many hours.

TORNADOES

A tornado is a violently spinning column of air that descends from thunderstorm clouds down to the ground.

LIGHTNING STRIKES

Most often, lightning is seen in thunderstorms. It sometimes occurs during snowstorms. Lightning is a humongous spark of static electricity.

EXTREME HEAT

Extreme heat occurs when temperatures are averaging 10 degrees hotter than normal for weeks. It often includes high temperatures and high humidity.

EXTREME COLD

Extremely cold temperatures and heavy snowfall can completely shut down a region. Winter storms commonly cause closed roads and downed power lines. They can also create flooding.

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Climate or Weather?

Weather changes in the short-term and it's how we describe what's going on now. It changes every day just by the rising and setting of the sun. It also changes seasonally with summer and winter. Climate takes many, many years to change. Global average climate changes very little compared to weather conditions that change on daily time scales. Here are some comparisons that show the differences in how we talk about weather versus climate change.