Weather vs climate
Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world, distinguishing between weather and climate
What a learner can do afterwards
- Define weather as day-to-day conditions and climate as the long-term pattern of weather in an area
- Describe at least three different climate types (tropical, temperate, polar, desert) with examples
- Explain that climate varies by region due to factors like distance from the equator
The lesson
You already know that weather changes from day to day. It might be sunny in the morning and rainy by lunchtime. Climate is different. Climate is the pattern of weather a place has over many years, not just one day.
Look at the Arctic and the Amazon rainforest. In the Arctic, snow and ice cover the ground almost every day of the year, so its climate is cold and dry. In the Amazon rainforest, it is warm and rains nearly every day, so its climate is tropical and wet. The weather in each place still changes a little day to day, but the overall pattern stays the same year after year.
Places near the equator get strong, direct sunlight all year, which tends to make their climate warm, like tropical or desert climates. Places far from the equator, closer to the North or South Pole, get weaker, slanted sunlight, which tends to make their climate cold, like polar climates. That is one big reason climate changes from region to region.
Weather is today's conditions, climate is the years-long pattern, and how close a place is to the equator helps shape that pattern.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.