Rocket peeks out the window. "It is snowing in April!" he shouts. "Is our town turning into the North Pole?"
Raven laughs. "What do you notice about one snowy day? Is it the whole story?"
Nova hovers by the calendar. "One day is weather," she says. "Many years together tell a different story."
Rocket scratches his head. "Then what is that story called?"
Weather is what the air is like today, at one place.
Climate is the usual weather of a place over a long time.
Scientists find climate by averaging 30 years or more of weather.
NOAA says: "Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get."
| Weather | Climate |
|---|---|
| It is raining right now. | This town is usually rainy in spring. |
| Today the high was 90 degrees. | Summers here are usually hot. |
| It snowed last night. | Winters here usually bring snow. |
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Climate is the usual weather of a place. | ? |
| Weather can change from day to day. | ? |
| Climate is found from one week of weather. | ? |
Some words are clues that a sentence is about weather.
Words like today, tonight, right now and this afternoon point to weather.
Words like usually, most years and every winter point to climate.
Look for the clue word. Then decide.
| Sentence | Is it about climate? |
|---|---|
| It is sunny right now. | ? |
| This place is usually dry in summer. | ? |
| It hailed for five minutes this morning. | ? |
| Winters here usually bring snow. | ? |
Great start! Tomorrow we visit hot places and cold places around the world.