Weather | Climate, Temperature & Precipitation

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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link byline-link editor-link p-0 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12"> <span class="text-gray-700 font-sans-serif"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-05-10T00:00:00CDT">May 10, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/weather/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border w-100 rounded-sm shadow-sm js-sections-inline-button my-20"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="topic-content" data-student-article="true"> <script class="page-description-json" type="application/json"> { "url": "/science/weather", "shareUrl": "https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/weather", "browserTitle": "Weather | Climate, Temperature & Precipitation", "documentGroup": "TOPIC PAGINATED MEDIUM", "firstTopicPage": true } </script> <div class="reading-channel"> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module border p-20 ml-lg-20 mx-auto mb-20 font-14 bg-white"> <div class="facts-list "> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-Pierpont-Langley" topicid="329722">Samuel Pierpont Langley</a></dd> <dd><a href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Lorenz" topicid="348155">Edward Lorenz</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/technology/weather-modification" topicid="638346">weather modification</a></dd> <dd><a href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/fog" topicid="211903">fog</a></dd> <dd><a href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/cloud-meteorology" topicid="122305">cloud</a></dd> <dd><a href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/frost-meteorology" topicid="220880">frost</a></dd> <dd><a href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/precipitation" topicid="474379">precipitation</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="js-fact mb-0 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>On the Web: </dt> <dd><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://pressbooks.howardcc.edu/worldgeography/chapter/chapter-10/" target="_blank">Pressbooks @ Howard Community College - Introduction to World Geography - Weather and climate</a> (Apr. 11, 2024)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="text-center mt-20"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-blue border" href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/facts/weather"> See all related content →</a> </div> </div><div class="recent-news mb-20 d-flex flex-column border-top"> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-16 mt-15 mb-10"> Recent News</h2> <div> <div class="recent-news-section "> <div class="font-12"> May 10, 2024, 6:40 AM ET (AP) </div> <a class="d-block font-14 gtm-ap-news-link font-weight-semi-bold" href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/news/638309/a7c0feb2b60b4c568ca53f412d8eb605" rel="nofollow">Storm-battered South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life</a> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section id="ref1" data-level="1"><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly card print-false" data-assembly-id="239343" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="video"><a data-id="204523" class="d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/video/204523/more-weather-climate"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/23/204523-138-A67F2633/more-weather-climate.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="What's the difference between weather and climate?" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://content.jwplatform.com/manifests/hJOWKxd6.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://cdn.britannica.com/23/204523-138-A67F2633/more-weather-climate.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/wUbWJjRF", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://content.jwplatform.com/manifests/DHftf5yG.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mb-5 d-inline-block font-16 font-sans-serif">What's the difference between weather and climate?</div><div class="md-assembly-caption mt-5 text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span>Even in our warming world, there will be some chilly evenings.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/weather/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref264200"></span>weather</strong>, state of the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/atmosphere" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">atmosphere</a> at a particular place during a short period of time. It involves such atmospheric phenomena as <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/climate-meteorology" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">temperature</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/humidity" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">humidity</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/precipitation" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">precipitation</a> (type and amount), <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/climate-meteorology/Atmospheric-pressure-and-wind#ref53283" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">air pressure</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/wind" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">wind</a>, and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/cloud-meteorology" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">cloud</a> cover. Weather differs from climate in that the latter includes the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="synthesis" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/synthesis" data-type="EB">synthesis</a> of weather conditions that have prevailed over a given area during a long time period—generally 30 years. For a full discussion of the elements and origins of weather, <em>see</em> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/climate-meteorology" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">climate</a>. For a treatment of how conditions in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/space-physics-and-metaphysics" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">space</a> affect <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/satellite" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">satellites</a> and other technologies, <em>see</em> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/space-weather" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">space weather</a>.</p><span class="marker p1"></span><span class="marker AM1 am-inline"></span><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly card print-false" data-assembly-id="280976" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="video"><a data-id="240883" class="d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/video/240883/How-Much-Does-a-Cloud-Weigh"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/83/240883-138-22889809/How-Much-Does-a-Cloud-Weigh.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="clouds" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://content.jwplatform.com/manifests/ILFdOrkO.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://cdn.britannica.com/83/240883-138-22889809/How-Much-Does-a-Cloud-Weigh.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/ZbzRNmoA", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://content.jwplatform.com/manifests/mja76y6M.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mb-5 d-inline-block font-16 font-sans-serif">clouds</div><div class="md-assembly-caption mt-5 text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span>How much does a cloud weigh?</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/weather/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Weather, as most commonly defined, occurs in the <span id="ref264201"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/troposphere" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">troposphere</a>, the lowest <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/region-geography" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">region</a> of the atmosphere that extends from the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/place/Earth" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">Earth’s</a> surface to 6–8 km (4–5 miles) at the poles and to about 17 km (11 miles) at the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/place/Equator" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">Equator</a>. Weather is largely confined to the troposphere since this is where almost all clouds occur and almost all precipitation develops. Phenomena occurring in higher regions of the troposphere and above, such as jet streams and upper-air waves, significantly affect sea-level atmospheric-pressure patterns—the so-called highs and lows—and thereby the weather conditions at the terrestrial surface. Geographic features, most notably mountains and large bodies of water (e.g., lakes and oceans), also affect weather. Recent research, for example, has revealed that ocean-surface temperature <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="anomalies" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anomalies" data-type="MW">anomalies</a> are a potential cause of atmospheric temperature anomalies in successive seasons and at distant locations. One <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="manifestation" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manifestation" data-type="MW">manifestation</a> of such weather-affecting interactions between the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/ocean" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">ocean</a> and the atmosphere is what scientists call the <span id="ref264202"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/El-Nino" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">El Niño</a>/<span id="ref941291"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/El-Nino-Southern-Oscillation" class="md-crosslink">Southern Oscillation (ENSO)</a>. It is believed that ENSO is responsible not only for unusual weather events in the equatorial Pacific region (e.g., the exceedingly severe <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/drought" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">drought</a> in Australia and the torrential rains in western <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/place/South-America" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">South America</a> in 1982–83) but also for those that periodically occur in the mid-latitudes (as, for example, the record-high summer temperatures in western Europe and unusually heavy spring rains in the central <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">United States</a> in 1982–83). The ENSO event of 1997–98 was associated with winter temperatures well above average in much of the United States. The ENSO phenomenon appears to influence mid-latitude weather conditions by modulating the position and intensity of the polar-front jet stream (<em>see</em> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/jet-stream" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">jet stream</a>).</p><span class="marker p2"></span><span class="marker AM2 am-inline"></span><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/quiz/facts-you-should-know-weather-quiz"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/37/190637-131-44E2DB89/Lightning-farm-field-energy-tree-Weather-electricity.jpg" alt="Lightning over a farm field. Weather electricity thunderstorm light energy tree" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70"/> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Facts You Should Know: Weather Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly card print-false" data-assembly-id="285875" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="video"><a data-id="247262" class="d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/video/247262/what-causes-seasons"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/62/247262-138-1891B9BE/what-causes-seasons.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="What causes the seasons?" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://content.jwplatform.com/manifests/swgj17qE.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://cdn.britannica.com/62/247262-138-1891B9BE/what-causes-seasons.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/vuHJ17zC.vtt", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://content.jwplatform.com/manifests/CUMwogta.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mb-5 d-inline-block font-16 font-sans-serif">What causes the seasons?</div><div class="md-assembly-caption mt-5 text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span>In many parts of the world, weather cycles through the four seasons like clockwork: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/weather/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Generally speaking, the changeability of weather varies widely in different parts of the world. It is most pronounced in the mid-latitude belts of the westerly winds, where a usually continuous procession of traveling high- and low-pressure centres produces a constantly shifting weather pattern. In tropical regions, by contrast, weather varies little from day to day or from month to month.</p><span class="marker p3"></span><span class="marker AM3 am-inline"></span><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Weather has a tremendous influence on human settlement patterns, food production, and personal comfort. Extremes of temperature and humidity cause discomfort and may lead to the transmission of disease; heavy <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/rain" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">rain</a> can cause flooding, displacing people and interrupting economic activities; thunderstorms, tornadoes, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/hail-meteorology" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">hail</a>, and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/sleet" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">sleet</a> storms may damage or destroy crops, buildings, and transportation routes and vehicles. Storms may even kill or injure people and livestock. At sea and along <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="adjacent" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adjacent" data-type="MW">adjacent</a> coastal areas, tropical cyclones (also called hurricanes or typhoons) can cause great damage through excessive rainfall and flooding, winds, and wave action to ships, buildings, trees, crops, roads, and railways, and they may interrupt <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/air" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">air</a> service and communications. Heavy snowfall and icy conditions can impede transportation and increase the frequency of accidents. The long absence of rainfall, by contrast, can cause droughts and severe <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/dust" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">dust</a> storms when winds blow over parched farmland, as with the “dustbowl” conditions of the U.S. Plains states in the 1930s.</p><span class="marker p4"></span><span class="marker AM4 am-inline"></span><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The variability of weather phenomena has resulted in a long-standing human concern with <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="predictions" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/predictions" data-type="EB">predictions</a> of future weather conditions and <span id="ref264203"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/weather-forecasting" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">weather forecasting</a>. In early historical times, severe weather was ascribed to annoyed or malevolent divinities. Since the mid-19th century, scientific weather forecasting has evolved, using the precise measurement of air pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind direction and speed to predict changing weather. The development of weather satellites since the 1980s has enabled meteorologists to track the movement of cyclones, anticyclones, their associated fronts, and storms worldwide. In addition, the use of <span id="ref264204"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/technology/radar" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">radar</a> permits the monitoring of precipitation, clouds, and tropospheric winds. To predict the weather one week or more in advance, <span id="ref264205"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/technology/computer" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true">computers</a> combine weather models, which are based on the principles of physics, with measured weather variables, such as current temperature and wind speed. These developments have improved the accuracy of local forecasts and have led to extended and long-range forecasts, although the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/science/anticyclone" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true">high</a> variability of weather in the mid-latitudes makes longer-range forecasts less accurate. In tropical regions, by contrast, daily weather variations are small, with regularly occurring phenomena and perceptible change associated more with seasonal cycles (dry weather and monsoons). For some tropical areas, tropical <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="cyclones" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/cyclones" data-type="EB">cyclones</a> themselves are one of the more influential weather variables.</p><span class="marker p5"></span><span class="marker AM5 am-inline"></span><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span> <span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/editor/Meg-Matthias/12593612">Meg Matthias</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//web.archive.org/web/20240510181403if_/https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":638309,"pageLength":776,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [{"id":1012,"name":"SUBSCRIPTION_LINK_DESKTOP","selector":"#fake"}] </script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403js_/https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-116/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.116.12"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-116/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.116.12' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403js_/https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=UA-6636134-11" async="async"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> function gaPageLoad(pathname, documentLocation) { pathname = pathname || location.pathname; documentLocation = documentLocation || document.querySelector('html').getAttribute('data-ytrk-page'); if (documentLocation) { documentLocation = documentLocation.replace(/ /g, '/'); if (documentLocation.charAt(0) !== '/') { documentLocation = '/' + documentLocation; } window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag() { dataLayer.push(arguments); } gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('set', { 'dimension1': 'ANONYMOUS', 'dimension2': 'C', 'dimension3': 'D' }); //console.log( "*****[UA]***** -> ", documentLocation + pathname + decodeURI(location.search) ); gtag('config', 'UA-6636134-11', { 'page_path': documentLocation + pathname + decodeURI(location.search), 'link_attribution': true, }); } } gaPageLoad(); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//web.archive.org/web/20240510181403/https://www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> <script defer src="https://web.archive.org/web/20240510181403js_/https://static.cloudflareinsights.com/beacon.min.js/vedd3670a3b1c4e178fdfb0cc912d969e1713874337387" integrity="" data-cf-beacon="{"rayId":"881be821f91b96ae","b":1,"version":"2024.4.1","token":"5cc7d7124de641b181da990fc8c9a0b6"}" crossorigin="anonymous"></script> </body> </html>

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Weather | Climate, Temperature & Precipitation | Britannica