“It's freezing today — so much for global climate change.”
Usage Entry 1212 / 1350 60-second read
Climate vs. Weather
Long-term patterns versus what's happening today.
The comparisoni
“It's freezing today — that's weather, not climate. Climate is a 30-year pattern; a cold day is noise.”
The ruleii
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CLIMATE = pattern. WEATHER = today.
WEATHER is what's happening in the atmosphere right now or in the next few days — temperature, rainfall, wind. CLIMATE is the long-term pattern of weather over decades (usually 30+ years). One cold day doesn't refute climate change.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Weather = the day. Climate = the trend.