is Weather Basics What Weather ground making the land dusty Cold conditions can freeze water into ice cracking natural rocks or paved streets Weather also affects the kinds of homes people live in In cold areas homes need heating and insulation Homes in hot climates might not have heaters at all Instead they are designed to keep cool The structures and materials may allow less sunlight to get inside People also build their homes to withstand extreme weather In areas where there are a lot of floods houses are often built on stilts to protect them Homes in areas that get a The cycles of melting and refreezing that occur in a cold climate damage infrastructure such as roads In some regions weather can become so severe that people build shelters to protect themselves from it 6
lot of hurricanes and tornadoes are sturdy to stand up to strong winds and they may have basements for shelter The food people eat is also affected by weather and climate Many crops need a certain temperature and amount of rain to grow well Droughts which are long periods without rain and cold spells can kill crops and animals used for food Before people had ways to safely transport and store food in Drought conditions bring widespread devastation to critical food sources 7
Weather Basics What is Weather different weather bad weather often caused big problems It meant people either moved to a new area with better weather or faced starvation This still happens in areas of the world that lack access to safe food transportation People often choose to live in an area because of its climate Some people like living where it is warm all the time Others 8
Mild weather may make it easier to raise animals and grow crops for a living prefer to have seasons that change throughout the year Farmers and ranchers choose areas where the climate is right for their crops or animals People also avoid living in some areas because of the climate For example people might choose not to live in areas that get a lot of snow They may avoid moving to regions that get a lot of tornadoes hurricanes or droughts 9
