Question

climate and weather are often discussed together, but they dont mean the same thing. weather measures the conditions in the atmosphere over a specific place at a specific point in time. there are six metrics we use to classify weather: temperature, cloud cover, air pressure, humidity, wind, and precipitation. you might be familiar with some of these, like temperature: how hot or cold does the air around you feel? as for cloud cover, just look up. how much of the sky above you is obscured by clouds? an example of weather: on january 19, 1977, it snowed in orlando, florida. climate, on the other hand, is the average weather conditions measured over a long period of time, usually 30 years or more. it is affected by geographical factors like latitude and elevation. the average temperature in orlando in january is 60.2°f, so its very unusual that it would be cold enough to snow. weather often follows the patterns of a regions climate, but it doesnt always. which of the following statements correctly illustrates the difference between weather and climate? choose one option a tonights cool, breezy weather was typical of cape cods usual climate. b georgias climate is warm and humid, so we can never have cold weather. c the weather in seattle is almost always rainy, but the climate was dry and sunny today. d i live in philadelphia, where the weather is temperate; we sometimes have really hot climates in the summer, though.

Explanation:

• Option A:
• Weather is short - term (tonight's cool, breezy) and climate is long - term (Cape Cod's usual). This shows the difference as weather is a specific instance and climate is the average over time.
• Option B:
• The statement is incorrect. Just because Georgia has a warm and humid climate (long - term average) doesn't mean there can never be cold weather (short - term deviation).
• Option C:
• It has the definitions reversed. Seattle's climate (long - term average) is usually rainy and weather is the short - term (dry and sunny today).
• Option D:
• It has the definitions reversed. Philadelphia's climate is temperate (long - term average) and hot is a weather (short - term) description.

Answer:

A. Tonight's cool, breezy weather was typical of Cape Cod's usual climate.