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Weather and Climate
A two-hour airline flight is all it takes to make a Parisian realize that the Earth has regions where the temperature and humidity are very different. Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, is two hours to the south of Paris and Oslo, the capital of Norway, is two hours to the north. Chances are good that the weather forecasts in these places will be very different from each other. Weather usually changes from day to day, which
is one of the reasons people talk about it on the radio and on television daily. The term "weather" is used to describe short-term changes in atmospheric conditions.
The term that scientists use to explain the long-term patterns of temperature, humidity and amount of sunshine is climate.
There are several different types of climates in the world
Johnny's Fact File No.39
Average Temperatures |
| Oslo |
-5°C in the winter, 17°C in the summer. |
| Paris |
-4°C in the winter and 19°C in the summer |
| Tunis |
11°C in the winter, 26°C in the summer. |
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Often the terms
oceanic climate or
continental climate are used because the conditions of temperature and humidity are very different depending on whether or not the region is near the ocean. In general, regions nearer the oceans are cooler and more humid than the regions further from the coastline.
| Equatorial climate |
- near the equator, it is almost always sunny and warm; there are practically no seasons. |
| Tropical climate |
- warm temperature, only two seasons; a dry season an a wet season. |
| Arid climate |
- very low humidity. In arid climates, it rains (or snows) only a few times a year. |
| Temperate climate |
- cool in the winter, warm in the summer, four distinct seasons, adequate humidity throughout the year. |
| Mediterranean climate |
- hot and dry in the summer, cool in the winter, four distinct seasons, wet in autumn. |
| Cold climate |
- very cold in the winter, cool in the summer. |
| Polar climate |
- very cold in the winter, cold in the summer. |
| Mountainous climate |
- temperatures change dramatically, generally cooler than the climate the mountain is situated in geographically. For example, the only place where snow can be found in France in July and August is high up in the mountains either in the Alps or in the Pyrenees. |
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