climatic

Climatic is an adjective meaning relating to climate, the long-term patterns of temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, and other atmospheric factors in a region or globally. It describes attributes, conditions, or processes that are driven by or associated with those long-term patterns, rather than short-term weather alone.

In contrast to climate, which denotes the overall state and trends of weather over extended periods (typically decades), the term climatic is used to specify the nature of features or phenomena tied to climate. Examples include climatic zones, which classify regions by typical temperature and rainfall; climatic variability, the natural fluctuations around the climate baseline; and climatic change, a phrasing often supplanted by climate change but still encountered in some contexts to emphasize changes in climate systems.

Climatic information is central to fields such as meteorology, climatology, ecology, and geography. Researchers analyze climatic data—historic temperature and precipitation records, as well as proxies like tree rings and ice cores—to understand past conditions and project future trends with climate models and scenarios.

Usage in policy and planning commonly refers to climatic risks and resilience, such as climatic risk assessments, adaptation strategies, and assessments of climatic extremes like heatwaves or droughts. While it is a precise term, many authors prefer climate-related phrases when discussing global-scale changes to avoid ambiguity.