Weather versus climate

Weather Versus Climate

Weather is the state of the atmosphere at an exact
place and time in regards to heat, dryness,
sunshine, wind, rain, etc.

Climate is the weather conditions prevailing in a
general area over a long period
of time.

Factors Affecting Climate:

Temperature

*Latitude: The higher the latitude, the colder the climate.

The lower the latitude, the warmer the climate.

1.The amount of energy reaching any given point on Earth’s
surface is controlled by the angle of sunlight striking the
surface and varies with the seasons.

2. Areas near the equator
receive more of the Sun’s
energy per unit area than
areas nearer the poles.

Factors Affecting Climate:

Temperature

Altitude-because air temperatures increase as altitude
increases.
At the top of tall mountains will be cooler than the air at
the base of the mountain.

Factors Affecting Climate:

Temperature

*Proximity to bodies of water: Large bodies

of water influence temperatures because
water heats up and cools down slower than
land.

Factors Affecting Climate

Temperature

*Land located near large bodies of water will

experience temperatures that are moderate
than areas located in the interior of the
continent.

Factors Affecting Climate

Temperature

*Ocean currents with cool or warm air above

them will bring warm or cooled air to the land it
touches

Factors Affecting Climate:

Precipitation

*Location of mountains and prevailing winds- land on

the leeward sides of the mountains are drier than the land
on the opposite side of the mountain.
*Called the rain shadow

Example: Saline Valley in Death Valley

Leeward side of the mountain-away from the wind; Very dry,
receives little rainfall. This is the Sierra Nevada Mountains

There Six Major Climate Zones

zones

Weather Maps and Models

Hints to decode weather map terms

The prefix iso means equal
The suffix thermrefers to temperature

ex. isotherm means same temperatures

The suffix bar refers to barometric pressure

ex. isobar mean same air pressure

WEATHER SYMBOLS YOU NEED TO

KNOW WHEN READING A WEATHER MAP

ISOBARS: connect areas of equal air pressure.
On a weather map, isobarsindicate pressure
differences.

*Where the isobars are closer together, the

wind speeds will be faster . (notice the yellow
arrow on the upper right)

ISOTHERMS: These
lines on a weather map
connect points of equal
temperature.

WEATHER SYMBOLS YOU NEED TO

KNOW WHEN READING A WEATHER MAP

Cold Air

Warm Air

Pressure systems:Two Types High and Low

WEATHER SYMBOLS YOU NEED TO

KNOW WHEN READING A WEATHER MAP

wind rotate clockwise

winds rotate
counterclockwise

high pressure system

low pressure system

Multiple Choice

According to the previous weather map what type of weather would Virginia be experiencing?

• Lower temps and little precipitation

• High temps and little precipitation

• Lower temps and lots of precipitation

• High temps and lots of precipitation

Dew Point versus Relative Humidity

1. Dew point is the temperature at which

the air has to be cooled to be saturate
with water.
a. The higher the dew point the muggier

or more humid it will feel outside

2. Relative humidity is the percent

saturation at a given temperature.

Multiple Choice

It's raining today. This is an example of ________________.

• climate

• weather

Multiple Choice

In which climate zone would you find polar bears?

• tropical

• temperate

• polar

• snow

Multiple Choice

In which climate zone would you find jaguars?

• tropical

• temperate

• polar

• trees

Multiple Choice

Which climate zone do we live in?

• Temperate

• Tropical

• Polar

• Savanna

Multiple Choice

What are the 3 major climate zones in order from equator to the poles?

• polar, temperate, tropical
• tropical, temperate, polar
• temperate, polar, tropical

Multiple Choice

An air mass can be considered a high or low pressure.  What causes this?

• differences in size
• differences in location
• differences in humidity
• differences in density

Multiple Choice

It is possible to have a moist climate on one side of a state and a desert on the other side.  How?

• Mountains block moist air from the desert side
• Actually, it's not possible
• It is based on the size of the state
• The state is so near the poles

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a factor of climate?

• Latitude
• Distance to Ocean
• Altitude
• Population

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is true as it relates to sea and land breeze?

• Water takes a longer time to heat and cool than land does. 
• Water and land heat and cool at the same rate.
• Water cools and heats at a much faster rate than Land. 
• Water cools faster, but heats slower than land.

Multiple Choice

An air mass

• contains different temperatures and moisture throughout
• contains uniform temperature and moisture throughout
• is a blanket of air that surrounds the Earth
• contains mostly water vapor

Multiple Choice

Which of these factors most influences climate?

• Time zone
• Hours of daylight
  Hours of daylight
• Longitude
• Latitude