What Is The Difference Between Weather And Climate?

Have you ever wondered why the local condition in your area- temperature, humidity, and rainfall- is the way it is? Is it because of the weather? Or is it because of climate? Aren’t weather and climate the same?

No, they are not. 

The differences between weather and climate are quite pronounced, yet many get confused as the two are thought to be the same. 

In this article, we will learn the difference between weather and climate. 

What is Weather?

Weather is the behavior of the atmosphere as it corresponds to how it affects human activity and daily living. The term "weather" refers to the momentary characteristics of the atmosphere, such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, and many other things.

Weather changes frequently. It varies across the planet and changes over the course of a few minutes, hours, days, and weeks. 

The weather keeps fluctuating since there are a great number of variables affecting it, which are also constantly changing. 

To forecast weather for the following days or weeks, meteorologists evaluate data from satellites, weather stations, and buoys. Weather conditions include rain, frost, heat waves, floods, winds, and many others. 

What is Climate?

Climate refers to the long-term weather patterns in a specific area. It can also be described as the typical weather for a region and time period.

Scientists measure climate by the averages of precipitation, temperature, humidity, sunshine, wind, and other environmental variables that take place over an extended period of time in a specific location often averaged over a 30-year period.

Difference between Weather and Climate

• While climate is defined as statistical weather data that depicts the variation of weather in a specific area for a specified long-term period, weather is the daily state of the atmosphere in a region and its short-term variations.
• Although they are sometimes used interchangeably, their measurement periods and the variables that influence them are different.
• Weather forecasts provide information about short-term conditions such as temperature, wind speed, cloud cover, etc., whereas climate change provides information about long-term trends in the average temperature or precipitation over a large area. 
• The study of climate is called climatology. The scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather patterns and predictions is called meteorology.

Let's take the example of India. India has a tropical monsoon climate, however, different states and cities in India witness different weather, such as humidity, rain, precipitation, etc. The earth's climate has always been changing. However, compared to before, the change is happening much more quickly now. Climate change which has triggered global warming is a severe issue. 

The use of fossil fuels like coal, gas, and oil is one of the main causes of climate change. Sea levels are predicted to rise due to rising global temperatures, which will also alter precipitation patterns and other regional climate factors. Forests, agriculture yields, and water resources could all change as a result of regional climate change. 

If appropriate steps are not taken today, it will severely endanger the survival of humans as well as other living organisms on the planet.