Weather is What You Expect
Weather is the state of atmospheric conditions at the present time. Weather is what is happening now. People watch the news to see what the weather will be for the day or tomorrow. Weather can be forecasted for short-term durations. The weather is constantly changing, sometimes minute to minute, with short-term variations. The National Snow and Ice Data Center describes weather as a combination of
- current temperature
- humidity
- precipitation
- cloudiness
- visibility
- wind
Climate is What You Get
Climate is a general term meaning weather over a long period of time, usually exclusive to one region or area. Climate is the average weather conditions for a region. For example, the climate of Oregon is mild weather, with rain. The climate of Florida is warm and humid with occasional thunderstorms.
Climate is what visitors can expect the typical weather to be like for a certain area. Climate variations do happen naturally. Climate can vary from year to year, decade to decade or between centuries. Common climate measurements are:
- average precipitation
- average temperature
- average humidity
- average sunshine
What is Climatology?
The most basic definition of climatology is the study of climate. Climatologists use a 30 year mean to define normal climate for a region. They study and discover the impact of climate, explaining how it will affect society. Climatologists provide benchmarks on which to compare climate data, detecting the patterns and trends of weather. There are several branches of climatology, including Paleoclimatology and Historical Climatology.
What is Meteorology?
Meteorology is the study of the current weather conditions. A meteorologist, known to most as the “weatherman”, also formulates short-term weather forecasting. Meteorologists use Doppler Radar to predict precipitation, wind direction or when storm tracking. They record daily weather data and records. Meteorologists make use of weather data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more specifically the National Weather Service. The National Weather Service alerts and warnings help meteorologists determine the extent and impact of storms, flooding, fire threats, tsunamis and other weather situations.
Using Weather and Climate Collectively
Climate and weather use the same terms for measurements:
- temperature
- precipitation
- wind
- solar radiation.
Together, climate and weather can be used in forecasting models, for both long and short-term weather predictions. Weather and climate are interrelated, as changes in one affect the other. Accurate weather measurements and data collection is important to climate predictions and analysis. Climate prediction can be extremely complex because of uncertainties. Monitoring of the climate is dependent on complete and precise weather measurements.
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