The long-term average pattern of weather in a region is called climate.
Weather describes short-term atmospheric conditions, such as today’s temperature, wind, or rainfall. Climate describes typical conditions and variability over much longer periods. Climatologists commonly use a 30-year period when calculating standard climate normals, although climate research also examines longer records.
Climate depends on latitude, elevation, distance from oceans, ocean currents, and atmospheric circulation. A place can have a warm climate while experiencing an unusually cold day, because individual weather events are not the same as long-term averages. Climate classification systems organize these regional patterns using variables such as temperature and precipitation.