The word "climate" is used to describe the typical kind of weather that a location or region can expect to have over the long term — from one year, decade or even century to the next. It is measured by average temperature, precipitation, and other factors.
Climate change is a term used to describe a shift in the climate of a region (or an entire planet) from one period to another. This is what we are experiencing now. Increasingly, the weather, the amount of precipitation we receive and the temperature ranges through the year are becoming noticeably different from those of previous generations, based on historical data.
Higher temperatures lead to higher rates of evaporation and precipitation, more frequent and intense heat waves, less frequent cold snaps, and generally more energy for storms and other extreme types of weather. Experts anticipate that as the Earth warms, regional weather differences will become more pronounced. Some areas will experience greater amounts of precipitation with greater frequency while other areas will have longer periods of drought.