Student Research Pages - Climate versus Weather
Climate versus Weather
Don't get climate confused with weather! It's easy to do, but the two are not the same.
- *** Climate describes patterns of weather over a long time.
- *** Weather describes what's happening right now or what will happen tomorrow.
Weather
Weather is the way the air feels at a certain time. It may change from day to day. Weather can even change from hour to hour.
Want to know what the weather will be tomorrow? That would be the weather forecast. Go to http://www.weather.com/ to find out. You'll need to know your zip code so ask an adult if you don't know it.
Climate
Different places in Texas have different climates. Remember – climate means patterns of weather over a long time.
The kind of weather a place has over a long period of time is called its "climate." Climate is important and affects Texas a lot. It helps decide the kinds of jobs people have, how many people live in a place, and what they do to have fun.
The amount of precipitation a place has helps decide what kind of climate it has. A place with a lot of precipitation will have a very different kind of climate than a place with very little precipitation.
Check out the climates of these Texas places:
| Texas Place | Climate |
|---|---|
| El Paso | Very dry, hot summers and mild winters |
| Amarillo | Dry, warm summers and cold winters |
| Laredo | Dry, hot summers and mild winters |
| Beaumont | Wet, humid summers and mild winters |
| Wichita Falls | Hot summers and cold winters |
| Nacogdoches | Very humid summers and cold winters |
Copyright, University Corpration for Atmospheric Research
See this balloon in Palestine, Texas? Scientists use it to gather information about both the weather and the climate.
Did you know that the National Scientific Balloon Facility is located in Palestine, Texas?
The what?!!
The National Scientific Balloon Facility is NASA's official launch site for balloons that carry all kinds of different experiments into the atmosphere. Wow! Palestine, Texas provides the headquarters for something that cool!
Isn’t that cool?
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