Earth is not the only planet that has weather. In fact, all that is needed to have weather is an atmosphere and many other planetary bodies have atmospheres. In fact, the famous red spot on Jupiter is a huge storm that is larger than Earth and has been swirling around for hundreds of years. |
Weather and Climate: Introduction
Human Society and the Weather
Weather has always fascinated humans. We have songs and poems and stories about it. We have expressions in our language, such as run like the wind, that invoke images and feelings associated with the weather. We depend on the weather for the life-sustaining precipitation on Earth, and sometimes we murmur at it for ruining a day outside with downpours of rain or snow.
Weather also impacts human history. It was a hurricane that destroyed a French shipping fleet in 1565, allowing the Spanish to conquer parts of modern-day Florida and set up colonies there. Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005, destroyed so much of the city of New Orleans that more than one million people from the Gulf Coast left and found new homes throughout the rest of the U.S. It was the largest diaspora, or outward migration of people, in the history of America.
This section is all about weather and climate. You will learn about the factors that influence weather and climate, how they vary across the globe, and how powerful storms like hurricanes form.
