The Weather Vocabulary THE WEATHER FORECAST

Adjectives Verbs Nouns Expressions Here are some typical expressions used in a weather report:
breezy freeze blizzard It´s raining cats &
bright, but cloudy hail breeze dogs. •a high of twenty degrees
cloudy pour down cold snap it´s pouring. •a low of -25
drizzly rain flurry it´s cold as hell. •20 percent chance of snow
foggy shine Hailstone It´s scorching •mainly sunny
humid snow heat wave hot. •sunny with cloudy periods
icy lightning •above/below average temperatures
rainy mist
snowy precipitations •a few flurries
sunny Showers •5-day forecast
windy thunder •temperatures are going to drop/dip (go down)
heavy (rain thunderstorm •temperatures are going to plunge (rapidly get very cold)
Weather •temperatures are going to rise/climb (go up)
conditions •temperatures are going to soar (rapidly get very hot)
Weather forecast
•a warm/cold front is moving in (air from another region is arriving)

The weather conditions for today. It will be

cloudy today in the morning, and later it will
turn to be partly cloudy. Strong’s winds are
expected this afternoon with flurries up to 30
km/hr. There is an 80 % chance of afternoon
showers. The highest temperature will be 24
degrees Celsius. And the lowest temperature
will be 16 degrees.
 Celsius, centigrade
measurement of temperature (0 degrees is freezing and 100 degrees is boiling)
In the summer, the average temperature here is 20 degrees Celsius (20°C).

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

clear (adj.)
when there are no clouds in the sky
On a clear night you can see a lot of stars.
Each weather expression is shown with a definition followed by an example
sentence in italics. n. = noun, adj. = adjective
cloud (n.)
water in the sky that appears as a white or grey mass
airconditioner, airconditioning (n.) I feel quite cold every time the sun goes behind a cloud.
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
cloudy (adj.)
outside.
when much of the sky is covered with clouds
It may be cloudy in the early morning, but the sun always comes out by afternoon.
avalanche (n.)
a dangerous slide of snow down a mountain
The skiers were warned about a possible avalanche. cold spell
a period of colder-than-average weather
They're forecasting a cold spell, so we put off our camping trip.
below freezing
temperature less than 0°C or 32°F
cool (adj.)
It's supposed to go below freezing before the weekend.
temperature between warm and cold
The days were boiling hot, but the nights were cool and comfortable for sleeping.
blizzard (n.)
a storm with lots of snow and wind
cyclone - see hurricane
The airplane couldn't take-off because of the blizzard.

degrees (n.)
boiling hot
common expression for describing a very hot day measurement for temperature
I don't feel the heat until it's about forty degrees Celsius (40°C) outside.
It was boiling hot, so we all jumped into the lake.

drizzle (verb)
breeze (n.)
light wind rain slightly
Don't bother with a hat. There's always a breeze near the ocean. I think I'll take the dog for a walk. It's only drizzling now.

drought (n.)
call for (v.)
a long period with no rainfall
predict or forecast the probable weather for a time in the future (N.Amer.)
Forest fires are a serious danger during a drought.
Fahrenheit frost (n.)
measurement of temperature (32°F is freezing and 212°F is boiling) ice crystals on a frozen surface
It was 100 degrees Fahrenheit (100°F) when we got to San Francisco. Some flowers are so strong they can withstand frost.

flood (n.) frostbite (n.)

overflow of rain water a bad skin condition caused by over-exposure to the cold
The flood was so bad, our basement was full of water. I lost my hat while I was skiing, and I ended up with frostbite on my ears.

hail (n.)
small pieces of ice that fall during a storm
There was so much hail that some of the trailer homes were destroyed.
flurries (n.)
very light snowfall
There are a few flurries but the snow isn't sticking to the roads. heat stroke (n.)
a flu-like condition you can get after spending too long in the sun
Bring lots of water and wear a hat to avoid heat stroke in this weather.
fog (n.)
thick water vapor that blocks one's vision
We couldn't see the bridge because there was too much fog. heatwave (n.)
extremely hot weather that is much hotter than average and usually lasts a short
time
foggy (adj.)
During the heatwave we cooled our beds down with ice packs.
full of fog, with lots of fog
They say it's going to be foggy tomorrow.
humid (adj.)
with a high amount of water vapour or moisture in the air
forecast (v.): past tense is forecast OR forecasted
The weather here is so humid I have to take four or five showers a day.
predict the likely weather for the future
Usually they forecast the weather accurately but sometimes they get it wrong.
humidity (n.)
moisture in the air
forecast (n.)
It feels a lot hotter than it actually is because of the humidity.
a prediction of the weather for the future
According to the five-day forecast, it's going to rain on our wedding day.
hurricane (n.)
a tropical storm with extremely strong winds and heavy rain (NB: hurricanes,
forecaster (n.)
typhoons and cyclones are exactly the same - but they tend to be called hurricanes
a person who forecasts
in the Americas, typhoons in eastern Asia and cyclones in India)
Why are the weather forecasters on this channel so boring?
Half of the buildings on the island were flattened by the hurricane.
freezing cold
ice (n.)
common expression used to describe a very cold day
frozen water; solid water (below 0°C)
It was a freezing cold day for the Santa Claus parade.
The car's windscreen was covered with ice so we had to scrape it off first.
icy (adj.) rain (v.)
slippery because of ice rain falls (always used with it)
The roads are icy so take special care driving down any hills. It is raining so you'd better take an umbrella.
We had a terrible holiday because it rained every day.
lightning (n.)
a huge natural electric flash between a cloud and the earth or between two clouds rainy (adj.)
The outdoor pool always closes when the lifeguards think lightning is coming. describing a time or place with lots of rain
It was a rainy afternoon.
mild (adj.)
temperature that is warmer than average (in a cold season) raindrop (n.)
It's quite mild out so I didn't bother with a hat or gloves. a single drop of rain
I love catching raindrops on my tongue.
meteorologist (n.)
a person who studies the weather rainbow (n.)
The meteorologist predicted that the cold spell would be over by now. a curved band of colours sometimes seen in the sky after rain
According to legend you can find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
minus, negative (adj.)
indicates that a temperature is below zero raining cats and dogs (idiom)
It was minus twenty degrees (-20°) at the top of the ski slope. raining heavily
They cancelled the football game because it was raining cats and dogs.
overcast (adj.)
when clouds cover the sky and no sun is visible scorcher (n.)
The sky is overcast this morning, but the sun is supposed to come out by late a period of very hot weather; a very hot day
afternoon. It was a scorcher, so the whole family slept in the cool basement.

partly cloudy scorching (adj.)

term often used in a weather forecast to indicate that the skies are sunny and very hot
cloudy at the same time I got burned by the scorching July sun.
Tomorrow's forecast is partly cloudy with clear skies by nightfall.
season (n.)
precipitation (n.) time of year characterized by particular weather: winter, spring, summer, autumn
rain or snow that falls on an area (or fall)
There is very little precipitation in the desert. My favorite season is fall, because I love to watch the leaves changing colours.

puddle (n.) shower (n.)

a small pool of rainwater on the ground quick, light fall of rain
Children love to splash in puddles when they are wearing rubber boots. They've been calling for showers all week, but so far it's been dry.

rain (n.) sleet (n.)

water that falls to earth rain that freezes as it falls
My hair is all wet and messy from the rain. All-weather-tires are best if you have to drive in sleet.
slush (n.) sunny (adj.)
snow on the ground that has been rained on bright with light from the sun
The snow turned to slush as soon as it started to rain. It's usually sunny in Thailand.

smog (n.) sunburn (n.)

heavy, dark cloud cover caused by pollution painful red skin caused by being in the sun too long
You really notice the smog downtown in this type of humidity. The bald man got sunburn on his head.

snow (n.) sunglasses, shades (n.)

soft, white, frozen water that falls from the sky and covers the earth in a white dark glasses that protect your eyes from the sun
layer I forgot my shades and I was driving right into the sun.
There's already lots of snow in the mountains, so the ski season should be great
this year. suntan, tanned (adj.)
brown or golden skin caused by long periods of exposure to the sun
snow (v.) I got a suntan on the cruise, but it has already faded away.
snow falls (always used with it)
It's been snowing all day. sunscreen, suntan lotion (n.)
cream that protects your skin from sun damage
snowstorm (n.) Don't forget to reapply your sunscreen when you get out of the lake.
a heavy fall of snow with high winds
All of the schools were closed because of the snowstorm. temperature (n.)
a measure of how warm or cold the air is
snowy (adj.) Can you check the temperature before we get dressed for our walk?
describing a time or place with lots of snow
It was a snowy December.

shine (v.)
give out a bright light
The sun was shining through the window.

sun (n.)
the gassy star that warms the earth
The sun went behind a cloud.

sunshine (n.)
direct light from the sun
We hope to have sunshine at the beach.
 thermometer (n.)
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 (n.)

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.

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