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Weather and climate both describe temporal variation in temperature and precipitation. Classify the following example as weather or climate:

An incoming cold front causes air temperature to drop rapidly.

User ToddEmon
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Final answer:

The example 'An incoming cold front causes air temperature to drop rapidly' is classified as weather because it describes a short-term atmospheric condition, unlike climate which is the long-term average weather in a region.

Step-by-step explanation:

The example given, "An incoming cold front causes air temperature to drop rapidly," is an instance of weather. Weather pertains to the short-term, day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere, and this example describes a specific, short-lived meteorological event that affects the temperature.

Weather forecasts often predict such events like cold fronts for periods such as 48-hour cycles. Conversely, climate describes the long-term average of these weather patterns, including predictable seasonal temperature and precipitation ranges, over an extended period often spanning decades.

Simply put, weather is the daily manifestation of the atmosphere's condition, which can be variable and unpredictable, while climate is the long-term expectation of weather patterns in a specific region or biome. An incoming cold front and its effect on temperature is very much about the current or imminent weather conditions, not the climate.

User DaftMonk
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