ToBE #16 : How is the climate outside?

How often do we ask the question, "How is the climate today?"?

Quite often, we suppose. Is something wrong with the sentence?

Yes, unfortunately.

Climate: Climate pertains to the atmospheric conditions that typically prevail in a particular region. It does not capture the conditions prevalent at a specific time (say, today), but talks about it in general.
Examples:-

• Coorg has a cool climate.
• People from a warm climate can adapt well to the Chennai summer.

Climate: 'Climate' also stands for a general prevailing condition of the mind or situation.
Examples:-

• There is a climate of uncertainty in the IT sector.
• The climate of terror forced people to leave the country.

Weather: The atmospheric conditions of a place at a specific time.
Examples:-

• How the weather yesterday in Hyderabad?
• Did you have rainy weather in Mahabaleshwar last week?

Of course, the following statement, though it seems to contradict our earlier definition, is valid in the context:
"In today's climate, getting a job in a courier company is easy".
Here it means that in the current state of affairs and does not refer to time specified by 'today'.

Summary: 'Climate' is general. 'Weather' is with respect to a specific area and time.