Weather is not climate

The storms and snow in North America are an example of weather that will last several weeks, but in the end the storm will pass, the sky will clear and a summer will come that will get hotter every year due to climate change

While studies warn that The world is advancing by giant steps to a situation where it will not be possible to stop the warming that causes the extreme climate changes, and while there are also those who claim that we have passed the threshold where the effect of emissions could be moderated - there is a leader who is thoughtful, listens and is convinced by a misguided minority of pseudo-experts. Every time a cold wave hits North America, the president leaves the White House with a tweet along the lines of: "Is this the warming the fake scientists are warning about?". He is not the only one who does not distinguish between weather and climate.

As of early January 2019, large parts of North America are covered in snow and blizzard warnings are being issued across the continent, a situation that gives the warming-denying president the opportunity to announce that, according to his belief, climate change is a hoax being inflated by interested parties and a little warming would be welcome.
Like the president, many others also fall into the trap of confusing climate with weather, the storms and snow in North America are an example of weather that will last for several weeks, but in the end the storm will pass, the sky will clear and a summer will come that will get hotter every year due to climate change.

The same is true for us due to the changing climate due to global warming, our region experiences more periods of drought and dryness. If until a few decades ago we knew that the Negev was a desert and to the north of it there was a temperate climate, then today the desert climate is creeping northward in a permanent and continuous process. Bracha rains and snow in Hermon in one winter will indeed affect the multi-year average and the water balance and the level of the Sea of ​​Galilee, but the general trend is warming and drying. It is important that the responsible bodies and authorities for planning the water sector understand this and act accordingly.

So what is the difference between weather and climate? At the simplest level, weather is the daily state of the atmosphere, maximum temperature, cloud cover, wind speed, rain or snow. On the other hand, climate is the state of the atmosphere over many years, a multi-year average of rain, wind, temperature and the seasons in which it rains or the sun shines.

According to the calculations of the World Meteorological Organization, at least thirty years of data are needed to define climate indicators. This can be understood by comparing it to the wardrobe that will symbolize the climate. Facing the day-to-day clothing selection according to the weather. According to the weather we choose what to wear today or tomorrow. It can be assumed that in the Israeli summer many will choose to wear light clothes and wear sandals, while in the Israeli winter most of us will wear clothes that will protect us from the cold and the rain. And yet, even in the Israeli winter there are days when we go to the sea and even wade in the water. That is, changes in the weather every day will dictate the choice of clothes. On the other hand, the climate will determine the composition of the clothing items that will be kept in the closet.
In Israel there will be winter and summer clothes in the wardrobe, in equatorial countries there will be light clothes in the wardrobe, while in the regions around the poles it will be furs and warm clothes. The wardrobe is adapted to the climate dictated by the geographical area. Clothing adapted to the local climate conditions that change according to the distance from the poles.

We can know the weather forecast for tomorrow or for a few days from synoptic maps or from information that will be provided in the media, not so the climate forecast as it results from sampling different areas and from the analysis of data that is collected over decades and makes it possible to predict the climate in the coming years. A climate forecast will allow us to plan the contents of the wardrobe in the coming decades.

Therefore, depending on the areas where people live and according to the climatic forecasts accepted by 99.9% of climate scientists, there are a few who will need to prepare strong and durable umbrellas, but in contrast, many more will need cooling measures and water storage for dry periods. There is no doubt that according to the predictions of the changing climate, many will have to change not only the contents of their wardrobes but also and above all to change their behavior and adapt to climate conditions far more difficult than anything we know.

More of the topic in Hayadan:

• Climate warming will increase the movement of rain storms towards the poles

• More coffee around the sun - the year 2018 is around the corner

• Global warming has contributed to the number and intensity of hurricanes