source: englishclub.com
These are some of the words we use to talk about the weather.
| word | 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. |
| flurries 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 | 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 |
electrical discharge and flash between a cloud and the ground | The outdoor pool always closes when the lifeguards think lightning is coming. |
| 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. |
| sun/ 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? |
| thermometer 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. |
| 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/ cyclone noun |
violently spinning windstorm |
The tornado picked up everything in its path, including animals and cars. |
| umbrella 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. |
source: englishclub.com
