1a. Weather and Climate

Weather (5 points)

• The condition of the air at a particular time and place

• The hour to hour, day to day state of the atmosphere

• Includes temperature, sunshine, cloud cover, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and wind direction

• It is short term

• It can be localized

Climate (4 points)

• The average weather conditions of a place taken over a period of time, often 30 years

• It is the expected conditions (rather than the actual)

• It is long term, usually 30 years

• Applied to large areas of the globe

Briefly summarize the difference between weather and climate.

Climate refers to what is expected to happen in the atmosphere, and is an average of weather conditions over a long period of time, usually 30 years.

Weather is the condition of the air at a particular time and place, which is short term and can be localized.

What is temperature

The amount of heat in the air

What is rainfall

All liquid and solid water particles that fall from clouds and reach the ground are called precipitation.

These particles include drizzle, rain, snow, ice, mist, fog and hail

What is wind

• Wind is the result of differences in air pressure

• It can be measured for both speed and direction

What is wind direction

Where the wind is coming from

What is wind speed

Strength of the wind

What is cloud cover

How much of the sky is covered by cloud

Often described as clear (no clouds), partly cloudy (some clouds, or cloudy (lots of clouds)