We often speak of weather or climate similarly, using both concepts interchangeably, although meteorologically that is not exactly right. And that's because these terms that are taken to be similar actually have different meanings and applications. If you need to explain the difference between weather and climate to kids, on OneHowTo.com we explain it to you.
When we talk about weather we mean the atmospheric situation that occurs at a particular time and depends on various factors such as pressure, wind or temperature.
Weather covers all phenomena in the atmosphere, thanks to it we can make a meteorological prediction of the day or the days ahead: rainy weather, sunny weather, etc. This phenomena can happen in bigger and smaller measure in different parts of the World.
Climate meanwhile, brings together all the results obtained about the weather in a given area and analyzed in a much longer period of time, i.e. for years, to establish the kind of climate of that particular area.
Factors such as altitude, latitude or ocean currents influence climate and can modify it significantly. To determine a climate data must be accumulated for years such as atmospheric temperature, pressure, wind, humidity and precipitation.
To explain the difference between weather and climate to kids, explian how it can rain or be sunny everywhere in the World. Tell them the climate is defined by the kind of weather a certain area has during many years on average.
For example, it may be sunny in London but still its climate is humid, as it rains more frequently, whereas in Barcelona it doesn't rain as much (though it can). Therefore, these two cities can have the same weather on specific days, but have a different climate.
Once we are clear about both concepts, what is the difference between weather and climate? Well, weather is the immediate forecast of the meteorological state: sun, rain, showers, cloudy, etc, while climate is the set of atmospheric conditions that characterize a specific region, which are determined by the accumulation of data for years: Mediterranean climate, tropical climate, etc.
Herein lies the difference between the two concepts: weather speaks from an immediate prospect, while climate studies atmospheric changes for years and then determines what climate type corresponds to a certain area.
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