Woodward English

The Weather in English

In English, we usually use it is when we talk about the weather.This is normally: It is + adjective OR It is + verb-ing

What is the weather like today?

It is + adjective = A description of the weather

It is sunny today.                      It’s hot and humid today.           It’sa nice day today.

We can also say:It is a + adjective + day (or morning/afternoon/night)

It’s a fine day. It’s a windy afternoon.

It is + verb-ing = This type of weather is happening now.

It’s drizzling outside. It’s snowing. Take an umbrella, it’s raining.

What was the weather like yesterday?

You can also use it is in different tenses

It was cold yesterday.

What will the weather like tomorrow?

It will be cloudy tomorrow.

Source: Woodward English

Sweltering = It's sweltering. or It's a sweltering day.          Freezing = It's freezing. or It's a freezing day.

Warm = It's warn. or It's a warm day.                               Cold = It's cold. or It's a cold day.

Sunny = It's sunny. or It's a sunny day.                            Cloudy = It's cloudy. or It's a cloudy day.

Clear = It's clear. or It's a clear day.                                 Stormy = It's stormy. or It's a stormy day.

Misty = It's misty. or It's a misty day.                               Foggy = It's foggy. or It's a foggy day.

Breezy = It's breezy. or It's a breezy day                          Windy = It's windy. or It's a windy day.

Showery = It's showery. or It's a showery day.                  Rainy = It's rainy. or It's a rainy day.

Frosty = It's frosty. or It's a frosty day.                            Snowy = It's snowy. or It's a snowy day.

Icy = It's icy. or It's an icy day.                                       Drizzly = It's drizzly. or It's a drizzly day.

 Dry = It's dry. or It's a dry day.

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When you are learning vocabulary about the weather, it is important to remember that some of the words have a noun form, a verb form and/or an adjective form. For example:

Rain: (noun) The game was cancelled because of the rain. Rain: (verb) I think it is going to rain later. Rainy: (adjective) It’s a rainy day.

It pays to learn the different forms of each word and when they are used.

Nouns and Adjectives Many times when we are talking about the weather, we can add the letter Y to the end of a noun to make it an adjective.

rain (noun) - rainy (adjective) sun (noun) - sunny (adjective) wind (noun) - windy (adjective) cloud (noun) - cloudy (adjective) fog (noun) - foggy (adjective)

Source: Woodward English

Questions about the weather

People commonly ask about the weather by saying:

What’s it like out(side)? How’s the weather? What’s the weather like? What’s the temperature? What’s the weather forecast?

Source: Woodward English

Vocabulary about the weather in English

The vocabulary is divided into different categories to make it easier.

Clear or Cloudy Types of Rain Cold stuff Types of Wind Mixed Vocabulary

Clear or Cloudy - adjectives

Bright: - full of light; when the sun is shining stronglySunny - the sun is shining and there are no cloudsClear - without cloudsFine - not raining, clear skyPartially cloudy - when there is a mixture of both blue sky and clouds Cloudy - with many clouds in the skyOvercast: - covered with cloud; dullGloomy - with dark clouds and dull light; some people consider this weather depressing

Sometimes the cloud lowers to ground level and it becomes harder to see…

Noun Adjective

Fog foggy - thick cloud close to landMist misty - light fog, often on the sea or caused by drizzleHaze hazy - light mist, usually caused by heat

Types of Rain

Damp (adj) slightly wet (often after the rain has stopped)Drizzle (verb/noun) to rain lightly with very fine dropsShower (noun) a short period of rainRain (verb/noun) water that falls from the clouds in dropsDownpour (noun) heavy rainPour (verb) to have heavy rainIt’s raining cats and dogs (Idiom) to rain heavilyTorrential rain (noun) very heavy rainFlood (verb/noun) to become covered in water usually due to excessive rain

Source: Woodward English

Cold stuff

Hail (verb) when frozen rain falls as small balls of ice (hailstones).Hailstones (noun) the small hard balls of ice that fall from the skySnow (noun/verb) frozen rain that falls from the sky as soft snowflakesSnowflake (noun) an individual piece of snowSleet (noun/verb) snow or hail mixed with rain (often with some wind)Blizzard (noun) severe snowstorm with strong winds

Types of Wind

Breeze a gentle wind (often nice or refreshing)Blustery blowing (strong) gusts of windWindy continual wind.Gale a very strong windHurricane/cyclone/typhoon a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce winds and heavy rain.

What’s the difference between a hurricane, a typhoon and a cyclone?

They are the same thing just with different names because of the region they are in.Atlantic/Northeast Pacific = a hurricaneNorthwest Pacific = a typhoonSouthern Hemisphere = a cyclone

Tornado: (noun) strong violent circular winds in a small area; a rapidly revolving column of airIn United States the word twister is often used instead of tornado.

More vocabulary about the weatherDrought (noun) Long periods of time without rain causing a lack of water in the area

A lot of the crops dried up because of the drought.

Forecast (noun) A prediction of how the weather will be on a certain day The forecast says it’s going to rain tomorrow.

Lightning (noun) A flash of light in the sky during a storm. Lightning lit the sky many times that night.

Puddle (noun) a small pool of water on the ground, usually after rain. The kids jumped in the puddles on the way home from school.

Rainbow (noun) an arch of colours in the sky formed when the sun shines through rain I took a photo of a beautiful rainbow that was just above the lake.

Smog (noun) a cloud of pollution hanging over a city (a fog of smoke) The view of the city wasn’t very good because it was covered in thick smog.

Source: Woodward English

Sunburn (noun) painful red skin caused by spending too long in the hot sun. If you don’t put on your sunscreen, you’ll get sunburn.

Sunshine (noun) the light and heat of the sun I could feel the warm sunshine on my back.

Thunder (noun/verb) the rumbling sound in the clouds that happens after lightning The cat hid inside because it was scared by the thunder.

Sentences using weather vocabulary

It is usually chilly and damp in autumn, sometimes with rain or drizzle. I’m so glad there is a breeze right now otherwise it would be very hot.

It is so humid that I’ve had to change my shirt twice already.

It’s a blustery day; make sure your umbrella doesn’t blow away.

Take a sweatshirt because it’s a little chilly outside.

Those large hailstones left dents in my car.

There has been a gale warning so it’s not safe to go out fishing on our boat.

There was a drought in our province last summer. It didn’t rain for three months.

We won’t be able to see the solar eclipse because it’s overcast.

Questions using weather vocabulary What’s the weather like in Buenos Aires in January?        

How’s the weather in Moscow in winter?

It’s pretty hot. What’s the temperature?

Is it raining outside?

What’s the forecast for tomorrow?

What next?Check out our list of idioms about the weather

See how to talk about the temperature in English

GAMES: Try our game about a weather forecast and also about Weather Idioms

http://www.vocabulary.cl/english/weather.htm

Source: Woodward English

The Temperature in English

The temperature is how hot or cold something is.We use a thermometer to measure the temperature of something.Temperature is usually measure in degrees.

The ° symbol after a number means degrees.30° = thirty degrees

There are two main systems used for measuring temperature:°F = degrees Fahrenheit (only used in United States)°C = degrees Celsius (used in the rest of the world)

When talking about the temperature we normally use:It + is/was/will be + adjective

It is chilly today. It was warm yesterday. It will be cold tomorrow.

Here is a chart showing temperature vocabulary:

Source: Woodward English

The temperatures given are only an approximation to give you an idea of when to use them.

28°C (or more) - Hot15 to 28°C - Warm10 to 15°C - Cool5 to 10°C - Chilly0 to 5°C - Cold0°C (or less) - Freezing

Remember, what is hot in one country may only be considered warm in another. What may be chilly in one country may be freezing in another.

The following words refer to being MORE than hot and are used for temperatures over 30°C.

Boiling: very hot, often used in negative contextsHumid: hot and damp. It makes you sweat a lotMuggy: warm and damp in an unpleasant wayScorching: very hot, often used in positive contextsStifling: hot and you can hardly breathSweltering: hot and uncomfortable

So what makes a day hot or cold? It depends on the weather…

What next?

See our vocabulary notes about the Weather in English.

Check out our list of idioms about the weather

How’s the weather today where you live?

Source: Woodward English

Weather IdiomsEnglish Vocabulary

Below is a list of the most commonly used idioms about the weather in English:

As right as rain: to feel fine and healthy.

Don’t worry about me, I’m as right as rain after my knee operation.

Be a breeze: to be very easy to do.

Our English exam was a breeze. I’m sure I’ll get top marks.

Be snowed under: to have so much to do that you are having trouble doing it all.

I’m snowed under at work right now because two of my colleagues are on holiday.

Break the ice: to say or do something to make someone feel relaxed or at ease in a social setting.

He offered to get her a drink to help break the ice.

Calm before the storm: the quiet, peaceful period before a moment of great activity or mayhem.

The in-laws were about to arrive with their kids so she sat on the sofa with a cup of coffee enjoying the calm before the storm.

Chase rainbows: when someone tries to do something that they will not achieve

I think she’s chasing rainbows if she thinks she can get into Oxford with her bad grades.

Come rain or shine: you can depend on someone to be there no matter what or whatever the weather.

I’ll be there to help you move house come rain or shine.

Every cloud has a silver lining: There is always something positive to come out of an unpleasant or difficult situation.

I got laid off from work yesterday, but every cloud has a silver lining and now I can spend more time writing my book.

Fair-weather friend: a person who is only your friend during good times or when things are going well for you but disappears when things become difficult or you have problems.

She was a fair-weather friend because she was interested in me once I had lost my job.

Get wind of: to learn or hear of something that should be a secret.

He got wind of the closure of the company so started looking for a new job immediately.Source: Woodward English

Have your head in the clouds: to be out of touch of reality. Your ideas may not be sensible or practical.

He has his head in the clouds if he seriously thinks he’s going to get a promotion soon.

It never rains but it pours: when things don’t just go wrong but very wrong and other bad things happen too.

First he lost his keys to the house, then his wallet and then his car broke down. It never rains but it pours.

It’s raining cats and dogs: it’s raining very hard.

Take you umbrella and a jacket because it’s raining cats and dogs outside.

On cloud nine: to be extremely happy.

They were both on cloud nine during their honeymoon.

Put on ice: to postpone for another day.

The project has been put on ice until our boss decides what to do next.

Ray of hope: there is a chance that something positive will happen.

There is a ray of hope after all, it looks like we won’t be losing our jobs.

Save for a rainy day: to save for the future when it might suddenly be needed (unexpectedly).

Don’t spend your entire wage in one night. You should save for a rainy day.

Steal my thunder: when someone takes attention away from someone else.

Don’t wear that dress to the wedding; the bride won’t like it because you’ll be stealing her thunder.

Storm in a teacup: when someone makes a small problem larger than it really is.

Those two are always arguing about something, it’s just a storm in a teacup.

Storm is brewing: indication that something is about to become bad or explode

You could tell by the looks on their faces that a storm was brewing.

Take a rain check: decline something now but offer to do it at a later date.

Thanks for inviting me to dinner but I can’t this week. Can I take a rain check on that?

Throw caution to the wind: to go crazy and forget all responsibilities or commitments.

They threw caution to the wind and quit their jobs in the heat of the moment.

Under the weather: you are not feeling well

Source: Woodward English

Paul isn’t coming with us because he feels a little under the weather.

http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/weather-vocabulary.htm

Source: Woodward English

Source: Woodward English

Weather Vocabulary

WordPart of speech

Meaning Example Sentence

airconditioner/airconditioningnoun

an appliance that cools down the air in a home or building

The airconditioner keeps the office nice and comfortable even when it's very hot outside.

avalanchenoun

a dangerous slide of snow down a mountain The skiers were warned about a possible avalanche.

below freezingpreposition/adjective

temperature less than 0 degrees Celsius/(32F) It's supposed to go below freezing before the weekend.

blizzardnoun

a storm with lots of snow and wind The airplane couldn't take-off because of the blizzard.

boiling hotadjective + noun

common expression for describing a very hot day

It was boiling hot, so we all jumped into the lake.

breezenoun

light wind Don't bother with a hat. There is always a breeze near the ocean.

Source: Woodward English

Celsiusnoun

measurement of temperature (0 degrees is freezing/100 is boiling)

In the summer, the average temperature here is 20 degrees Celsius.

chillyadjective

cold It's a bit chilly today, so I think you should wear a coat.

clearadjective

when the sky is blue because no clouds are blocking the sun

On a clear night you can see a lot of stars.

cloud/cloudynoun/adjective

water in the sky that appears as a white or grey mass

It may look cloudy in the morning, but the sun always comes out by afternoon.

cold spelladjective + noun

a period of colder than average weather They're calling for a cold spell, so we put off our camping trip.

cooladjective

temperature in between warm and cold The days were boiling hot, but the nights were cool and comfortable for sleeping.

degreesnoun

measurement for temperature I don't feel the heat until it's about forty degrees Celsius outside.

drizzlingcontinuous verb

raining slightly I think I'll take the dog for a walk. It's only drizzling now.

droughtnoun

a long period with no rainfall Forest fires are a serious danger during a drought.

Fahrenheitnoun

measurement of temperature (32 degrees is freezing/212 is boiling)

It was 100 degrees Fahrenheit when we got to San Francisco.

Source: Woodward English

floodnoun

overflow of rain water The flood was so bad, our basement was full of water.

flurriesnoun

very light snowfall There are a few flurries but the snow isn't sticking to the roads.

fog/foggynoun/adjective

thick water vapor that blocks one's vision We couldn't see the bridge because there was too much fog.

forecastnoun/verb

the expected weather for the future According to the 5 day forecast, it's going to rain on our wedding day.

freezing coldadjective + noun

common expression used to describe a very cold day

It was a freezing cold day for the Santa Claus parade.

frostnoun

ice crystals on a frozen surface Some flowers are so strong they can withstand frost.

frostbitenoun

a skin condition caused by over exposure to the cold (typically reddish skin with white spots)

I lost my hat while I was skiing, and I ended up with frostbite on my ears.

hailnoun

small pieces of ice that fall during a storm There was so much hail that some of the trailer homes were destroyed.

heat strokenoun

a flu-like condition one can acquire after spending too long in the sun

Bring lots of water and wear a hat to avoid heat stroke in this weather.

heat-wavenoun

extremely hot weather that is much higher than average--usually lasts a short time

During the heat-wave we cooled our beds down with ice packs.

Source: Woodward English

humid/humidityadjective/noun

moisture in the air It feels a lot hotter than it actually is because of the humidity.

hurricanenoun

a tropical storm with very strong wind and rain Half of the buildings on the island were flattened by the hurricane.

icyadjective

slippery because of ice The roads are icy so please avoid driving down any hills.

lightningnoun

electrical discharge and flash between a cloud and the ground

The outdoor pool always closes when the lifeguards think lightning is coming.

mildadjective

temperature that is warmer than average(in a cold season)

It's quite mild out so I didn't bother with a hat or mittens.

meteorologistnoun

a person who studies weather patterns The meteorologist predicted that the cold spell would be over by now.

minus/negativeadjective

indicates that a temperature is below zero It was minus twenty degrees at the top of the skil hill.

overcastadjective

no sun is visible The sky is overcast this morning, but the sun is supposed to come out by late afternoon.

partly cloudyadverb + adjective

term often used in a weather forecast to indicate that the skies are sunny and cloudy at

the same time

Tomorrow's forecast is partly cloudy with clear skies by nightfall.

Source: Woodward English

precipitationnoun

rain or snow that falls on an area There is very little precipitation in the desert.

puddlenoun

collection of rain water Children love to splash in puddles when they are wearing rubber boots.

rain/raining/rainynoun/continuous

verb/adjective

water that falls to earth My hair is all wet and messy from the rain.

raindropnoun

a single measurement of rain I love catching raindrops on my tongue.

rainbownoun

a band of colours found in the sky after a rainfall According to legend you can find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

raining cats and dogsidiom

raining heavily They cancelled the football game because it was raining cats and dogs.

scorching/a scorcheradjective/noun

extremely hot temperature/a very hot day It was a scorcher, so the whole family slept in the cool basement.

seasonnoun

time of year characterized by certain weatherWinter,Spring,Summer,Fall (or Autumn)

My favorite season is Fall, because I love to watch the leaves changing colours.

showernoun

quick/light rainstorm They've been calling for showers all week, but so far it's been dry.

Source: Woodward English

sleet(similar to hail)noun

rain that freezes as it falls All-weather-tires are best if you have to drive in sleet.

slush/slushynoun/adjective

snow on the ground that has been rained on The snow turned to slush as soon as it started to rain.

smognoun

heavy,dark cloud cover caused by pollution You really notice the smog downtown in this type of humidity.

snow/snowy/snowingnoun/adjective/ continuous

verb

frozen water that warms slightly as it falls to earth

It is already snowing up in the mountains, so the ski season should be great this year.

snowstormnoun

large amounts of wind and snow All of the schools were closed because of the snowstorm.

sun/sunshine/sunnynoun/noun/adjective

the gassy star that warms the earth We hope to have sunshine on the day of the beach picnic.

sunburnnoun

painful red/pink skin caused by being in the sun too long

The bald man got a sunburn on his head.

sunglasses/shadesnoun

dark eyewear that protects you from the sun I forgot my shades and I was driving right into the sun.

suntan/tannednoun(also verb)/adjective(also

verb)

brown/golden skin caused by long periods of sun exposure

I got a suntan on the cruise, but it has already faded away.

sunscreen/suntan lotion cream that protects your skin from sun damage Don't forget to reapply your sunscreen when you get out of the lake.

Source: Woodward English

noun

temperaturenoun

how warm or cold the air is Can you check the temperature before we get dressed for our walk?

thermometernoun

instrument for measuring the temperature of the air

When I checked the temperature this morning, the thermometer said it was already thirty degrees Celsius.

thunder/thunderstorm

noun

thunder is a loud noise after lightning, caused by rapid expansion of air superheated by the

lightning

Let's close all of the windows. It looks like a thunderstorm is coming.

tornado/cyclonenoun

violently spinning windstorm The tornado picked up everything in its path, including animals and cars.

umbrellanoun

held over one's head and body for rain protection

I always keep an umbrella in my car in case of rain.

UV (ultra violet) raysnoun

the damaging rays from the sun Ultra violet rays can cause skin cancer if you don't wear sunscreen.

wind/windynoun/adjective

blowing air outside It's too windy to play golf today.

wind chill factornoun

when the wind makes the air feel colder than the actual temperature

It's minus two, but with the wind chill factor it's minus fifteen.

Source: Woodward English

Source: Woodward English

http://www.saberingles.com.ar/lists/weather.html

Vocabulary WEATHER

shower llovizna

drizzle llovizna

to drizzle lloviznar

rain lluvia

to rain llover

to teem down llover a cántaros

deluge diluvio

flurry ráfaga

downpour lluvia torrencial

to pour down llover torrencialmente

to hail llover con granizo

hailstones granizo

snow nieve

to snow nevar

slush nieve derretida

frost helada

ice hielo

sleet aguanieve

to be soaked to the skin estar mojado hasta los huesos (lit. hasta la piel)

to be drenched estar empapado

to be wet through estar empapado

storm tormenta

blizzard tormenta de nieve

thunderstorm tormenta eléctrica

thunder trueno

Source: Woodward English

English - Spanish

thunderclap trueno

lightning relámpago

bolt of lightning rayo

cloud nube

to cloud over nublarse

mist niebla

fog niebla, bruma

haze bruma

breeze brisa

drought sequía

dew rocío

heat wave ola de calor

hot spell ola de calor

cold snap ola de frío

wind viento

gust of wind ráfaga de viento

gale viento muy fuerte

biting wind viento muy fuerte

blustery wind viento muy fuerte

whirlwind torbellino

hurricane huracán

tornado tornado

weather forecast pronóstico del tiempo

changeable weather clima cambiante

inclement weather clima inclemente

mild weather clima templado, suave

above zero sobre cero

below zero bajo cero

the temperature dropped la temperatura disminuyó

flood inundación

Source: Woodward English

drought sequía

climate clima (ex. tropical climate)

to be hot estar caluroso

to be boiling hot estar muy caluroso

to be warm estar templado

to be boiling estar muy caluroso

to be stifling estar muy caluroso, pesado

to be oppressive estar demasiado caluroso

to be airless estar sin aire

to be fair estar bueno

to be fine estar bueno

to be muggy estar templado y húmedo

to be humid estar húmedo

to be damp estar húmedo

to be dry estar seco

to be cold estar frío

to be freezing estar muy frío

to be icy estar muy frío

to be chilly estar demasiado frío

to be cloudy estar nublado

to be overcast estar muy nublado, cubierto

to be rainy estar lluvioso

to be misty estar nebuloso

to be foggy estar brumoso

to be sunny estar soleado

to be windy estar ventoso

We thank Santiago Planellas Rotllan (from Girona, Spain) and Luis Alfredo Paiva (from Córdoba, Argentina) for their contribution.

Source: Woodward English

Practice

Exercise - Weather - EasyDictation - Weather - EasyFlashcards - Weather - EasyHangman - Weather - EasyWord Search - Weather - EasyWord Match - Weather - Easy Memory Game - Weather - Easy

Dictation - Weather - Medium

Dictation - Weather - DifficultHangman - Weather - DifficultWord Search - Weather - Difficult

Source: Woodward English