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Introduction To Weather and Climate

The document provides an overview of weather and climate, defining weather as the atmospheric state at a specific time and place, while climate refers to long-term weather patterns. It outlines the differences between weather and climate, including their measurement periods and fields of study. Additionally, it discusses various weather elements, their measurement instruments, the importance of weather reports and forecasts, and how weather impacts daily life and decision-making.

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Taedza Chidziya
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52 views3 pages

Introduction To Weather and Climate

The document provides an overview of weather and climate, defining weather as the atmospheric state at a specific time and place, while climate refers to long-term weather patterns. It outlines the differences between weather and climate, including their measurement periods and fields of study. Additionally, it discusses various weather elements, their measurement instruments, the importance of weather reports and forecasts, and how weather impacts daily life and decision-making.

Uploaded by

Taedza Chidziya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Weather and Climate

Weather-the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time as regards heat, cloudiness,
dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, and etc.The weather is all around us, all the time. It is an important
part of our lives and one that we cannot control.

Climate- meanwhile climate is defined as the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general
or over a long period. It is the long term weather pattern of a given area. It is especially
important in activities such as agriculture. It is measured by assessing the patterns of variation in
temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, precipitation, atmospheric particle count and
other meteorological variables in a given region over long periods of time.

Differences between weather and climate

Climate

 Describes the average conditions expected at a specific place at a given time.


 Measured over a long period typically 30 years
 The study of climate is called climatology.

Weather

 The atmospheric conditions at a specific place at a specific point in time. Weather


generally refers to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity (e.g. rain or snow)
 Measured for short term e.g. on a day to day basis
 The study of weather is called meteorology.

Elements of weather and their instruments and units of measurement

Zimbabweans typically use the metric system of measurement for example meters for distance
and kilograms for weight. Weather is made up of several elements such as temperature which are
measured using various specialized instruments and expressed in their units. While the metric
units is common in most areas of our lives, weather elements are sometimes measured in
imperial units for example wind speed is measured in knots. In other instances different
countries use different units. For example the United States uses Degrees Fahrenheit to measure
temperature. In the real world you should study the unit used to express weather carefully before
making comparisons for example a temperature of 45 °F (around 7 °C )could be described as
cool which is not what you would think if you just thought of it as 45°C hot which is a
temperature associated with hot deserts.

The following elements are some of the most commonly used to express weather

 Temperature- Six’s thermometer otherwise known as the maximum and minimum


thermometer. It is expressed in Degrees Celsius.
 Humidity-Hydrometer/psychrometer/satellites-Humidity is measured as a percentage. See
Humidity for more details.
 Pressure-is measured using a Barometer and expressed in millibars
 Wind direction-Wind Vane- it is expressed using the cardinal points of a campus e.g. SE
 Wind speed-Cup anemometer and expressed in knots.
 Sunshine-sunshine recorder and it is expressed in hours and minutes.
 Cloud cover-observed using the eyes and is measured in Oktas.

Weather report

 A systematic statement of the existing and usually the predicted meteorological


conditions over a particular area.
 The information is obtained from a weather station e.g. Kutsaga

Weather forecast

 Is a prediction of weather phenomena, trends and events


 Weather forecasts are made by collecting as much data as possible about the current state
of the atmosphere (particularly the temperature, humidity and wind) and using
understanding of atmospheric processes (through meteorology) to determine how the
atmosphere evolves in the future.
 The chaotic nature of the atmosphere and incomplete understanding of the processes
mean that forecasts become less accurate as the range of the forecast increases.
 Information gained from the observations is used in conjunction with complicated models
and computer simulations are used to predict future weather.

Importance of weather to people

 People can be made aware of looming weather hazards such as thunderstorms and
cyclones and take precautionary measures such as evacuating the areas that will be
affected.
 So that people can know which type of clothes to wear for example whether to carry a
rain coat or umbrella or not.
 Farmers can make more informed planning decisions e.g. when to spray, plant or harvest.
 Pilots know which routes to take when flying and how to land and take off.
 When making sporting calendars for example games like cricket are hugely affected by
weather so we can choose to play indoor sports instead.

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