Weather Station

Meteorology and Climatology are not the Same

by Conrad Storad

Scientists like facts. They use terms that mean specific things. When studying weather, you should know that meteorology and climatology are not the same thing.

Meteorology is the study of our atmosphere. The focus is on tracking and predicting weather patterns. Climatology is just one branch of meteorology. The focus is on the origin of atmospheric patterns observed over a period of time.

Meteorologists watch the development of storms and record daily temperatures. Meteorologists also provide the National Weather Service with warnings about severe weather and storms. Their job also is to inform the public about the same storms.

The climatologist's work is a bit different. For instance, a climatologist might compare modern hurricanes with hurricane activity that took place hundreds of years ago looking for similarities and differences. If there is a difference, the climatologist will try to discover reasons for the change and how it will affect future hurricanes.