Global warming makes it warmer, right? On the difference between weather and climate, and why it rains so much due to climate change.
The rain is pattering against the window pane, the fifth cup of tea is boiling in the kettle and walks without an umbrella are unthinkable. What sounds like cosy autumn days can be experienced during many weeks of a German summer.In this case, when the media talk about the "hottest month on records", it sounds a bit wrong at first. And one might ask: where is it - this climate change? So:
Where exactly is climate change?
Words like "climate change" and "global warming" conjure up images of warm weather and heat. This is true, because climate change makes heat and drought more likely.At the same time, warmer temperatures can also mean more rain. That's because warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air. As a result, it rains more frequently and more heavily. In winter, this can even lead to extreme amounts of snow. Even though winters are getting warmer due to climate change, it can still snow on days below 0 degrees Celsius.
Extreme snowfall, heavy rain, and heat are often referred to as extreme weather. As a result of climate change, not only is the average temperature rising, but extreme weather is also on the rise. But not all extreme weather is caused by climate change. Scientists have to run complex models to figure out whether an individual extreme weather event is related to climate change.
Which brings us to the next question:
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Overall, many studies come to the same conclusion: man-made climate change makes extreme weather more likely. However, weather and climate are not the same.Climate refers to the average state of the atmosphere (temperature, rainfall, etc.) over a longer period of time (from around 30 years) in a given area. Climate change therefore describes the change in the average temperature over a long period of time. When we talk about weather, however, we are referring to very short periods of time.
Nevertheless, weather and climate are related. For example, man-made climate change causes more hot days overall. However, a cold summer does not mean that there is no climate change.
You can compare this, for example, to eleven bad soccer players on a team. Even if one player scores a great goal, the team may still lose the game and play poorly overall.
Just as it is not certain that the weather will always be hot, it is not certain that every single goal scored by a soccer team will be bad. But if you look over several years, it is likely that it will get hotter overall due to global warming - just as it is likely that the soccer team that plays badly will not win as often.
September 2024
