To kick off our weekly climate conversations, it’s important to understand what we’re talking about when we say “climate.” What’s climate, what’s just weather, and how do the two relate?

Illinois state climatologist Dr. Trent Ford boiled it down this way: “Climate is really what we expect, and weather is what we get.” According to Ford, weather describes the atmosphere at a certain moment, like in a weather forecast. Climate describes the statistical average over time.

For example, based on climatological averages, the expected last day of snowfall in the Chicago area is around April 4. But the weather we get differs year to year. Ford said in 2012, the last day of measurable snow was March 4. In 2019, there were more than two inches of snow at O’Hare on April 27.

Have a question? Send it to climate@wbez.org, and we’ll ask the experts. Include a voice memo with your name, location and question, and you could be featured on the radio!

See ongoing stories from WBEZ and the Local Media Association, and listen to interviews with experts about climate change topics in our region.