What’s the difference between weather and climate?

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Climate
Climate, on the
other hand, is more
than just a few 1970 2010
Weather warm or cool days.
Climate describes
the typical weather
conditions in an
Weather is only temporary.
entire region for a
For example, a blizzard can
very long time—30 Keeping an eye on changing weather
turn into a flood after just a
years or more. can help us plan ahead.
few warm spring days.
Take a look outside your window. Is it
hot and sunny? Is it cloudy and rainy?
Is there snow on the ground?
When you look out the window, you’re
seeing what the weather is like today.

NASA satellites can They can also

measure sea level track changes in
rise from space. the climate by
Keeping track of Earth’s sea level As Earth’s climate warms, ice measuring the
is one way that we can know how in Antarctica and Greenland clouds. We know
quickly the climate is changing. is melting. This causes the that changes in the
level of the oceans to rise. number, size or
We know that if But it’s important to location of clouds
thunderclouds are keep an eye on changes could be caused
forming overhead, to Earth’s climate too. by a change in
it’s probably a And NASA has observed Earth’s climate
good idea to stay that Earth is getting NASA satellites are
inside. warmer. always orbiting
Earth, looking It’s important to keep
down at our an eye on our planet
oceans and clouds. and all the ways that
And they monitor it’s changing. Right
Earth’s climate in now, it’s the only one
other ways too. we’ve got!

climate.nasa.gov/kids For more information, go to: climate.nasa.gov/kids/weather-climate