Heat energy loss via drafts. Use window treatments at night. Radiation None needed Energy from the sun, which drives weather systems Use solar-friendly designs for warming indoor air and heating domestic hot water. World Climate Systems as Heat Engines Climate vs. Weather Weather is a short-term, local phenomenon in the atmosphere, occurring over a short time span. The weather report for today might call for rain for western Oregon while in July it might predict sunny skies and higher temperatures.
Weather can change rapidly from day to day or place to place.
We can characterize the weather for a certain locale by its average over many years. For example, we might keep track of temperature and precipitation for the month of February and average them over 50 years of Februarys. The resulting average values of temperature and precipitation would typify the climate of Eugene for February. We learned earlier that radiation serves to transfer energy across empty space and that this transfer is driven by a temperature difference. That alone is not a sufficient condition for causing wind and weather.