back arrow forward arrow

Lesson 1
Key Idea 1: What is Climate?

What is climate and how is it different from weather?

People commonly confuse climate and weather, but there is a key difference between the two terms: time. Weather describes atmospheric conditions over a short period of time (minutes to weeks), while climate describes atmospheric conditions over a long period of time (years to centuries). Climate is a reflection of average weather over time and space.

For questions or concerns, please email us at kcvs@kingsu.ca.
Content subject to KCVS terms of use.
Click here to see our land acknowledgement.
© The King's Centre for Visualization in Science.