Precipitation
(rain, snow)

The weather is all around us, all the time. It is an important part of our lives and one that we cannot control. Instead the weather often controls how and where we live, what we do, what we wear and what we eat. Someone who studies the weather is called a meteorologist. Weather predictions are made by forecasters who you see on television.

Weather is made up of different things. Click on the different types of weather above to find out more about them and how they can be measured.

Weather Definition
Weather is the day-to-day conditions of a particular place.
For example: It was raining today at school. Yesterday it was sunny at home.

What is Climate?
Climate is often spoken about at the same time as weather, but it is something quite different. The climate is the common, average weather conditions at a particular place over a long period of time (for example, more than 30 years). We learn about different climates around the world. Deserts have a hot and dry climate while the Antarctic has a very cold and dry climate.