Let's talk about weather and climate

As far as I know weather is the condition of the outside air or atmosphere at a particular time and place. Step outside and you will experience many faces of weather. It can be hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or windy, clear or cloudy. Humidity, air temperature and pressure, wind speed and direction, cloud cover and type, and the amount and form of precipitation are all atmospheric characteristics of the momentary conditions we call weather.

It has been said that "climate is what you expect; weather is what you get". In other words, you can expect snow in Belarus in January, but you may or may not get it on a particular day.

The climate of an area or country is known through the average weather over a long period of time. If an area has more dry days throughout the year than wet days, it would be described as a dry climate; a place which has more cold days than hot days would make it known to have a cold climate.

Belarus has a temperate-continental climate with moderate features which is characteristic for Central Europe, with hot summers, long, cold winters and very distinct seasons. Abundant snowfall may occur throughout the country from December to sometimes early March or even April.

The annual average temperature is about 7°C. In general, there are no significant differences between the districts of Belarus, due to the small size of the country. Daytime temperatures vary from -5-0°C in winter and 25-30°C in summer months. The summer lasts about 150 days in Belarus and it is most of the time sunny and dry. Local thunder-storms are quite common in the late afternoon and evening and can be very heavy sometimes. Spring and autumn can be damp and rainy. So lightweights are worn in summer, whereas warmer clothes are needed in winter. Rainwear is recommended throughout the year.

As we live in the western part of Europe, the seasons here have their specific features, both attractive and unpleasant. Every season is beautiful in its way. We should choose the right clothes to wear in order to be healthy and feel comfortable and warm. In my view, modern designers create nice and comfortable clothes. So, we can choose the clothes we like and enjoy any kind of weather.

If to speak about Great Britain, the weather there is very changeable. British people say: "Other countries have a climate, in Britain we have only weather". Sudden changes usually occur - showers from what was only a few hours before a clear blue sky; sunshine that makes you want to leave off all your clothes followed by winds that set you wishing two overcoats. One day may be fine and the next day may be wet. The morning may be warm and the evening may be cool. British people are apt to complaining of their climate as being damp and rainy, and foreigners laugh at it and say that the British summer is made up of three fine days and a thunderstorm.