Chapter 26, Problem 1RCC

What is the difference between weather and climate?

To determine

The distinguishing factors of weather and climate[p1] .

Answer to Problem 1RCC

Solution:

The weather is the combination of environmental components like wind, sunlight, humidity, and so on which stays for a small period of time and over a small geographical area. On the contrary, the climate is the average of the weather in a large expanse of the area for a long period.

Explanation of Solution

The differences between weather and climate are as follows:

No.	Characteristics	Weather	Climate
1	Definition	Weather consists of the prevailing temperature, wind, sunlight, humidity, and so on for a brief period, such as for a few hours.	The climate is the summation of environmental factors like wind, temperature, and so on for a large area, over a long period of time.
2	Time period	The weather of an area is for a short period of time, like hours or a day.	The climate is the average pattern of the environmental conditions for a long period, as for a few months, years or decades.
3	Area	The weather is over a local area.[p2]	The climate is for a large expanse of area, as in the country or continent and so on.
4	Examples	The weather can be sunny, cloudy, windy and so on.	The climate is usually warm, humid, dry, cold and so on.[p3]