Weather Is What You Get; Climate Is What You Expect
Weather is the state of the atmosphere now. Climate is the pattern over decades, and the distinction settles a great many arguments.
Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a place and time. The standard distinction is worth memorising: climate is what you expect, weather is what you get. Climate is defined statistically, usually over thirty years, so a cold week says nothing about it either way. The verb means to endure: a ship weathers a storm.
- The state of the atmosphere. *Fine weather.*
- To come through safely. *Weather the storm.*
- To wear away by exposure. *Weathered stone.*
- Under the weather — unwell. *He is a bit under the weather.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | weather | Poor weather. |
| Verb | weather | Weather the crisis. |
| Adjective | weathered | Weathered timber. |
| Noun | weathering | Chemical weathering. |
| Related | climate | A changing climate. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The weather turned overnight.Uncountable.
- The firm weathered the downturn.Endured it.
- He is feeling under the weather.Slightly unwell; a nautical phrase.
Weather and climate terms
- Weather — conditions now and over days
- Climate — the statistical pattern, typically over thirty years
- Climate normals — the reference averages used for comparison
- Weathering — the breakdown of rock by exposure
- Anticyclone and depression — high and low pressure systems
From Old English *weder*, air or sky, related to *wind*. The verb sense of enduring comes from ships and buildings standing up to it.
Weather or climate?
Weather is today; climate is the long-run pattern. A single hot or cold spell is weather, not evidence about climate.
Where does *under the weather* come from?
From sailing: a seasick or ill sailor was sent below, out of the weather on deck.