We hear a lot about weather and climate in the news and in our daily lives. Often when we hear these two words and think they’re the same thing.
But weather and climate are two different things and it’s important for us to be able to tell them apart.
Task 1: Watch this Crash Course Kids video on weather vs. climate. It's ok if you need to watch it more than once to understand.
Task 2: Watch this video made by NASA.
Task 3: Read how NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) explains the difference between weather and climate.
What's the difference between weather and climate?
Take a look outside your window.
Is it hot and sunny?
Is it cloudy and rainy?
Is there snow on the ground?
When you look out the window, you’re seeing what the weather is like today.
Weather is only temporary. For example, a blizzard can turn into a flood after just a few warm spring days.
Climate, on the other hand, is more than just a few warm or cool days.
Climate describes the typical weather conditions in an entire region for a very long time—30 years or more.
Keeping an eye on changing weather can help us plan ahead.
We know that if thunderclouds are forming overhead, it’s probably a good idea to stay inside.
But it’s important to keep an eye on changes in Earth’s climate, too. And NASA has observed that Earth is getting warmer.
Keeping track of Earth’s sea level is one way that we can know how quickly the climate is changing. As Earth’s climate warms, ice in Antarctica and Greenland is melting. This causes the level of the oceans to rise.
NASA satellites can measure sea level rise from space.
They can also track changes in the climate by measuring the clouds.
We know that changes in the number, size or location of clouds could be caused by a change in Earth’s climate.
NASA satellites are always orbiting Earth, looking down at our oceans and clouds. And they monitor Earth’s climate in other ways, too.
It’s important to keep an eye on our planet and all the ways that it’s changing. Right now, it’s the only one we’ve got!
Task 4: In your own words, summarize the difference between weather and climate. (Click here to print a note-catcher or create your own on any sheet of paper.)
Weather is…
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Climate is...
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Task 5: Practice!
See if you can tell the difference between weather and climate. For the following situations:
Write C if it is an example of climate.
Write W if it is an example of weather.
Write N if the example is neither weather nor climate.
_____ 1. It was raining an hour ago and now it’s sunny.
_____ 2. It’s usually snowy in January in Caldwell.
_____ 3. Tomorrow it will be 65 degrees!
_____ 4. I saw five different kinds of clouds in the sky yesterday.
_____ 5. There were five earthquakes last month in the Carolinas.
_____ 6. A tornado hit in Tennessee.
_____ 7. The seasons in the Northern hemisphere are opposite of the Southern
hemisphere.
_____ 8. In winter, the mornings are cold, like 20 degrees.
____ 9. During the Ice Age, the Earth was colder than it is now.
____ 10. It’s raining!
____ 11. It’s not windy enough to fly a kite.
____ 12. It is always hot and dry in the desert in June.
____ 13. There were 12 forest fires in Idaho last year.
____ 14. There was a huge thunderstorm last night.
Please send your weather vs. climate summary and your answers to #1-14 to Ms. Dolan. Answers will be posted tomorrow for you to check your work! adolan@hccs481.org or ms.dolans_science
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