Weather or climate? Reading a climate graph

Grade 6 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Ari reads four lines in a travel guide. Which line describes climate?

   • January is usually the snowiest month.
   • Today's high is 3 °C (37 °F).
   • A blizzard closed the roads last Tuesday.
   • Fog should lift by noon tomorrow.
2. 2.

   Which line from Bo's town website describes weather, not climate?

   • Hail fell for ten minutes this morning.
   • Summers here are usually warm and humid.
   • Most snow falls from December to March.
   • The town averages 150 mm of rain in July.
3. 3.

   Esme sorts four facts about one city. Which fact describes its climate?

   • It was 31 °C (88 °F) last July 4.
   • Last July was 2 °C warmer than usual.
   • July has averaged 24 °C over 1991–2020.
   • A storm is moving in tonight.
5. 4.

   Jun studies the climate graph for Elkins, West Virginia. Which description fits it?

   • Hot summers above 30 °C
   • Cold winters, warm summers, wet all year
   • Warm all year, with dry summers
   • Cold winters with almost no rain or snow
6. 5.

   Using the bars on the Elkins graph, how much rain and snow falls in an average April, Kira?

   Use the picture in question 4.

   • 85 mm
   • 11 mm
   • 104 mm
   • 152 mm
8. 6.

   Seattle is famous for drizzle. Using the bars on Milo's graph, which season is driest in Seattle?

   • Winter: the line is lowest in January
   • Summer: July gets about 15 mm
   • Winter: January gets about 147 mm
   • Fall: October gets about 99 mm
9. 7.

   Noah writes one line about Seattle's climate from the graph. Which line fits?

   Use the picture in question 6.

   • Mild, with wet winters and dry summers
   • Below zero each January
   • Mild, with dry winters and wet summers
   • It rains each winter day there
10. 8.

    How many degrees warmer is Seattle's July than its January, on average, Pia?

    Use the picture in question 6.

    • 8 °C
    • 132 °C
    • 25 °C
    • 13 °C
11. 9.

    NOAA makes new climate normals every 10 years. Why does each normal use 30 years of records instead of one, Ren?

    • One year can be unusual; 30 years show the pattern
    • Weather stays the same from year to year
    • One year of records is enough to set a climate
    • Thirty years is how long one storm lasts
12. 10.

    Tala kept a weather log for one month, and 18 days had rain. What can Tala say about the town's climate?

    • The town's climate changes each month
    • The town has a rainy climate
    • The town has a dry climate
    • Not much yet: one month is too short