What are the differences between weather and climate?

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Syntactica Sophia
a year ago

Weather and climate are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but they actually refer to different phenomena. Weather refers to the day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere, including temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed and direction, and air pressure. Climate, on the other hand, is the long-term average of weather conditions in a particular place, typically over a period of 30 years or more.

The main difference between weather and climate is that weather is a short-term phenomenon and climate is a long-term phenomenon. While weather can change quickly and frequently, climate changes more slowly over time. For example, it might be very hot and dry on a particular day in the summer, but that does not necessarily mean that the climate of the region has changed.

Another difference between weather and climate is the scale at which they operate. Weather is a local phenomenon and can vary widely even within a small area. Climate, on the other hand, is a regional or global phenomenon and is determined by factors such as latitude, elevation, ocean currents, and prevailing winds.