Weather describes the day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere. Weather can change quickly - one day it can be dry and sunny and the next day it may rain. Climate describes average weather conditions over longer periods and over large areas. The table below shows the world climatic zones.

Weather affects us in many ways. It affects what we do and what we wear, how we travel and even our moods. Meteorologists measure weather conditions in different places and use this information to report and make forecasts about future weather conditions. This is useful because people can be warned about hazardous weather conditions such as storms and floods. Temperature is measured in Celsius (°C) using a thermometer. The thermometer must be shaded from direct sunlight and should have air circulating around it. The thermometers can be placed in a Stevenson Screen. This is a wooden box with slatted sides, a sloping roof and legs to keep the screen off the ground. It is painted white to reflect the sun.

Precipitation is measured using a rain gauge. This is a funnel inside a graduated container. The depth of the rain in millimeters can be read from the side of the container. Wind direction is reported by the direction it is blowing from, according to the compass. Wind blowing from the west is travelling eastwards so is called a westerly wind, not an easterly wind. Wind speed can be measured using an anemometer. The strength of the wind is measured on the Beaufort scale.

	Created by Corey Lance about 8 years ago

This is just a little something I put together. I completed it early in the morning so please don't complain!!

British weather, climate and cloud types.