🌦️ Weather or Climate?

Today the weather is sunny, and tomorrow it might rain. But what is the climate of a place? Is it the same as the weather? Let’s find out together!

Weather is what the air is like in a place at a certain moment, or over a few days. Today it is sunny and 18 degrees. That is today’s weather.

Let’s look at one week. Some days are sunny, some cloudy, some rainy. The weather can change from day to day, and even from hour to hour.

Now let’s look at the same city over many years: 30 years! Every year the summers are hot and the winters are rainy. This pattern of weather seen in a place over many years is called climate.

In short: weather is about a short time, and climate is the pattern over many years. One day’s weather does not change the climate.

The climate is not the same everywhere in Türkiye. In the Black Sea climate it rains in every season and the summers are cool. That is why tea and hazelnuts grow there. Roofs are steep so the rain runs off easily, and houses are often built of wood.

In the Mediterranean climate the summers are hot and dry, and the winters are mild and wet. Citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons grow well. Houses are light in colour and shady, to keep the sun out.

Inland, far from the sea, we find the continental climate. The winters are cold and snowy, and the summers are hot and dry. There are fields of wheat and barley. The walls of the houses are thick to keep the cold out.

Climate shapes our lives. On the Black Sea we wear raincoats and eat anchovies. On the Mediterranean we wear light clothes and a hat, and eat oranges. In the continental climate we wear a thick coat and a woolly hat, and eat bread and bulgur. Even the shape of our houses changes with the climate.

Summary: weather is a short time, and climate is the pattern over many years. In Türkiye we find the Black Sea, Mediterranean and continental climates. Climate affects our clothes, our food and our homes. Now try it in Dünya Evimiz!