SOCIAL SCIENCE. UNIT 1

WHAT IS THE WEATHER LIKE TODAY?

What is weather?

The weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given moment.

The weather depends on:

-              Clouds: The day can be cloudy or sunny.

-              Wind: The day can be windy or calm.

-              Temperature: The temperature of the air can be hot, warm, cool or cold.

-              Humidity: The air can be dry or humid.

-              Precipitation: It can fall as rain, snow or hail.

How do we study the weather?

Meteorologists are the people who predict the weather by measuring and studying the atmosphere.

To study the weather we use:

-              Wind gauge: measures how fast the wind is blowing.

-              Weather vane: shows the direction the wind is blowing.

-              Rain gauge: shows how much rain has fallen.

-              Thermometer: measures the temperature of the air.

CLIMATE

What is climate?

The climate is the combination of the different types of weather in a region during the year.

The climate in Spain can be:

-              Subtropical: It is the climate in the Canary Islands The differences between seasons are small. The temperature is high and changes little during the year. There is not much rain.

-              Atlantic: It is the climate in the coastal regions in the north of Spain, next to the Atlantic Ocean. There is a lot of rain all year, because clouds come from the ocean. The temperature is mild all year, even in winter.

-              Continental: It is the climate in the interior regions of Spain. There is not much rain, because the mountains stop clouds coming from the sea. Most of the rain falls in spring and autumn. The temperature is very hot in summer and very cold in winter.

-              Mediterranean: It is the climate in the regions close to the Mediterranean Sea. It rains mostly in autumn and the rain can be very heavy. In the other seasons it rains very little. The temperature in summer and autumn is very hot. The temperature in winter and spring is mild.

-              Mountain: It is the climate in regions more than 1500 metres above sea level. The temperature is very cold in winter and cool in summer. There is a lot of rain. In winter, the cold means the rain falls as snow.