Weather vs Climate · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Weather vs Climate

Science · Weather & Climate · ages 7-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which description means climate?

    • A place's temperature measured this afternoon
    • A place's usual weather pattern over many years
    • A place's wind speed measured this morning

  2. Which one describes weather?

    • What the sky is doing right now
    • The usual pattern of weather over many years
    • The name of a town

  3. Weather can change from morning to afternoon.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. A desert town usually gets little rain. One day brings heavy rain. What can you conclude from that day alone?

    • One rainy day does not establish a wetter climate.
    • One rainy day shows the climate has become wetter.
    • One rainy day shows next year's rainfall will be higher.

  5. A town has usually had dry summers for many years. Today it is raining. Which pair labels these observations?

    • Dry summers: weather; today's rain: climate
    • Dry summers: weather; today's rain: weather
    • Dry summers: climate; today's rain: weather

  6. Rainy winters and dry summers can be parts of the same place's climate.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. A scientist compares daily weather records from the same city across 30 years to find its usual pattern. What is the scientist studying?

    • A different city's weather
    • That city's weather for just today
    • That city's climate

  8. Ben says, 'One cold morning proves our town's climate has become colder.' What should he check instead?

    • Compare that morning only with the previous afternoon.
    • Compare many years of earlier and recent weather.
    • Compare that morning only with a nearby town's morning.
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Weather vs Climate W1-mt_AB-TEMXSGJ-s1

  1. A place's usual weather pattern over many years · Climate describes a place's usual weather pattern across many years.
  2. What the sky is doing right now · Weather is what the sky and air are doing right now or today.
  3. True · Weather can shift quickly, even within the same day.
  4. One rainy day does not establish a wetter climate. · The rain describes that day's weather. It does not establish a change in the long-term dry pattern or predict next year's rainfall.
  5. Dry summers: climate; today's rain: weather · Dry summers across many years describe climate. Rain today describes weather.
  6. True · Climate includes seasonal patterns. A place does not need the same weather in every season.
  7. That city's climate · Comparing weather records across many years to find a usual pattern is studying climate.
  8. Compare many years of earlier and recent weather. · A change in climate concerns long-term patterns. Ben needs earlier and recent records covering many years.
Worksheet · LightMySky