Look out of the window. Is it sunny, rainy or windy? The weather changes every day, and it changes with the seasons too. Let's find out how and why!
Types of weather
Weather is what the sky and air are doing right now. It can be sunny, rainy, cloudy, windy, snowy or foggy. Weather can change from hour to hour.
Measuring the weather
People who study the weather use special tools. A rain gauge collects rain so we can measure how much has fallen. A thermometer tells us the temperature, which means how hot or cold the air is.
| Tool | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Rain gauge | How much rain has fallen |
| Thermometer | How hot or cold it is |
The four seasons
A year has four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. In spring, plants grow and baby animals are born. Summer is warm and sunny with long days. In autumn, leaves turn orange and fall from the trees. Winter is cold, and the days are short.
Put the seasons in order, starting with spring:
- Spring
- Summer
- Autumn
- Winter
Hot and cold places
Not everywhere has the same weather. Places near the middle of the Earth, called the Equator, are hot all year. Places near the top and bottom, the North Pole and South Pole, are very cold and icy. The usual weather a place has over many years is called its climate.