Pop Quiz: Can You Still Name The Five Causes Of Climate?
KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.
Q: Ms. Gonzales. I am an elementary student studying Weather and I am stumped. Can you please help me figure out and understand the 5 Causes of Climate? - Brice Yuen, Concord
A: Wow! I haven't thought about that in years, but sure glad to help!
Ok…let's work through this in order of importance.
1. Latitude and Longitude: This is the number one important cause of climate due to the proximity a place is to the Equator. Typically, the closer to the Equator, the warmer it is.
2. Elevation: This is all about how high the land is above sea level. You will notice, usually, the higher the elevation is, the cooler it is! (Think of Lake Tahoe at lake level 6,225 feet compared to San Francisco which is at sea level.)
3. Ocean/Wind Currents: Always remember hot water and hot air rises. Cool water and cool air sinks. This creates currents that move heat around our planet Earth.
4. The closeness to large bodies of water: This can increase precipitation and affect the temperature depending where the water is and how big it is. Think about the Pacific Ocean - In the summertime, San Francisco can be socked in with the ocean marine fog and the temperature only in the 60s, while where you live Inland (away from the ocean), Concord could be 25 to 35+ degrees warmer!
5. Terrain. Mountains can change how much rain or sun you receive. The north side of a mountain usually has a different climate than the south side.
I hope this helps you Brice! And if you find you enjoy Weather and have your own Weather Station, you can join our exclusive KPIX 5 Weather Watchers Network! Heck, anyone can be my personal Weather Watcher as long as you have a couple of pieces of Weather equipment!
I would love to hear from you! Please send weather questions, observations and photos to me, Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com and I look forward to hearing from you!
