🌧 Weather & Seasons
What You'll Learn
- Understand what causes weather and the four seasons
- Read a weather data chart and identify patterns
- Know the tools meteorologists use
What Is Weather?
Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a specific time and place — temperature, precipitation, wind, and cloud cover. It changes from day to day.
Climate is the average weather pattern over a long period (30+ years). Oklahoma has a continental climate — hot summers, cold winters, and tornado-prone spring seasons.
The Four Seasons
Earth orbits the Sun at a tilt. This tilt causes the seasons because different hemispheres receive more or less direct sunlight throughout the year.
- 🌵 Spring — warming up, more rainfall, plants bloom
- ☀ Summer — hot, long days, direct sunlight
- 🍂 Fall/Autumn — cooling down, shorter days, leaves change
- ❄ Winter — cold, short days, possible snow and frost
Oklahoma sits in "Tornado Alley" — the strip of the central US where cold Arctic air meets warm Gulf moisture, creating powerful thunderstorms and tornadoes, especially in spring. Oklahoma averages more tornadoes per square mile than any other state!
🔬 Virtual Lab: Weather Station
Click a weather condition to see temperature, precipitation, and sky conditions. Compare the four seasons!
What causes the seasons on Earth?
What is the difference between weather and climate?