Estonian Climate Professor Explains Weather vs. Climate and Global Warming

Velle Toll, a professor of climate science at the University of Tartu, addressed student questions about climate change in the Kuku radio program 'Ilmaparandaja.' He clarified the fundamental difference between weather and climate, a common point of confusion. Toll explained that weather refers to current atmospheric conditions – rain, snow, wind, or sunshine – which can change within hours. Climate, conversely, represents the long-term pattern of weather, typically analyzed using observational data spanning at least 30 years. This extended period allows for the identification of characteristic weather conditions and their changes within a region.

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Weather is what we experience now – whether it rains or snows, whether there is strong wind or sunshine. It can change within hours.

To make the concept more accessible, Toll employed an analogy familiar to students: weather is like choosing clothes for the day, while climate is akin to the entire wardrobe needed for a particular region over the years. This definition aligns with the World Meteorological Organization's standards, which assess climate norms based on measurements over at least three decades. The professor emphasized that climate transcends national borders, highlighting that scientists discuss Earth's climate system as a whole – an interconnected entity comprising the atmosphere, oceans, ice sheets, and land. An increase in energy within this system leads to a rise in the planet's average temperature, which is the essence of global warming. This does not imply uniform warming everywhere, but rather a global trend with regional variations and occasional cold spells that do not negate the long-term pattern.

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Climate, on the other hand, means the long-term pattern of weather. Scientists typically describe climate based on observational data of at least 30 years.