What primary weather feature does a long-range forecast include?

A long-range forecast primarily focuses on trends over an extended period, usually exceeding a week. This aspect is essential because it allows meteorologists to identify and communicate patterns in weather that can emerge beyond the immediate future.

While daily forecasts provide a snapshot of expected weather conditions for each day, long-range forecasts synthesize various data points and atmospheric models to predict larger trends, such as shifts in temperature or precipitation patterns, which may manifest in a timeframe of 8.5 days or more. By analyzing these trends, forecasters can offer insights that help individuals and organizations make informed decisions based on anticipated weather changes.

Other options, such as real-time weather events or hourly changes, focus on short-term phenomena and do not encapsulate the essence of long-range forecasting, which is about understanding changes in overall trends rather than minute-to-minute variations.