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Sunday 23 June 2013

Weather

English speakers love to talk about the weather. It is a way of breaking the ice (starting a conversation). People talk about the weather on the phone and in person. Friends and family talk about the weather before they discuss what's new. Co-workers talk about the weather before starting a hard day of work. Even strangers discuss the weather. Learn the proper vocabulary and expressions, and you will find it easy to start a conversation anytime and anywhere with anyone you meet!

Common questions and responses about Weather

What's it like out? It's miserable out.
How's the weather? It's ten below. (-10 degrees)
Do you have rain? We haven't had a drop of rain for weeks.
What's the temperature there? It's 22 degrees Celsius.
It's snowing here, what's it doing there? It's pouring outside. (raining heavily)
Beautiful day, huh? We couldn't ask for a better day than this.
What's the weather forecast? They're calling for blue skies all week.
 
One common mistake learners make when talking about the weather is mixing up the noun, adjective and verb forms of weather words.

Example 1: How's the weather?
It is snow. Incorrect
It is snowing. Correct
It is snowy. Correct

Example 2: What's it like out?
It is rain. Incorrect
It is raining. Correct
It is rainy. Correct

Example 3: What's the weather like?
It is sun. Incorrect
It is sunny. Correct
The sun is shining. Correct

Weather Vocabulary

ThunderstormTornadoSnow flurriesUmbrella SunThermometer
Word
Part of speech
Meaning Example Sentence
airconditioner/airconditioning
noun
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.
avalanche
noun
a dangerous slide of snow down a mountain The skiers were warned about a possible avalanche.
below freezing
preposition/adjective
temperature less than 0 degrees Celsius/(32F) It's supposed to go below freezing before the weekend.
blizzard
noun
a storm with lots of snow and wind The airplane couldn't take-off because of the blizzard.
boiling hot
adjective + noun
common expression for describing a very hot day It was boiling hot, so we all jumped into the lake.
breeze
noun
light wind Don't bother with a hat. There is always a breeze near the ocean.
Celsius
noun
measurement of temperature (0 degrees is freezing/100 is boiling) In the summer, the average temperature here is 20 degrees Celsius.
chilly
adjective
cold It's a bit chilly today, so I think you should wear a coat.
clear
adjective
when the sky is blue because no clouds are blocking the sun On a clear night you can see a lot of stars.
cloud/cloudy
noun/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 spell
adjective + noun
a period of colder than average weather They're calling for a cold spell, so we put off our camping trip.
cool
adjective
temperature in between warm and cold The days were boiling hot, but the nights were cool and comfortable for sleeping.
degrees
noun
measurement for temperature I don't feel the heat until it's about forty degrees Celsius outside.
drizzling
continuous verb
raining slightly I think I'll take the dog for a walk. It's only drizzling now.
drought
noun
a long period with no rainfall Forest fires are a serious danger during a drought.
Fahrenheit
noun
measurement of temperature (32 degrees is freezing/212 is boiling) It was 100 degrees Fahrenheit when we got to San Francisco.
flood
noun
overflow of rain water The flood was so bad, our basement was full of water.
Snow flurriesflurries
noun
very light snowfall There are a few flurries but the snow isn't sticking to the roads.
fog/foggy
noun/adjective
thick water vapor that blocks one's vision We couldn't see the bridge because there was too much fog.
forecast
noun/verb
the expected weather for the future According to the 5 day forecast, it's going to rain on our wedding day.
freezing cold
adjective + noun
common expression used to describe a very cold day It was a freezing cold day for the Santa Claus parade.
frost
noun
ice crystals on a frozen surface Some flowers are so strong they can withstand frost.
frostbite
noun
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.
hail
noun
small pieces of ice that fall during a storm There was so much hail that some of the trailer homes were destroyed.
heat stroke
noun
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-wave
noun
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.
humid/humidity
adjective/noun
moisture in the air It feels a lot hotter than it actually is because of the humidity.
hurricane
noun
a tropical storm with very strong wind and rain (from Atlantic Ocean); from Pacific Ocean it is called a "typhoon"; from Indian Ocean it is called a "cyclone" Half of the buildings on the island were flattened by the hurricane.
icy
adjective
slippery because of ice The roads are icy so please avoid driving down any hills.
lightning
noun
electric flash caused by two clouds hitting The outdoor pool always closes when the lifeguards suspect lightning.
mild
adjective
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.
meteorologist
noun
a person who studies weather patterns The meteorologist predicted that the cold spell would be over by now.
minus/negative
adjective
indicates that a temperature is below zero It was minus twenty degrees at the top of the skil hill.
overcast
adjective
no sun is visible The sky is overcast this morning, but the sun is supposed to come out by late afternoon.
partly cloudy
adverb + 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.
precipitation
noun
rain or snow that falls on an area There is very little precipitation in the desert.
puddle
noun
collection of rain water Children love to splash in puddles when they are wearing rubber boots.
rain/raining/rainy
noun/continuous verb/adjective
water that falls to earth My hair is all wet and messy from the rain.
raindrop
noun
a single measurement of rain I love catching raindrops on my tongue.
rainbow
noun
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 dogs
idiom
raining heavily They cancelled the football game because it was raining cats and dogs.
scorching/a scorcher
adjective/noun
extremely hot temperature/a very hot day It was a scorcher, so the whole family slept in the cool basement.
season
noun
time of year characterized by certain weather
Winter,Spring,Summer,Fall (or Autumn)
My favorite season is Fall, because I love to watch the leaves changing colours.
shower
noun
quick/light rainstorm They've been calling for showers all week, but so far it's been dry.
sleet(similar to hail)
noun
rain that freezes as it falls All-weather-tires are best if you have to drive in sleet.
slush/slushy
noun/adjective
snow on the ground that has been rained on The snow turned to slush as soon as it started to rain.
smog
noun
heavy,dark cloud cover caused by pollution You really notice the smog downtown in this type of humidity.
snow/snowy/snowing
noun/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.
snowstorm
noun
large amounts of wind and snow All of the schools were closed because of the snowstorm.
Sunsun/sunshine/sunny
noun/noun/adjective
the gassy star that warms the earth We hope to have sunshine on the day of the beach picnic.
sunburn
noun
painful red/pink skin caused by being in the sun too long The bald man got a sunburn on his head.
sunglasses/shades
noun
dark eyewear that protects you from the sun I forgot my shades and I was driving right into the sun.
suntan/tanned
noun(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
noun
cream that protects your skin from sun damage Don't forget to reapply your sunscreen when you get out of the lake.
temperature
noun
how warm or cold the air is Can you check the temperature before we get dressed for our walk?
Thermometerthermometer
noun
instrument for measuring the temperature of the air When I checked the temperature this morning, the thermometer said it was already thirty degrees Celsius.
Thunderstormthunder/thunderstorm
noun
the crashing of clouds (often followed by a strike of lightning and heavy rain) Let's close all of the windows. It looks like a thunderstorm is coming.
Tornadotornado
noun
violently spinning windstorm The tornado picked up everything in its path, including animals and cars.
Umbrellaumbrella
noun
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) rays
noun
the damaging rays from the sun Ultra violet rays can cause skin cancer if you don't wear sunscreen.
wind/windy
noun/adjective
blowing air outside It's too windy to play golf today.
wind chill factor
noun
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.
 

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