THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEATHER AND CLIMATE © Copyright All rights reserved.

This PowerPoint presentation will help you learn how to read several different climate graphs and charts. © Copyright All rights reserved. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEATHER AND CLIMATE

WEATHER Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given place and time. The what is happening now. For example, right now, the temperature in New York City, New York may be 76°F with rain. Image from Wikimedia Commons, © Copyright All rights reserved.

CLIMATE Climate is the average condition of the atmosphere (such as temperature or precipitation) over a long period of time. For example, the average temperature over the past 30 years for the month of February may be 27°F. The average precipitation is 2.8 inches. Climate is the average of weather conditions in a place. Image from Wikimedia Commons, © Copyright All rights reserved.

JUST CHECKING 1.What is weather? 2.What is climate? 3.How are weather and climate different? © Copyright All rights reserved.

TWO IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF WEATHER AND CLIMATE: PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE Precipitation includes all forms of moisture falling to the surface of the earth. (Examples: rain, sleet, snow, hail) Temperature is how warm or cool the air is outside. Mean=Average Image from flickr, Image from flickr, © Copyright All rights reserved.

Image from flickr, Image from pixabay, Image from Wikimedia Commons, Image from flikr, © Copyright All rights reserved.

LET’S PRACTICE: NOAA Go to You should be on the page “Climate at a Glance” The time series tab for the U.S. should be selected. © Copyright All rights reserved.

LET’S PRACTICE: NOAA GRAPH KEY red The red line represents the maximum. blue The blue line represent the minimum. graypurple The gray or purple line is the average. Precipitation is in inches, millimeters (mm), or milliliters (ml). Temperature is in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius. © Copyright All rights reserved.

Parameter: (varies) Time Scale: 1 Month Month: (varies) Start/End Year: (varies) State/Region and Climate Division/city: (varies) © Copyright All rights reserved. LET’S PRACTICE: NOAA SETUP Options: Check “Display Base Period” Start: 1995 End: 2014 Click “Plot” and scroll down!

What was the maximum temperature in New York, NY in February 2010? Setup: © Copyright All rights reserved. LET’S PRACTICE: NOAA

What was the maximum temperature in New York, NY in February 2010? Graph: © Copyright All rights reserved. LET’S PRACTICE: NOAA

What was the minimum temperature in Jacksonville, FL in December 1999? Setup: © Copyright All rights reserved. LET’S PRACTICE: NOAA

What was the minimum temperature in Jacksonville, FL in December 1999? Graph: © Copyright All rights reserved. LET’S PRACTICE: NOAA

NOAA: ALL TOGETHER © Copyright All rights reserved. These graphs show daily extremes and averages in Denver, CO from

LET’S PRACTICE – NOTICING PRECIPITATION PATTERNS Find the climate data (average/mean temperature and precipitation) for Orlando, Florida. Go to Type “Orlando” in the search box and click on the search button. Click on Orlando/Jetport/FL., United States of America. Scroll down to Orlando/Jetport/FL., United States of America. © Copyright All rights reserved.

Click on the average rainfall link. Take note of any patterns you see. Note: This website uses the words “average rainfall” instead of “average precipitation.” It is more accurate to use “average precipitation” since this includes all forms of precipitation (such as rain, snow, and sleet). Jan.Feb.Mar.Apr.MayJun.Jul.Aug.Sep.Oct.Nov.Dec.Year mm inches © Copyright All rights reserved. LET’S PRACTICE – NOTICING PRECIPITATION PATTERNS

Is there more precipitation in the summer months (July, August, September) or the winter months (January, February, March)? What other patterns do you see in the average precipitation data for Orlando, Florida? Jan.Feb.Mar.Apr.MayJun.Jul.Aug.Sep.Oct.Nov.Dec.Year mm inches © Copyright All rights reserved. LET’S PRACTICE – NOTICING PRECIPITATION PATTERNS

Click the back button and scroll down to Orlando/Jetport/FL., United States of America. Click on the average temperature link. Jan.Feb.Mar.Apr.MayJun.Jul.Aug.Sep.Oct.Nov.Dec.Year °C °F © Copyright All rights reserved. LET’S PRACTICE – NOTICING TEMPERATURE PATTERNS

Is it hotter in the summer (July, August, September) or in the winter months (January, February, March)? What other patterns do you see in the average temperature data for Orlando, Florida? Jan.Feb.Mar.Apr.MayJun.Jul.Aug.Sep.Oct.Nov.Dec.Year °C °F © Copyright All rights reserved. LET’S PRACTICE – NOTICING TEMPERATURE PATTERNS

Now it’s your turn… © Copyright All rights reserved.