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What is weather?
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Quick answer
Weather is the short-term state of the atmosphere in a place — its temperature, rain, wind, humidity, and cloud cover at a given moment. It changes hour to hour and day to day, unlike climate, which is the average weather over many years.
Key things to understand
- Weather describes atmospheric conditions right now or over the next few days.
- It includes temperature, precipitation (rain or snow), wind, humidity, and cloud cover.
- It's driven by the Sun heating the Earth unevenly, which moves air and water around.
- Weather is local and short-term; climate is the long-term average of weather in a region.
- Meteorologists forecast it using satellites, sensors, and computer models.
People also ask
What's the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is what's happening in the atmosphere now or over days; climate is the average pattern of weather in a place over decades. As the saying goes, 'climate is what you expect; weather is what you get.'
What causes weather?
Mainly the Sun heating Earth unevenly. That creates differences in temperature and pressure, which move air (wind) and water (clouds, rain) around the planet.
Why is weather so hard to predict?
The atmosphere is chaotic — tiny changes can grow into big differences — so forecasts become less reliable the further ahead they go.
Part of the guide: Water & Weather Phenomena →