Which of the following is an example of climate rather than weather?
AIt is raining in Chicago right now
BTomorrow's high temperature will be 28 degrees Celsius
CThe Sahara Desert receives less than 25 cm of rain per year on average
DA thunderstorm is approaching from the west
Climate describes average conditions over long periods. The Sahara's average annual rainfall is a climate fact — it describes the typical pattern over many years. The other three options describe specific weather events or forecasts (what is happening now or in the near future at a specific time and place).
Question 2 Short Answer
If someone says 'It snowed in April, so global warming must not be real,' what is wrong with their reasoning?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: They are confusing weather with climate. A single snow event in April is a weather observation — a short-term event at one location. Climate change refers to long-term shifts in average temperature and weather patterns over decades across the entire globe. Individual weather events cannot confirm or disprove climate trends, just as one coin flip cannot tell you whether a coin is fair.
This is one of the most common and important misconceptions about climate change. The analogy of a single coin flip versus thousands of flips captures it well — you need the long-term pattern, not individual data points. A warming climate can still produce cold days, just as a loaded coin can still land on tails sometimes.
Question 3 True / False
Climate is simply the average weather over a long period of time.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
Climate is indeed the statistical summary of weather — including averages, ranges, and extremes of temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind, and other atmospheric variables — typically calculated over a 30-year period. This means climate is derived from weather data, but it describes a pattern rather than a state.