Weather versus climate

Factors Affecting Climate:

Temperature

*Latitude: The higher the latitude, the colder the climate.

The lower the latitude, the warmer the climate.

1.The amount of energy reaching any given point on Earth’s
surface is controlled by the angle of sunlight striking the
surface and varies with the seasons.

2. Areas near the equator
receive more of the Sun’s
energy per unit area than
areas nearer the poles.

Factors Affecting Climate:

Temperature

Altitude-because air temperatures increase as altitude
increases.
At the top of tall mountains will be cooler than the air at
the base of the mountain.

Factors Affecting Climate:

Temperature

*Proximity to bodies of water: Large bodies

of water influence temperatures because
water heats up and cools down slower than
land.

Factors Affecting Climate

Temperature

*Land located near large bodies of water will

experience temperatures that are moderate
than areas located in the interior of the
continent.

Factors Affecting Climate

Temperature

*Ocean currents with cool or warm air above

them will bring warm or cooled air to the land it
touches

Factors Affecting Climate:

Precipitation

*Location of mountains and prevailing winds- land on

the leeward sides of the mountains are drier than the land
on the opposite side of the mountain.
*Called the rain shadow

Example: Saline Valley in Death Valley

Leeward side of the mountain-away from the wind; Very dry,
receives little rainfall. This is the Sierra Nevada Mountains

There Six Major Climate Zones

zones

Weather Maps and Models

Hints to decode weather map terms

The prefix iso means equal
The suffix thermrefers to temperature

ex. isotherm means same temperatures

The suffix bar refers to barometric pressure

ex. isobar mean same air pressure

WEATHER SYMBOLS YOU NEED TO

KNOW WHEN READING A WEATHER MAP

ISOBARS: connect areas of equal air pressure.
On a weather map, isobarsindicate pressure
differences.

*Where the isobars are closer together, the

wind speeds will be faster . (notice the yellow
arrow on the upper right)

ISOTHERMS: These
lines on a weather map
connect points of equal
temperature.

WEATHER SYMBOLS YOU NEED TO

KNOW WHEN READING A WEATHER MAP

Cold Air

Warm Air

Pressure systems:Two Types High and Low

WEATHER SYMBOLS YOU NEED TO

KNOW WHEN READING A WEATHER MAP

wind rotate clockwise

winds rotate
counterclockwise

high pressure system

low pressure system

Dew Point versus Relative Humidity

1. Dew point is the temperature at which

the air has to be cooled to be saturate
with water.
a. The higher the dew point the muggier

or more humid it will feel outside

2. Relative humidity is the percent

saturation at a given temperature.