Four Basic Components of Weather

There are four main drivers of weather on earth.

1. The sun. This includes both how strong heat is leaving the sun, and arriving on one side of the earth. Solar activity and cycles contribute directly to whether or not temperatures are above or below average.

2. The rotation of the earth. This includes the 23° angle of the earth's axis. The tilt of the axis gives us our seasons. The rotation of the earth around this axis generates a lot of wind patterns. Land is moving fastest at the equator, and slows down to rotating in place at the poles. This speed difference explains why hurricanes rotate clockwise in the southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere.

3. Land formations. How the land and coastlines are shaped in various places have an effect on the weather. Mountains in particular can block air and moisture from moving to other areas.

4. Oceans. It is from the waters that cover most of the surface of the earth that we get our precipitation and water cycles. “All the rivers run into the sea,Yet the sea is not full; to the place from which the rivers come, there they return again” (Ecclesiastes 1:7).