- Merriam-Webster defines weather as "the state of the atmosphere with respect to heat or cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or cloudiness." The dictionary defines climate as "the average course or condition of the weather at a place usually over a period of years as exhibited by temperature, wind velocity, and precipitation."
- The World Meteorological Organization recommends a period of 30 years to assess climate patterns, while weather changes daily. Changes in the climate affect weather patterns, specifically storm strength and frequency.
- Forecasting short-term weather patterns has been made more accurate through the use of technology like Doppler radar and weather satellites. Climate historical data can be used to predict temperature and precipitation patterns decades or even centuries into the future, since climate patterns are based on long-term averages.
- The National Weather Service monitors weather conditions in the United States. The World Meteorological Organization, created by the United Nations, observes weather-related hazards and climate change concerns on a worldwide scale.
- Climate history has been extrapolated for the past 100,000 years, providing a look at how human evolution has been tied to significant changes in meteorological conditions.
