Difference between Weather and Climate 1-26-2014

The Difference between Weather and Climate          1-26-2014

   This discussion is for an assignment in Week 1 of the Climate Change course from Exeter University.  Section 1.5  calls for discussion and examples of "weather" vs. "climate.

  "Weather" concerns relatively short-term events or forecasts of temperature, precipitation, wind, storms, and so forth.  A trend in the climate is measured over a much longer span, typically thirty years or more.
    We've had some extreme "weather" here in Austin in the last few days:  Friday, Jan. 24, we woke to a quarter inch sheet of ice formed by freezing rain and sleet, which shut down the city.   Ice is rare here--our unprepared and inexperienced drivers had 274 car wrecks.  Low, 25 F (-3.9C). By the next afternoon, it was 67F (19.4C).
    It is harder to know what changes to attribute to climate change.  I've lived here since 1967, and I remember we used to have infrequent cold snaps down below 20F (-7C), which would  break pipes all over the city and you wouldn't be able to get a plumber for days.  I don't think we've gotten that cold since the 1980's.
       People often move and don't have a base of comparison.  A friend of mine who grew up in Austin, which is now 10 times more populous, remembers seeing as a child (which would have been in about the 1950's) such large thick flocks of monarch butterflies crossing Highway 183 that the driver couldn't see and had to pull over.  Now the flocks are insignificant.  Monarchs migrate south yearly, all wintering in a tiny area in the mountains of Mexico, where their numbers are observed to have fallen.  Many factors including agriculture practices may impact them.  Perhaps climate change does also.   They fly north for three generations, then the fourth generation flies back all the way to Mexico.  To have that specific destination so programmed in some way into their genetics makes it difficult to see how they could adapt to much climate change.  Many other species of animals and insects have been observed shifting their habitats northward.
    Addendum:  Since writing the above, I encountered this article that describes the reasons for Monarch migration slowing to a trickle.  It does include climate change.

 Why Has The Magnificent Monarch Butterfly Migration Slowed To A Trickle? | ThinkProgress

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/01/31/3230561/monarch-migration-decline/

Addendum (March 4, 2014):  Monarchs have reached their lowest numbers ever. In California, the population has fallen 80% in 15 years.  The National Resources Defense Council has called for regulation of the use of glyphosates (Roundup) in agriculture. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-monarch-butterfly-roundup-20140224,0,1342942.story#axzz2uuu1VHk3