There are many different types of rain, so it makes sense that we would have a lot of vocabulary to describe rain.
Here we’ll look at some wonderful descriptive words for rain, from adjectives to verbs to idioms. Get inspired to describe rain according to how it looks, sounds and smells, or just express in basic terms what the weather is like today.
You may wish to describe rain in a very practical way. For example, if you are going outside in this weather, you need to know whether to take an umbrella, or perhaps consider catching a bus instead of walking.
See also: Whether vs if
However, there are other situations when you may need a more poetic way to describe rain, focusing not just on how much of it there is, but how it looks, smells or sounds.
So, we’re going to begin with some common idioms and phrases to describe rain in everyday conversation. Then, we will cover some more descriptive words for rain, for those who wish to explore other aspects of it.
How to describe rain falling
The following descriptive words for rain are grouped according to the type of rain that they describe, from light to heavy.
Describing light rain
Drizzle
Drizzle is a steady but very light rain, almost mist-like. ‘Drizzle’ can be a noun or a verb, and you may use ‘drizzly’ as an adjective for rain like this.
Spitting
When it is spitting, the rain is falling quite slowly and gently. Often it starts spitting and then turns into heavier rain.
A shower
A shower is a quick burst of fairly light rain. You might have heard of April showers, which are characteristic of spring weather. We have more idioms about spring here.
Describing heavy rain
Pouring (down)
You can say ‘it’s pouring’ or ‘it’s pouring down’ when the rain is steady and heavy. This description of rain is used in the nursery rhyme, It’s Raining, It’s Pouring.
A downpour
Also featuring the word ‘pour’, a downpour is a short but sudden burst of heavy rain.
Bucketing down / raining buckets
‘Bucketing down’ and ‘raining buckets’ both describe heavy and persistent rain.
Tipping (it) down
This is a primarily British expression for heavy rain.
Chucking it down
Here’s another phrase to describe heavy rain, again usually heard in the UK.
Pissing (it) down
Why do the British have so many ways to talk about bad weather?! This one is rude slang, so be careful how you use it. You should be certain that the person you are speaking to is comfortable with this kind of language. ‘Pissing’ is an informal word for urinating.
Raining cats and dogs
This one is a fun idiom to describe rain! Whoever thought to imagine cats and dogs falling from the sky? Anyway, it’s just another way to describe rain falling heavily.
A deluge
A deluge of rain is a large amount that falls suddenly, possibly causing flooding.
Torrential
Torrential rain is very heavy and lasts for a long time. This is the type of rain you may experience in countries with a monsoon season.
Driving
Driving rain is accompanied by strong wind that blows it into the sides of buildings (or straight in your face, if you’re caught out in it).
Incessant
You could describe rain as ‘incessant’ if it has been going on for a long time and feels like it will never end.
Pelting
Pelting rain seems to have particularly large raindrops that fall very hard.
If you do get caught in heavy rain you might end up ‘soaked through’ or ‘dripping wet’; these both mean that you and your clothes are very wet!
Example sentences to describe different types of rain
Let’s look at how some of these words can be used in sentences:
- I don’t think I need an umbrella; it’s only spitting.
- It’s drizzling at the moment but I wouldn’t be surprised if it starts chucking it down soon.
- Unfortunately for Liz, it poured down all day on her wedding day.
- It’s been bucketing down all afternoon but I hope it stops before the party.
- Look at those clouds! Let’s get inside before it starts tipping down.
- You’d better take your umbrella; it’s raining cats and dogs outside.
- Let’s go home, it looks like it’s going to piss it down soon.
- The village was hit by a deluge. Fortunately, there was no serious damage to any property.
- I have had enough of this incessant rain!
- We’ve had light showers all morning but it looks like the afternoon will be brighter.
- Sorry I’m late; I got caught in a downpour and had to wait until it had passed.
- You can expect torrential rain if you visit during November.
Words to describe how rain sounds
If you’re indoors, the first sign of rain may be the sound it makes. Here are some words that describe rain according to the sound it makes:
Light rain
- Pattering
- Pitter-patter
- Gentle
- Sprinkling
“She woke to the pitter-patter of rain falling outside.”
“The rain was almost too gentle for me to hear.”
Moderate/heavy rain
- Hammering
- Splattering
- Drumming
- Pelting
- Pounding
“I could hear the pounding rain approaching before I could see it.”
“They lay listening to the rain drumming on their roof.”
What’s the word for the smell of rain?
Petrichor is the technical word for the smell of rain hitting dry ground. Many people consider this their favorite smell, but may not realize that there is a word for it!
Other words you could use to describe the smell of rain include:
- Fresh
- Clean
- Fragrant
- Musty
- Damp
- Earthy
- Musky
Describing rainy weather
Finally, here are some words to describe the weather in general when it is rainy:
- Grey
- Gloomy
- Dismal
- Overcast
- Unsettled
- Wet
- Ominous
- Miserable
Many of the terms we have to describe rain are negative, as it’s usually an inconvenience for us. However, let’s not forget that rain is necessary for life to survive and for crops and plants to grow, so we shouldn’t always complain about it.
If you’re looking for more ways to describe different kinds of weather, some weather idioms could come in handy.
Have you heard any different ways to describe rain? If so, please leave a comment to share them.
Do you want to be more confident using English? Why not try Grammarly’s free proofreading tool. It checks as you write and helps you correct and improve your spelling and grammar.
The idea for the Describing Words engine came when I was building the engine for Related Words (it’s like a thesaurus, but gives you a much broader set of related words, rather than just synonyms). While playing around with word vectors and the «HasProperty» API of conceptnet, I had a bit of fun trying to get the adjectives which commonly describe a word. Eventually I realised that there’s a much better way of doing this: parse books!
Project Gutenberg was the initial corpus, but the parser got greedier and greedier and I ended up feeding it somewhere around 100 gigabytes of text files — mostly fiction, including many contemporary works. The parser simply looks through each book and pulls out the various descriptions of nouns.
Hopefully it’s more than just a novelty and some people will actually find it useful for their writing and brainstorming, but one neat little thing to try is to compare two nouns which are similar, but different in some significant way — for example, gender is interesting: «woman» versus «man» and «boy» versus «girl». On an inital quick analysis it seems that authors of fiction are at least 4x more likely to describe women (as opposed to men) with beauty-related terms (regarding their weight, features and general attractiveness). In fact, «beautiful» is possibly the most widely used adjective for women in all of the world’s literature, which is quite in line with the general unidimensional representation of women in many other media forms. If anyone wants to do further research into this, let me know and I can give you a lot more data (for example, there are about 25000 different entries for «woman» — too many to show here).
The blueness of the results represents their relative frequency. You can hover over an item for a second and the frequency score should pop up. The «uniqueness» sorting is default, and thanks to my Complicated Algorithm™, it orders them by the adjectives’ uniqueness to that particular noun relative to other nouns (it’s actually pretty simple). As you’d expect, you can click the «Sort By Usage Frequency» button to adjectives by their usage frequency for that noun.
Special thanks to the contributors of the open-source mongodb which was used in this project.
Please note that Describing Words uses third party scripts (such as Google Analytics and advertisements) which use cookies. To learn more, see the privacy policy.
Table of Contents
- What are some words to describe rain?
- How do you describe raindrops?
- How do you describe rainfall?
- How would you describe heavy rain in a story?
- How do you describe the smell of rain?
- What do you call a person who likes the smell of rain?
- Why does it smell before rain?
- What is the smell of rain called pronunciation?
- What is Pluviophile?
- Why moist is the most hated word?
- What is another word for moist?
- Why do we say filthy rich?
- What is another word for filth?
rain
- cloudburst,
- deluge,
- downfall,
- downpour,
- rainfall,
- rainstorm,
- storm,
- wet.
How do you describe raindrops?
Here are some adjectives for raindrops: inverted fiery, sparse, vicious, few, bright, mild generous, wee, fairy, perpetual, slow, huge, tentative, open and swollen, fat, pelting, huge, tepid, clear separate, heavy perpendicular, now larger and heavier, abnormally fat, so-called crystal, few misty, few vagrant, slow.
How do you describe rainfall?
noun. a fall or shower of rain. the amount of water falling in rain, snow, etc., within a given time and area, usually expressed as a hypothetical depth of coverage: a rainfall of 70 inches a year.
How would you describe heavy rain in a story?
Bucketing down. Similar to tipping down, bucketing down is another way to describe heavy rain. In its quite literal sense, it’s rain as if somebody is standing over your head pouring a bucket of water on you.
How do you describe the smell of rain?
Of course rain itself has no scent. But moments before a rain event, an “earthy” smell known as petrichor does permeate the air. People call it musky, fresh—generally pleasant. “Petrichor” is the wonderful word that describes the wonderful scent of the air after a rain shower.
What do you call a person who likes the smell of rain?
Petrichor – Why we Love the Smell of Rain.
Why does it smell before rain?
What causes the fresh smell we experience just before the onset of a storm or shower of rain, which is especially noticeable after an extended dry spell? The smell is probably ozone, which typically has a sweet, pungent aroma. In stormy weather, lightning splits atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen molecules.
What is the smell of rain called pronunciation?
PETRICHOR | Pronunciation in English. Grammar.
What is Pluviophile?
Pluviophile (n.) A lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days.
Why moist is the most hated word?
Most of the participants who told the researchers they hated the word chalked it up to phonics. People found the word moist most disgusting when it was accompanied by unrelated, positive words like paradise, or when it was accompanied by sexual words.
What is another word for moist?
Some common synonyms of moist are damp, dank, humid, and wet. While all these words mean “covered or more or less soaked with liquid,” moist applies to what is slightly damp or not felt as dry.
Why do we say filthy rich?
The term ‘filthy rich’ can be traced back to the 16th century. The exact phrase was first used in print during the 1920’s. A 1929 edition of the Ohio newspaper called The Lima News used it in a story discussing the effects of the Great Depression. Many people were forced to sell their homes or starve.
What is another word for filth?
What is another word for filth?
dirt | muck |
---|---|
sewage | contamination |
garbage | slime |
crud | defilement |
mire | mud |
Weather description in English — the most important words and phrases
One of the most common topics of conversation in our daily life is the weather. You can talk about it always and with anyone. The weather can be good, great, awful, unusual, etc. In this article, we will look at a detailed description of the weather in English.
Basic Weather Vocabulary
The word «weather» in English translates as «The weather».
From what the forecaster says (weather chart maker) the morning choice of clothes depends. We decide whether to take an umbrella with us and make plans for the weekend: spend sunny days somewhere in nature or bask under the covers, admiring the snow from the window.
Let’s take a look at the most common words and phrases related to weather and its description.
During a conversation, you can ask:
- What is the weather in your country / city? — What is the weather in your country / city?
- How is the weather today? -How is the weather today?
First of all, let’s learn words that are directly related to today’s topic.
Adjectives
- Excellent — excellent.
- Glorious — delightful, glorious.
- Superb — wonderful.
- adverse — unfavorable.
- Sweltering — sultry.
- Boiling — very hot.
- Scorching — scorching, sultry.
- Atrocious / vile — disgusting.
- Inclement — severe.
- Nasty — rainy.
- freezing — very cold, chilling.
- foul — disgusting, disgusting.
- Raw — dank.
- Humid — wet.
- muggy — warm and humid, suffocating.
- Sultry — sultry, stuffy.
- Mild — moderate.
- Settled — constant.
- unpredictable — unpredictable.
- changeable — changeable.
- Fierce — frantic.
- Frosty — frosty.
- Stormy — thunderous, stormy.
- unseasonable — out of season.
- A spell of weather — the period of such and such weather.
Nouns
- sun — Sun
- sky — sky
- cloud — cloud, cloud
- rain — rain
- snow — snow
- fog — fog
- fog — light fog, haze
- haze — haze (usually caused by heat)
- hail — hail; go (about hail)
- hailstones — hail
- snowflake — Snowflake
- blizzard — snow storm, blizzard
- sleet — freezing rain, rain and snow
Temperature
- hot — hot (hot)
- cool — cool (cool)
- chilly — cold, cool
- cold — cold
- freezing — icy
Tell specifically about the air temperature (air temperature) you can use the phrases
- below zero — below zero,
- above zero — above zero.
- or simply minus — plus.
Just remember that in English-speaking countries there are two scales for measuring temperature — Fahrenheit и Celsius… Interestingly, 32 degrees Fahrenheit is 0 degrees Celsius.
- It’s 32 degrees Fahrenheit (° F) outside. — Outside 0 degrees Celsius.
- It’s minus 7 degrees Celsius (° C)… — It’s 7 degrees Celsius now.
In the weather forecast, the presenters also use additional words to describe upcoming events, for example, strong winds (strong wind) or even a stormy wind (gale force wind), or maybe a small one (slight) or, conversely, impetuous (gusty).
Words and phrases to describe rain
- rain — rain
- damp — wet, damp (after rain)
- drizzle — drizzle; light rain
- shower — shower (short)
- downpour — downpour
- for
— pouring (about heavy rain) - It’s raining cats and dogs. — It rains like a bucket (idiom).
- torrential rain — very heavy rain
- flood — flood
Phrases about rain contain additional vocabulary for us: light rain (gentle rain), continuous (persistent), lingering (steady). About the fog, we can say that it is thick (dense) or dense (thick), strong or dark (dark). Or maybe just weak (slight).
Please note that heavy rain translates as heavy rain, i.e. literally «heavy», not powerful or strong as you might think.
Natural disasters
- thunder storm — storm
- snowstorm — blizzard, blizzard, blizzard
- tornado — tornado, tornado, squall
- hurricane / typhoon — Hurricane; tropical cyclone
- earthquake — earthquake
- tidal wave — tidal wave
- volcanic eruption — eruption
- drug — drought
Basis of the sentence in English about the weather
Any grammatically correct statement (sentences in English about the weather are no exception) must have a subject and an action. This is not necessary in native Russian and this is why confusion can occur. For example, the Russian short sentence “It’s cold outside” will look completely different in English — “It is cold in the street”.
In this case, it plays the role of a subject, is — actions, and then everything that we wanted to say about the weather is already attached. The literal translation of this sentence into English will look like this: «It’s cold outside.»
You need to get used to this, since otherwise it will be difficult to grammatically correctly express your thought about natural phenomena in English.
Remember one thing: most weather sentences begin with it, followed by the verb to be at the appropriate tense.
Phrases and expressions to describe the weather
Talking about warm weather
- There are different ways to say about good weather outside, for example:
- It’s warm today. — Today it’s warm.
- It’s warm out today. — Normal (The phrase «warm out» means that the weather is good, moderate. And not hot and not cold, as they say.)
- The weather is good. — The weather is good
- The weather is gorgeous today! — The weather is fine today!
- It’s a sunshine day! Today is a sunny day!
- It’s hot outside! — It’s hot outside!
Talking about cold rainy weather
- It’s cold today! — It is cold today!
- It’s raining. — It’s raining.
- It’s snowing. — Snowing.
- It’s slushing outside! — There’s slush on the street!
- The weather is nasty today! The weather today is nasty / disgusting / disgusting!
- It often snows in winter. — It’s snowing frequently in the winter.
- The temperature is 2 degrees below zero. — Temperature 2 degrees below zero.
Description of the weather in English with translation
The weather descrиption
Source: https://englandlearn.com/words/opisanie-pogody
Weather in English with examples and dialogues
›Learning a language› Vocabulary ›Weather in English: words and phrases, grammatical laws, examples of dialogues
The climatic conditions that the inhabitants of Foggy Albion face on a daily basis have led to the fact that the conversation about the weather is an almost eternal topic in the lips of the British.
Therefore, if you want to speak English fluently and at ease, like a born British, then you simply have to be able to keep up a conversation about capriciously changeable or, on the contrary, stubbornly stable weather outside the window. Communication on this topic and we will learn in today’s lesson.
We will find out what words describe the weather in English, learn popular phrases and analyze the principle of their construction, and also work through the studied information in the form of a dialogue.
Description of the weather in English (grammar)
For the first time we come across a description of the weather in English in elementary school. Often in the classroom, the teacher builds small dialogues with the children about what the weather is like today and how the children relate to it. Thus, students repeat the learned vocabulary, and also gradually get used to feel confident in a conversation in a foreign language.
When studying today’s material, we will try to adhere to a similar tactic: first, we will study the grammatical and lexical basis, and then we will practice in «live» speech, ie. we will strive to build our own dialogue about any weather in English. So, let’s take a look at a few small rules.
Important grammatical points
- In order to compose a simple expression about the weather in English, you must use the grammatical construction it is… When translated into Russian, such phrases are translated as short, impersonal sentences. It is windy — Windy. It is sunny — Sunny. It is cold — Cold.
- The pronoun it is also used as a subject when denoting weather phenomena characteristic of a particular season or occurring at a given moment in time. Note the difference in the context of the sentences for the Present Simple and Present Continuous aspects.
- It is snowing outside — It is snowing outside (the weather is today, right now).
- It rains in autumn in Prague — It is rainy in Prague in autumn (seasonal phenomenon).
- The noun weather itself in English is always used with the definite article the. If there is an adjective in front of the noun, the article is not required.
- The weather is getting colder — It is getting colder.
- Does she cold weather? — Does she like cold weather?
- The vocabulary expressing natural phenomena, as a rule, is used without an article. But it should be borne in mind that when designating a location, the English language requires the setting of the definite article the.
- Jack s snow — Jack loves snow.
- My dog s to lie in the sun — My dog loves to lie in the sun.
Knowledge of these norms is necessary for a grammatically correct construction of a weather story in English. Now let’s get acquainted with the lexical part of the material.
Description of the weather in English (vocabulary)
So, the tables below will help us learn words on the topic of weather in English. They are all divided into thematic blocks, which makes it easier and more efficient to assimilate new information. English words and phrases on the topic of weather are given with transcription and translation, which allows you to practice all the necessary skills at once: reading, pronunciation, translation and writing.
Basic expressions
Let’s start with the simplest vocabulary. This section contains basic phrases and words about the weather in English for children, as well as for adults who are just starting their way to mastering the language. Since it is difficult to work with English transcription at a basic level, a column with approximate pronunciation in Russian is shown next to it. In the following sections, only the original transcription is used.
In the first table, consider a list of nouns describing natural phenomena.
Word | Transcription | Russian pronunciation | Transfer |
weather | [weðə (r)] | [weather] | weather |
sun | [sʌn] | [san] | the sun |
wind | [wɪnd] | [wind] | wind |
rain | [ren] | [rain] | rain |
snow | [snəʊ] | [snow] | snow |
fog | [fɒɡ] | [foog] | fog |
ice | [aɪs] | [ice] | лед |
thunder | [θʌn.dər] | [sander] | thunder |
lighting | [laɪ.tɪŋ] | [lightin] | lightning |
But when talking about nature, a variety of adjectives are often used. Therefore, in the following table, we will get acquainted with the characteristics that indicate the weather in English with Russian translation and pronunciation.
sunny | [sʌn.i] | [sled] | solar |
windy | [wɪn.di] | [windy] | windy |
rainy | [reɪ.ni] | [rainey] | rainy |
snowy | [snəʊ.i] | [snowy] | snow |
foggy | [fɒɡ.i] | [fogi] | fog |
warm | [wɔːm] | [wow] | warm |
hot | [scissing] | [hot] | hot |
cold | [kəʊld] | [cold] | cold |
frosty | [frɒs.ti] | [frosty] | frosty |
cloudy | [kla.di] | [cloudy] | cloudy |
This short list will allow kids and newbies to come up with a couple of weather suggestions.
We also suggest that you learn a cheat sheet, which contains English questions about the weather, and several options for answering them.
Expression | Transcription | Russian pronunciation | Transfer |
What weather do you? | [wɒt weðə (r) du ju laɪk] | [Wat uezer doo yu like] | what kind of weather do you like? |
I (cold / hot / snowy) weather. | [aɪ laɪk (kəʊld / hɒt /snəʊ.i) weðə (r)] | [I like cold / hot / snowy weather] | I like the (cold / hot / snowy) weather. |
What is the weather today? | [wɒt ɪz ðə weðə (r) laɪk təˈdeɪ] | [Wat iz ze uezer like today?] | What is the weather today? |
The weather is fine. | [ðə weðə (r) ɪz faɪn] | [The Uezer of Fine] | Good weather. |
The weather is bad. | [ðə weðə (r) ɪz bæd] | [The uezer from bad] | The weather is bad. |
It is (sunny / warm / windy) today. | [ɪt ɪz (sʌn.i / wɔːm / wɪn.di /) təˈdeɪ] | [it from (sleigh / woom / windy) today] | Today (sunny / warm / windy). |
It is raining. | [ɪtɪz reɪnɪŋ] | [It from Raining] | It’s raining. |
It is snowing. | [ɪtɪz snəʊɪŋ] | [It from snowing] | Snowing. |
What is the weather in (summer / spring / autumn / winter)? | [wɒt ɪz ðə weðə (r) laɪk ɪn (sʌmə (r) / sprɪŋ / ˈɔːtəm / wɪntə (r)] | [Wat iz the weather like in (samer / spring / ootham / winter] | What is the weather like (summer / spring / autumn, winter)? |
It is very cold in winter. | [ɪt ɪz veri kəʊld ɪn wɪntə (r)] | [It from vari cold in winter] | It is very cold in winter. |
It is so (cloudy / sunny) today, isn’t it? Yes, it is. No, it isn’t. | [ɪt ɪz səʊ (klaʊ.di / sʌn.i) təˈdeɪ, izn’t it.jes ɪt ɪz. nəʊ it izn’t] | [It from sow cloudy / sani today, yes, it from. Know it iznt] | Today is so (cloudy / sunny), isn’t it? Yes, so. No not like this. |
For younger students, this vocabulary will be enough to ask about the weather or describe it. And everyone who is older will have more interesting and varied vocabulary.
Weather forecast
Surely, you often have a question «What will be the weather tomorrow / day after tomorrow / at the weekend?» Mankind has not lost this interest for many decades, despite the fact that sometimes the predictions of meteorologists are not justified at all. But we are still closely monitoring the predicted weather changes. Let’s consider how the weather forecast sounds in English.
The table lists popular weather phrases and phrases that you often hear or read in weather forecasts. However, the British use these expressions in everyday speech, describing weather changes.
Expression | Transcription | Transfer |
Do you know the weather forecast for tomorrow? | [du ju nəʊ ðə weðə (r) fɔːkɑːst fə (r) təˈmɒrəʊ] | Do you know the weather forecast for tomorrow? |
It’s forecast to snow. | [ɪt iz fɔːkɑːst tə snəʊ] | They promise snow. |
It’s going to be sunny. | [ɪt iz ɡəʊ.ɪŋ tə bi sʌn.i] | It will be sunny. |
The weather will change. | [ðə weðə (r) wɪl tʃeɪndʒ] | The weather will change. |
We’re expecting a thunderstorm. | [wi ɑːr ɪkˈspektɪŋ eɪ θʌn.də.stɔːm] | A storm is expected. |
The temperature will be 11 degrees below zero. | [ðə temprətʃə (r) wɪl bi ɪˈlevn dɪˈɡriːs bɪˈləʊ zɪərəʊ] | The temperature will be minus 11 degrees. |
Source: https://speakenglishwell.ru/pogoda-na-anglijskom-yazyke-slova-frazy-dialogi-o-pogode/
Weather description in English
›Vocabulary
For any nation, whatever language they speak, the most popular topic of conversation is the weather. When people don’t know how to keep the conversation going and what to talk about, talking about the weather can save the day. As you know, residents of many countries are fluent in English.
Therefore, to communicate with any foreigner, you need to know at least a few expressions about the weather in order to keep the conversation going. Today we will get acquainted with words and phrases describing weather conditions and various natural phenomena. Also, consider what you can tell about a particular time of the year.
Grammatical aspects for describing weather conditions
The most important point in the correct construction of sentences in English is grammar. When describing weather conditions, the following grammatical rules must be observed:
- The word «weather» requires the presence of the definite article «the» in front of it. You already know that the article «the» is placed in front of the subject only when we and our interlocutors know what it is about. Weather is an abstract noun, a one-of-a-kind subject. That is, we understand what the weather is. Therefore, the definite article «the» is used. But if the word “weather” is preceded by an adjective, then “the” does not need to be used.
In spring the weather is often nice and warm. | In spring, the weather is often nice and warm. |
Kate’s sunny weather. | Kate loves sunny weather. |
He doesn’t frosty weather. | He doesn’t like freezing weather. |
- Words used to describe natural phenomena are usually used without an article.
Keep in mind that nouns that indicate location require a definite article in front of them.
My friend’s warm rain in summer. | My friend loves the warm rain in summer. |
We lie in the sun on the beach. | We love to lie on the beach in the sun. |
- Impersonal sentences are used to describe weather conditions and natural phenomena. The pronoun «it» acts as the subject. The predicate is expressed in impersonal verbs (to rain, to snow). In addition, the auxiliary verb «is» often acts as a predicate verb if it is followed by an adjective or adverb. Such expressions are also translated into Russian by an impersonal sentence.
It often rains in autumn. | It often rains in autumn. |
It snowed a lot last winter. | There was a lot of snow last winter. |
It is often windy in spring. | It is often windy in spring. |
In Russian, there is no subject in an impersonal sentence, while in English, the presence of a subject is mandatory. The interrogative and negative forms of verbal impersonal sentences are formed according to the same rules as interrogative and negative forms with the usual verb predicate.
Does it often rain in autumn? | It often rains in autumn? |
Does it snow much last winter? | Was it snowing a lot last winter? |
Is it raining now? | It’s raining now? |
It doesn’t often rain here in summer. | It doesn’t often rain here in summer. |
It didn’t snow much last winter. | It didn’t snow often last winter. |
- When it comes to natural phenomena that occur at the time of speech, Present Continuous Tense should be used in the sentence. Whereas, if you are describing weather conditions that are typical for a particular time of the year (this happens every season, regularly), Present Simple Tense is used.
It is snowing heavily at the moment. | It is snowing heavily now. |
In autumn it always rains. | It always rains in the fall. |
Words and phrases to describe weather conditions
Once you’ve learned how to correctly write weather sentences in English, it’s time to talk about the words used to describe natural conditions and weather. Knowing these phrases will help you in any dialogue with a foreigner. Let’s start with nouns.
Weather | Weather |
Sun | Sun |
Rain | Rain |
Snow | Snow |
Fog | Fog |
Ice | Ice |
Thunder | Thunder |
Lighting | Lightning |
slush | Slush |
Puddle | Puddle |
wind | Wind |
Cloud | Cloud |
Frost | Frost |
Sunshine | sunlight |
Sky | Sky |
Grass | Grass |
Street | Street |
Day | Day |
Next, we will explore some of the verbs and adjectives that you cannot do without if you are talking about the weather.
Good | Good |
Nice | Beautiful |
Cool | Cool, cool |
Warm | Warm |
Hot | Hot |
Cold | Cold |
Sunny | Solar |
Cloudy | Cloudy |
foggy | Fog |
Windy | Windy |
Snowy | Snow |
Rainy | Rainy |
Frosty | Frosty |
Blow | Blow |
Blue | Blue |
Bright | Bright |
Green | Green |
Gloomy | Gloomy |
Source: https://englishfun.ru/leksika/pogoda-na-anglijskom
Weather description in English —
There is no bad weather!
Weather is one of the most versatile topics that can help keep the conversation going and avoid awkward silence. That is why we will consider the description of the weather in English.
When you have no idea what to talk about with your interlocutor — start talking about the weather! It always works. And if you are learning English, you should know how to describe the weather in English.
Let’s take a look at some useful words and phrases.
Basic English Vocabulary on Weather
- Weather | ˈwɛðə | — weather;
- Sun | sʌn | — Sun;
- Sunny | ˈsʌni | — sunny;
- Hot | hɒt | — hot (It is hot — now it’s hot);
- Cold | kəʊld | — cold (It is cold — now it’s cold);
- Cloudy | ˈklaʊdi | — cloudy, overcast;
- Fog | fɒɡ | — fog;
- Rain | reɪn | — rain;
- Rain cloud — rain cloud;
- Wind | ˈwɪnd | — wind;
- Windy | ˈwɪndi | — windy;
- Frosty weather | ˈfrɒsti ˈwɛðə | — frosty weather;
- Freeze | friːz | — cold, frost;
- Storm | stɔːm | — thunderstorm, hurricane, storm;
- Sleet | sliːt | — wet snow;
- Lightning | ˈlʌɪtnɪŋ | lightning;
- Snow | snəʊ | — snow;
- Snowfall | ˈsnəʊfɔːl | — snowfall;
- Ice | aɪs | — ice;
- Hoarfrost | ˈhɔːfrɒst | — frost, rime;
- Mist | mɪst | — light fog, haze;
- Humidity | hjʊˈmɪdɪti | — humidity;
- Hail | heɪl | — hail;
- Thunderstorm | ˈθʌndəstɔːm | — storm.
Weather forecast in English
The weather forecast can be a great topic of discussion. Vocabulary on this topic will be especially useful if you and your friends are planning an event, the holding of which depends on the weather conditions.
- Weather forecast | ˈwɛðə ˈfɔːkɑːst | — weather forecast;
Also, from the previous phrase, we can form a verb by swapping the words in it:
- to forecast weather — predict the weather;
- Weather forecaster — forecaster.
- Weather broadcast | ˈbrɔːdkɑːst | — a weather report that is broadcast by radio.
If we want to say that on some day the forecasters promised this or that weather, we can say:
- A sunny day forecasted for tomorrow. — Tomorrow is predicted to be a sunny day.
- The weather forecast is for rain. — According to the forecast, it will rain.
- The forecast calls for more snow. — According to the forecast, the snowfall will continue.
If we want to say that some weather phenomenon will continue, we can use the phrase «call for».
Also, if you want to say that some day will bring with it, for example, rains, you can say:
- Thursday brings rains. — It will rain from Thursday.
Perhaps you are wondering what the weather will be this week and you want to ask a friend if he has watched the weather forecast:
- Have you looked at the weather forecast for this week? — Have you seen the weather forecast for this week?
- What’s the weather forecast? / What’s the weather forecast? — What is the weather forecast?
If we are quite sure about the forecast, we can use the construction «Going to»:
- It’s going to be a rainy day. — It will be a rainy day.
Source: https://tryeng.ru/3095
Suggestions in English about the weather
Details Karina Galchenko Category: PRE-INTERMEDIATE
: 11 November 2015
76325
: 4/5
How should they look suggestions in English about the weather? There are a huge number of words and phrases on the Internet to help learners of English, but the difficulties arise precisely with the construction of sentences.
Talking about the weather is no exception due to the different perceptions of the world by the British and Russian speakers. Where one word sounds in the native language, a whole sentence appears in the foreign language.
In this article we will try to figure out how to correctly say «cold», «windy» and the like in the target language.
Basis of the sentence in English about the weather
Any grammatically correct statement (suggestions in English about the weather are no exception) subject and action must be present. This is not necessary in native Russian and this is why confusion can occur. For example, the Russian short sentence “It’s cold outside” will look completely different in English — “It is cold in the street”.
In this case, it plays the role of a subject, is — actions, and then everything that we wanted to say about the weather is already attached. The literal translation of this sentence into English will look like this: «It’s cold outside.» You need to get used to this, since otherwise it will be difficult to grammatically correctly express your thought about natural phenomena in English.
Remember one thing: most weather sentences begin with it, followed by the verb to be at the appropriate tense.
Weather sentences in English. Examples of
Below are some more typical weather suggestions in English.
Russian variant | weather suggestions in English |
It’s snowing frequently in the winter. | It often snow in winter. |
Look! Rain on the street! | look! It’s raining in the street! |
Rainy weather. | the weather is rainy. |
It is windy and damp today. | Itiswindy and wet today. |
It was cloudy yesterday. | It was cloudy yesterday. |
I think it will be warmer tomorrow. | I think itis going to be warmer tomorrow. |
The temperature is 2 degrees below zero. | The temperature is2 degrees below zero. |
The temperature is 25 degrees above zero. | The temperature is 25 degrees above zero. |
It is important to understand that in a story about rain or snow in English there is no equivalent to the Russian phrases «it is snowing» or «it is raining». But there are two full verbs — rain (to rain) and snow (to snow). You just have to deliver them at the appropriate time. Also, adjectives are formed from these verbs — rainy (rainy) and snowy (snowy). With them, you can also build full-fledged proposals, starting with the IT + TO BE scheme (at the right time).
Words to help tell about the weather in English
Let’s move on to useful words that will help you even better. tell about the weather in English.
1) sunny, 2) clean (for example, about the sky); 3) gray, 4) foggy, 5) rainy, 6) icy, slippery; 7) calm, stormy, stormy; 9) soft, 10) warm, 11) cool, fresh; 12) cold, 13) frosty, 14) windy (light breeze, breeze); 15) hot, 16) cloudy, 17) drizzling (rain), 18) important, damp; 19) snowy, 20) dry, 21) windy.
You are now ready to compose your own weather sentences in English. Why not start now? What is the weather today?
Source: http://fluenglish.com/stati/studentam-na-zametku/353-predlozheniya-na-anglijskom-pro-pogodu.html
Description of the weather in English with translation
Every person mentions the weather in one way or another in everyday conversations. The weather can be good, great, terrible, unusual, etc. In this article, you will learn how to characterize the weather in English using words and phrases on the topic in the right context.
Related WordsWeather» in English
Let’s divide the weather dictionary into several sections to make the words easier to remember. In addition to the translation, the list will also include a transcription of each word.
Nouns
sun [sʌn] — sun;
sky [skaɪ] — the sky;
cloud [klaud] — cloud, cloud;
rain [reɪn] — rain;
snow [snəu] — snow;
fog [fɔg] — fog;
fog [mɪst] — light fog, haze;
haze [heɪz] — haze (usually caused by heat);
hail [heɪl] — hail; go (about hail);
hailstones [‘heɪlstəun] — hailstone;
snowflake [‘snəufleɪk] — snowflake;
blizzard [‘blɪzəd] — snow storm, blizzard;
sleet [sliːt] — freezing rain, rain and snow.
Adjectives
sunny [‘sʌnɪ] — sunny;
bright [braɪt] — light;
cloudy [‘klaudɪ] — cloudy;
end [faɪn] — clear, good (no rain, clear sky);
clear [klɪə] — clear;
humidity [‘hjuːmɪd] — wet;
foggy / misty / hazy [‘fɔgɪ] / [‘ mɪstɪ] / [‘heɪzɪ] — foggy;
overcast, dull [‘əuvəkɑːst] / [dʌl] — cloudy;
windy [‘wɪndɪ] — windy.
Temperature
warm [wɔːm] — warm (warm);
hot [hɔt] — hot (hot);
cool [kuːl] — cool (cool);
chilly [‘ʧɪlɪ] — cold, cool;
cold [kəuld] — cold;
freezing [‘friːzɪŋ] — icy.
Words and phrases to describe rain
rain [reɪn] — rain;
damp [dæmp] — wet, damp (after rain);
drizzle [‘drɪzl] — drizzle; light rain;
shower [‘ʃəuə] — downpour (short);
downpour [‘daunpɔː] — downpour;
for
[pɔː] — to shower (about heavy rain);
It’s raining cats and dogs. — It rains like a bucket (idiom).
torrential rain — very heavy rain;
flood [flʌd] — flood.
Source: https://english-bird.ru/opisanie-pogody-na-anglijskom-yazyke-s-perevodom/
Weather in English: from terrible stuffiness to unbearable cold
It so happened that if you do not know what to talk about with an unfamiliar person, then you should start a conversation about the weather. In English-speaking countries, everyone talks about the weather: from the girls at the reception to busy doctors and lawyers. This is not surprising, because this topic is one of the most popular topics for small talk. Read our article, memorize new information and very soon you will be able to adequately maintain a conversation about the weather even with an employee of the Hydrometeorological Center.
Weather in English
To make it easier for you to keep up any conversation about the weather, we decided to divide useful English words into several categories. As you know, most often people complain about bad weather: extreme cold, heat or endless rain. Therefore, our word selections will just reflect strong meteorological changes. And you, for a successful conversation on this topic, will only need to look out the window, be horrified and choose the right category.
Cold weather in English
Let’s start at the very beginning of the year. Chances are, in winter you will be talking about piercing winds, snowfalls, and eternal cold. Are you ready to freeze with us? Then let’s get started!
Blizzard — blizzard, snow storm
This is the name of the terrible blizzards that paralyze life in America for several weeks.
By the way, many of us often laugh at the fact that Americans are closing schools and interrupting trains during such storms. The thing is that such a weather phenomenon does not come to the United States as often as it does to us.
They do not have a sufficient number of suitable equipment, people do not change summer tires for winter ones, and they simply don’t know how to behave in snow if it falls every 5-7 years.
below freezing — the temperature is below freezing point. That is, the temperature is below 0 Celsius (Celsius) or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (Fahrenheit)
Chilly — cold, cool
Cold — cold
Well, if we are talking about very strong cold, then you need to add some adjectives to the word cold — freezing cold, strong cold, bitterly cold, sharp cold, biting cold (to bite — to bite)
Frost — frost, frost Here the gradation of cold also depends on which word will stand before frost. Depending on the choice, we can get, like a severe frost, or just a slight frost. So be very careful when choosing your adjective.
Hard / sharp / biting / heavy / severe frost — severe frost
Light / slight frost — light frost
Touch of frost — Frosts
Hail — hail, hail is coming — it is hailing
Hallways — light snow
Flurry of snow / snow flurries can be synonyms here.
Slush / slushy — thawed snow, slush, slush
It is this word that can be called everything that happens on our roads a couple of days after a good snowfall.
Snow — snow
snowstorm — blizzard
wind chill factor — wind chill index, cold-wind coefficient
We all know that sometimes, judging by the forecast, it shouldn’t be very cold outside, but the piercing wind from the local river turns the entire forecast upside down. This additional cooling by the wind will be called the wind chill factor.
Hot weather in English
Frozen in the previous category? No problem! It’s time to warm up now!
Boiling hot — boiling, very hot This is most often used as the opposite of “Below freezing”. This expression is used extensively to describe very hot weather. If it’s just a hot day, you can use the word “hot”.
It was boiling hot, so we all jumped into the river. — It was so hot, so we all jumped into the river
Vague de Chaleur — streak / heat wave
Heat — heat
Synonyms can be warmth, high temperature
heat stroke — heatstroke
scorcher — sultry, hot day
It was a scorcher, so the whole family couldn’t sleep at night — It was a very hot day, so the whole family couldn’t sleep at night.
Sun — Sun
Of course, there are many derivatives from this word that are actively used in hot English weather. Here are just a few of them:
Sunburn — get sunburned
Sunny — sunny
Sunshine — sunlight
sun bath — sun bath
Types of rain and wind in English
Many of us have heard the expression “to rain cats and dogs”. To be honest, this phrase is almost never used in English speech. Unfortunately, it only remained on the pages of textbooks. But don’t be discouraged, there are enough words in English that can help you describe any rain and wind.
Breeze — light breeze, breeze. Such a breeze can be gentle / light / soft. These adjectives soften the already pleasant breeze even more. This word, by the way, is one of the cases when the English borrowing has taken root in the Russian language, which is not even recognized by us as foreign. That’s good, isn’t it? Learn less in one word!
Drizzle — drizzling rain
This lexical unit can also be used as a verb — to drizzle
drafted — drought
Flood — flood, deluge
By the way, if you come across this word written with a capital letter, then we will most likely talk about the Flood. This well-known phenomenon in English is also called Noah’s flood (Noah — Noah, the very man who built the ark).
Humidity — humidity
This is a word you need to know if you are going to keep up the conversation about the weather in the USA. The inhabitants of America are concerned not only with temperature, but also with humidity. True, it is not surprising. Many states are close to the ocean, and the south is generally close to the equator. So it turns out that in many places in America, humidity has a profound effect on how cold or warm feels.
Rain — rain
As in the situation with the word «sun» (sun), from the word «rain» comes a lot of lexical units that can describe almost everything related to rain. So if you come across an unfamiliar word, where the root hid from the «rain», then do not hesitate to clarify its meaning in the dictionary.
Raindrop — rain drop
Rainbow — Rainbow
Shower
Source: http://begin-english.ru/article/pogoda-na-angliyskom-yazyke/
Perhaps we will start this article with the famous song «Nature has no bad weather» Indeed, it is. Someone likes rain, someone likes the sun, someone loves frost.
The weather is a favorite topic of conversation among the British. Of course, it does not always rain here, but the English weather is characterized by strong instability, that is, the sun can shine in the morning, and in an hour it is already raining with might and main.
We hope this article will help you learn to speak about the weather in English as well as Prince Charles does.
How to describe the weather in English?
The word weather in English usually requires the article the:
the weather is fine today. If the word is preceded by an adjective, the article disappears:
I fine weather.
In order to describe the weather outside the window, the British use the construction “it is«
It`s sunny — sunny, It`s rainy — rainy.
The sentences «it is raining», «it is snowing» are translated into English as follows: it`s snowing, it`s raining. In this case, we used Present Continuous to show that the action is currently taking place.
Note: Become familiar with the grammar rule: The Present Continuous (Progressive) Tense
If you want to say that it usually snows or rains in winter, then you should use Present Simple: It snows in winter (this is a common occurrence for you). It rains in autumn (this happens often, this is a characteristic phenomenon for autumn).
Note: Become familiar with the grammar rule: The Present Simple Tense
Russian «What is the weather today?» corresponds to the English “What is the weather today?”.
And before you start memorizing the words below, check out the board game that will help you master the most common weather vocabulary.
- English Board Game: Weather Calendar
Under the custom, we selected the vocabulary on the topic «Weather», which was divided into topics:
- Words, adjectives and verbs in English on the topic «Weather» with translation
- Words on the topic «Climate» in English with translation
- Common common phrases on the topic «Weather» in English with translation
- Vocabulary (words) in English that are associated with the word «Rain». Describing rainy weather.
- Vocabulary (words) in English that are associated with the word «Snow». Describing snowy weather.
- Vocabulary (words) in English that are associated with the word «Fog». Describing foggy weather.
- Vocabulary (words) in English that are associated with the word «Sky». We talk about the sky.
- Vocabulary (words) in English that are associated with the word «Wind». Describing windy weather.
English words related to «Weather» with translation
weather forecast [‘weðəˌ’fɔːkɑːst] — weather forecast; temperature [‘temp (ə) rəʧə] — temperature;
weatherman [‘weðəmæn] — meteorologist;
thunderstorm [‘θʌndəstɔːm] — thunderstorm; thunder [‘θʌndə] — thunder; lightning [‘laɪtnɪŋ] — lightning; shower [‘ʃəuə] — shower; fog [fɔg] — fog; heat [hiːt] — heat; wind [wɪnd] — wind; frost [frɔst] — frost; snow [snəu] — snow; sunny [‘sʌnɪ] (day) — sunny (day); dull [dʌl] (day) — cloudy (day);
cool [kuːl] (day) — cool (day).
humid [‘hjuːmɪd] — humid (about the climate); dry [draɪ] — dry (about the climate); mild [maɪld] — soft (about the climate); continental [ˌkɔntɪ’nent (ə) l] (climate) — continental (about climate); warm [wɔːm] — warm, hot (about the climate); lovely [‘lʌvlɪ] — lovely (about the weather); changeable [‘ʧeɪnʤəbl] — changeable (about the weather); dreadful [‘dredf (ə) l], [-ful] — terrible (about the weather); unpredictable [ˌʌnprɪ’dɪktəbl] — unpredictable (about the weather); temperate climate — temperate climate; genial climate — mild, temperate climate; kindly climate — good, favorable climate; arid climate — dry climate; tropical climate — tropical climate; hot / torrid climate — hot climate; rigorous climate (severe) — harsh, cold climate;
freakish climate — unstable climate.
excellent — excellent; clorious — delightful, glorious cuperb — wonderful adverse — unfavorable; sweltering — sultry boiling — very hot scorching — scorching, sultry atrocious / vile — disgusting; inclement — harsh nasty — rainy; freezing — very cold, freezing; foul — disgusting, disgusting; raw — dank; humid — wet; muggy — Warm and moist, suffocating sultry — sultry, stuffy; mild — Moderate settled — constant; unpredictable — unpredictable; changeable — changeable; fierce — frantic frosty — frosty stormy — thunderous, stormy; unseasonable — out of season;
A spell of weather — a period of such and such weather.
to let up — pause (about rain), improve; to warm up — warm up; to hold out — stay the same, continue; to keep up — continue, stay the same; to deteriorate — deteriorate; to worsen — get worse, get worse; to remain — remain the same; to allow / permit — allow;
to prevent — prevent.
Common common phrases on the topic «Weather» in English with translation
A change in the weather — Change in the weather. In all weathers — In any weather. The vagaries of the weather — Whims, vagaries of the weather. Whatever the weather — Whatever the weather. Nice weather for ducks! — A good owner will not let the dog out into the street! It’s a bit wild out there! — The weather is raging! What’s it outside? — How is it outside? Weather forecast — Weather forecast.
No precipitation expected. — Precipitation is unlikely.
Vocabulary (words) and verbs in English that are associated with the word «Rain»
Many people have an opinion. that in England there are constant and uninterrupted rains all year round. Of course it is not! In fact, England is not the rainiest country in Europe. It rains mostly evenly throughout the year. The duration is about a couple of minutes, but a maximum of half an hour.
rain — rain; thunderstorm — thunderstorm; slush — slush; driving — pouring; pouring — heavy rain; lashing — lashing; heavy — strong; occasional — irregular steady — lingering; gentle — weak patchy — in places; intermittent — intermittent; overnight — night; persistent — continuous; outbreaks of rain — short periods of rain;
dry interludes — a period of dry weather.
to beat — to beat; to drip — to drip; to drum — to drum; to fall — to fall; to lash — lash; to patter — to knock; to pour down — pouring like a bucket; to splash — splash; to trickle — trickle down; to set in — charge; to cease — stop; to let up — pause;
to continue — continue.
Vocabulary (words) and verbs in English that are associated with the word «Snow»
Snow in England is not a frequent occurrence, depending on the region, but it does happen nonetheless.
a snowfall — snowfall; a snowflake — snowflake; an icicle — icicle; a snowstorm — blizzard, snow storm; an ice storm — blizzard, ice storm; a snowman — snowman; a snowdrift / a snow bank — a snowdrift; black ice — ice, ice; sleet — rain and snow; bitterly cold — burning frost;
frostbite — frostbite.
havy — strong thick — thick, strong; light — light; damp — wet; crisp — Creaky, crisp powder / powdery — snow crumb, fine; drifting — swept by the wind; swirling — whirling; newly fallen — freshly fallen; melting — melting;
frozen — frozen.
to be covered in — to be covered; to cover smth up — cover; to pile up — to pile up, layering; to settle — to linger (do not melt);
to swirl — whirl.
Vocabulary (words) and verbs in English that are associated with the word «Fog»
Britain, Great Britain, United Kingdom — it’s all England. But few people know that England has another name Foggy Albion. This name fully corresponds to the almost daily weather in this amazing country.
mist / fog — fog; dense — thick heavy — strong; thick — dense; slight — weak; dark — dark; gray — gray;
white — white.
to be cloaked in — to be shrouded, covered; to be covered in — to be covered; to be shrouded in — to be shrouded; to be wreathed in — shrouded in a misty haze; to loom out — appear, appear in the fog; to shine through — weakly break through the fog; to disappear into — to disappear; to lie — to lie; to come down — go down; to float — floating on the surface of the water; to roll — to wrap;
to obscure — obstruct the view, obscure.
Vocabulary (words) and verbs in English that are associated with the word «Sky»
Unfortunately, the sky in England evokes sadness, it is constantly gray. But, fortunately, in such a great country, besides the sky, there is something else to see. For example, attractions.
Note: You can get acquainted with the sights of the UK and not only in the section «Life in Britain».
clear — clear; open — open; cloudless — cloudless; sunny — sunny; cloudy — in the clouds; overcast — overcast; sullen — gloomy starry — starry; azure — azure pale — pale;
leaden — lead.
A patch of — a piece. To clear up — to clear. To lighten — to lighten. To cloud over — to be covered with clouds. To brighten — to clear up. To darken — to darken. To turn gray — become gray.
To be streaked with smth — to be painted with some color.
Vocabulary (words) and verbs in English that are associated with the word «Wind»
The wind in England is constant. He is everywhere and everywhere. Cold, wet
fierce — frantic gale-force — storm; high — strong wind; stiff — fierce; strong — strong; terrible — terrible; light — light; moderate — moderate; slight — small; blustery — exuberant gusty — impetuous biting — shrill bitter — sharp brisk Fresh chill — cool icy — icy; howling — howling; favorable — tailwind;
gust of wind — a gust of wind.
to blow — to blow; to blow up — play out; to sweep (through) smth — take away; to howl — howl; to moan — moan; to roar — roar; to whistle — to whistle; to increase — to increase; to pick up — gain strength; to rise — rise, soar; to die down — calm down, calm down;
to drop — stop.
An excellent assistant in the study of vocabulary will be Thematic cards “Seasons. Weather. Nature». Suitable for work at school, individual lessons and at home.
Source: http://aagenglish.ru/kak_opisat_pogodu/86/article
Description of the weather in English with translation: words on the topic, forecast, what is the weather today, with examples
Conversations about the weather, favorite weather, weather in spring and summer are one of the main topics for daily conversations at home, at work, when meeting each other, at official events. This is a neutral and therefore convenient topic for so-called small talks in any situation. Therefore, it is so important to be able to ask and describe the weather in a conversation in English. In this article, we look at words and phrases to describe weather in English, divided into types of weather for convenience.
Using the pronoun it to describe the weather
In Russian, we often construct impersonal sentences (without a subject) when describing the weather. Examples are “windy,” “hot today,” “rainy”. When translated into English, such sentences begin with the pronoun it:
- It is windy
- It is hot today
- It is rainy (rainy)
It can also be replaced with weather: the weather is windy, the weather is great, the weather is gloomy.
General vocabulary for describing weather
How do you ask about the weather? There are several options:
- What’s the weather today? (What’s the weather today?)
- How’s the weather? (How is the weather?)
- What’s the weather now? (What’s the weather now?)
- What will the weather be tomorrow? (What is the weather gonna be like tomorrow?)
good (good), great (fabulous), nice (cute), end (good), wonderful (wonderful), excellent (excellent), mild (soft), pleasant (pleasant), bad (bad), awful, terrible (horrible), Nasty (unpleasant), gloomy (gloomy, gloomy), sunny (solar), cloudy (cloudy), partly cloudy (Partly cloudy), warm (warm), hot (hot, hot) cool (chill), chilly (dull), cold (cold), freezing (chilling) icy (ice), frosty (frosty); very cold, bitter cold (very cold), rainy (rainy), wet, wet (wet), dry (dry), arid (arid), foggy (fog), windy (windy), stormy (with strong wind), breezy (with a light wind), windless (calm), calm (calm), still (calm); a spell of good weather (good weather period), changeable weather (changeable weather), settled weather (settled weather).
Sample sentences:
- The weather is good today. The weather is good today
- It’s warm today. Today it’s warm.
- The wind was cold and strong. The wind was cold and strong
- It’s hot and humid. Hot and humid
- Maybe it will rain at night. Maybe it will rain at night
Temperature
Fahrenheit and Celsius
Fahrenheit is a temperature scale in which water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees. Celsius is the temperature scale in which water freezes at zero and boils at 100 degrees. Fahrenheit is used in the United States; Celsius is used in other English speaking countries.
- Freezing point of water: 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius.
- Boiling point of water: 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius.
- Room temperature: 65-68 degrees Fahrenheit or 18-20 degrees Celsius.
- Nice warm weather: 72-81 degrees Fahrenheit or 22-27 degrees Celsius.
- Cold frosty weather: 0 degrees Fahrenheit, or –18 degrees Celsius.
The main ways to describe temperature are:
- high / low temperature — high / low temperature
- above / below zero — above / below zero
- extremely hot — extremely hot
- boiling hot — boiling hot
- scorching — sultry
- bitter cold — bitterly cold (extremely cold)
- cool — cool, fresh
- chilly — chilly
- freezing — frosty
Sample sentences:
- It is going to be chilly in the evening. Put on a jacket. It will most likely be chilly in the evening. Put on your jacket
- It was 10 degrees below zero yesterday. Yesterday was 10 degrees below zero
Rainy weather (Rain)
heavy rain (heavy rain); pouring rain (heavy rain, downpour); steady rain, constant rain (continuous rain), light rain (light rain), shower (short rain), downpour (shower), drizzle (drizzling rain), hail (hail), sleet (rain with snow); a drop of rain, raindrop (rain drop), a droplet (droplet), Rainbow (Rainbow), thunder (thunder), thunder storm (storm), a thunderbolt (lightning strike), lightning (lightning), a flash of lightning (flash of lightning).
Sample sentences:
- There was light rain last Sunday. There was light rain last Sunday
- It is drizzling now. It’s raining now
- Did you see the lightning right over there? Did you see the lightning over there?
Snow
heavy snow
Source: https://dundeeclub.ru/vocabulary/opisanie-pogody-na-anglijskom-yazyke.html
How to Learn the Weather in English — All About Learning English
One of the most common topics of conversation in our daily life is the weather. You can talk about it always and with anyone. The weather can be good, great, terrible, unusual, etc. In this article, you will learn how to characterize the weather in English using words and phrases on the topic in the right context.
The choice of morning clothes depends on what the weather chart maker says, we decide whether to take an umbrella with us, and make plans for the weekend: spend sunny days somewhere in nature or bask under the covers, admiring the snow from the window. In this article, we will tell you about the most common words and phrases related to weather, weather description in English.
First of all, the word «weather» in English is translated as «the weather».
During a conversation, you can ask:
- What is the weather in your country / city? — What is the weather in your country / city?
- How is the weather today? -How is the weather today?
Weather words in English
First of all, let’s learn words that are directly related to today’s topic.
Adjectives
- Excellent is excellent.
- Glorious is delicious, glorious.
- Superb is wonderful.
- Adverse is unfavorable.
- Sweltering is sultry.
- Boiling is very hot.
- Scorching — scorching, sultry.
- Atrocious / vile — disgusting.
- Inclement is harsh.
- Nasty is rainy.
- Freezing — very cold, freezing.
- Foul is disgusting, disgusting.
- Raw is dank.
- Humid is wet.
- Muggy is warm and moist, suffocating.
- Sultry — sultry, stuffy.
- Mild — Moderate.
- Settled is constant.
- Unpredictable is unpredictable.
- Changeable — changeable.
- The Fierce is frantic.
- Frosty — frosty.
- Stormy — thunderous, stormy.
- Unseasonable — out of season.
- A spell of weather — a period of such and such weather.
Nouns
- sun — sun
- sky — sky
- cloud — cloud, cloud
- rain — rain
- snow — snow
- fog — fog
- mist — light fog, haze
- haze — haze (usually caused by heat)
- hail — hail; go (about hail)
- hailstones — hailstone
- snowflake — snowflake
- blizzard — blizzard, blizzard
- sleet — freezing rain, rain and snow
Temperature
- warm — warm (warm)
- hot — hot (hot)
- cool — cool (cool)
- chilly — cold, cool
- cold — cold
- freezing — icy
Words and phrases to describe rain
- rain — rain
- damp — wet, damp (after rain)
- drizzle — drizzle; light rain
- shower — shower (short)
- downpour — downpour
- pour — to pour (about heavy rain)
- It’s raining cats and dogs. — It rains like a bucket (idiom).
- torrential rain — very heavy rain
- flood — flood
Please note that heavy rain is translated as «heavy rain», that is, literally «heavy», not powerful or strong as you might think.
Natural disasters
- thunderstorm — thunderstorm
- snowstorm — blizzard, blizzard, blizzard
- tornado — tornado, tornado, squall
- hurricane / typhoon — hurricane; tropical cyclone
- earthquake — earthquake
- tidal wave — tidal wave
- volcanic eruption — volcanic eruption
- drought — drought
Phrases and expressions for describing the weather in English with translation
Talking about warm weather
- There are different ways to say about good weather outside, for example:
- It’s warm today. — Today it’s warm.
- It’s warm out today. — Normal (The phrase «warm out» means that the weather is good, moderate. And not hot and not cold, as they say.)
- The weather is good. — The weather is good
- The weather is gorgeous today! — The weather is fine today!
- It’s a sunshine day! Today is a sunny day!
- It’s hot outside! — It’s hot outside!
Talking about cold rainy weather
- It’s cold today! — It is cold today!
- It’s raining. — It’s raining.
- It’s snowing. — Snowing.
- It’s slushing outside! — There’s slush on the street!
- The weather is nasty today! The weather today is nasty / disgusting / disgusting!
- It often snows in winter. — It’s snowing frequently in the winter.
- The temperature is 2 degrees below zero. — Temperature 2 degrees below zero.
Let’s talk about air temperature
It is possible to talk specifically about the air temperature using the phrases below zero — below zero, above zero — above zero. Or just minus — plus. Just remember that in English-speaking countries there are two scales for measuring temperature — Fahrenheit and Celsius. Interestingly, 32 degrees Fahrenheit is 0 degrees Celsius.
- It’s 32 degrees Fahrenheit (° F) outside. — Outside 0 degrees Celsius.
- It’s minus 7 degrees Celsius (° C). — It’s 7 degrees Celsius now.
In the weather forecast, the presenters also use additional words to describe upcoming events, for example, strong wind or even gale-force wind, or maybe slight or, conversely, gusty.
Phrases about rain contain additional vocabulary for us: gentle rain, persistent, steady. Fog can be said to be dense or thick, strong or dark.
Or maybe just slight (slight).
Weather in English in dialogues with translation
“When two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather”.
When two Englishmen meet, their first words are always about the weather.
Samuel johnson
Hello! Who else but the British can talk about the weather? Shouldn’t they scold the weather on damp, foggy days, and shouldn’t they rejoice if it’s a fine day? Often, the British, meeting with friends on the street, first of all say such phrases:
— It’s splendid weather, isn’t it? — Nice weather, isn’t it?
Or:
— What a terrible day! — What a terrible day!
Weather in English in expressions
Weather in English is the topic of our conversation today
Weather in English in expressions and dialogues
In many countries, talking about the weather is considered the most neutral and acceptable for communicating with unfamiliar people, acquiring the status of «small talk», probably due to the fact that it reflects only real weather conditions, without causing controversy and disagreement. Let’s and we will look at the most common expressions about weather conditions in English.
Four seasons — different weather for everyone!
Expressions about the weather at different times of the year
Summer
Heat | Heat |
Scorching | Scorching, hot (about temperature) |
Hot | Sultry, hot |
Stuffy | Stuffy |
Bright (day) | Clear, fair (day) |
Breeze | Light wind |
It is warm. | Heat. |
It is hot. | Hot. |
It is sunny. | Sunny. |
The sky is clear. | The sky is clear. |
It’s a beautiful morning! | Beautiful morning! |
It’s splendid weather! | The weather is wonderful! |
It’s a fine day. | A good day. |
Autumn
Overcast | Cloudy |
Rainy | Rainy |
Nasty (about weather) | Disgusting, nasty (about the weather) |
Mud | Mud |
fall of the leaves | Листопад |
It’s cool. | Chilly. |
It’s cloudy. | Cloudy. |
It’s windy. | It’s windy. |
It’s foggy. | It’s foggy. |
It’s drizzling. | Drizzling rain. |
It’s chilly. | Cold. |
Winter
Snow | Snow |
Snowfall | Snowfall |
Snowflake | Snowflake |
Snow-storm, blizzard | Snowstorm |
Drizzle | Frost |
Hoarfrost | Hoarfrost, rime |
Frost | Frost |
Ice | Ice |
Freeze | Freeze, freeze |
It’s freezing cold. | Very cold. |
It’s snowing. | Snowing. |
Sleet | Ice |
Spring
The weather is getting warmer. | The weather is getting warmer. |
It’s melting. | Snow is melting) |
Puddle | Puddle |
Rain | Rain |
Thunderstorm | Storm |
Thunder | Thunder |
Lightning | Lightning |
Raindrop | Rain drop |
Shower | Shower |
Hail | City |
Phrases and expressions about weather in English
Translation of interesting phrases and expressions about the weather
In any foreign language, there are words, the translation of which is somewhat surprising. I think the translation of the following words and phrases in English related to weather will surprise you a little.
Rain (rain)
Word | Transfer |
rain off | cancel because of rain |
raining cats and dogs | like a shower |
keep the rain out | shelter from the rain |
rain or shine | in all weather conditions |
Snow (snow)
Word | Transfer |
snow off | cancel due to snowfall (any event) |
snow under | overwhelm with work (colloquial) |
snow bunny | cute girl at ski resort |
wind (wind)
Word | Transfer |
to be in the wind | soar (in the air) |
gone with the wind | disappeared |
to hang in the wind | hesitate |
to wind oneself | rub in the trust of someone |
Cloud (cloud, cloud)
Word | Transfer |
to blow a cloud | smoking (colloquial) |
under a cloud | in a difficult situation |
in the clouds | strange, unclear |
war cloud | threat of war |
cloud-castle | dreams, castles in the air |
Dialogue as a way to learn new expressions
Let’s see how to support the dialogue about the weather in English, namely:
- ask about weather conditions
- tell about the weather in your hometown, etc.
Here are some similar dialogues about various similar conditions.
The first topic of the dialogue:
Meeting in the park on a fine sunny day
— Hello, Nick! What a beautiful day!
Hi Nick! What a nice day! — Hello, Kate! Oh, indeed, the weather is fine!
Hi Kate! Oh, actually, the weather is wonderful!
— We had a lot of heavy rain this morning. I thought that it would be terrible weather today.
There was a downpour this morning. I thought it was going to be terrible weather today.
— Yeah! Now it doesn’t look rain.
Yes! But now it doesn’t look like it will rain.
— It is sunny and probably about 20 ° C.
Sunny and probably around 20 ° C.
— Enjoy yourself, Kate.
Have a good time, Kate.
— Thank you!
Thank you!
The second topic of the dialogue:
Autumn changeable weather
— Hi, Tom! The weather is nasty today!
Hi Tom! The weather is disgusting today! — Hi, Ann! What’s the forecast for today?
Hi En! What is the weather forecast?
— I didn’t weather forecast for today. But it is cold today.
I don’t know today’s weather forecast. But it’s cold today.
— Yes, also the sky’s overcast. It looks rain.
Yes, the sky is also covered with clouds. Seems it will rain.
— The sun’s just gone in.
The sun disappeared.
— We have to go back.
We must go back.
— I agree. I don’t want to be wet through.
I agree. I don’t want to get wet.
— Let’s hurry! It’s starting to rain. It’s necessary to keep the rain out.
Let’s hurry up! The rain begins. It is necessary to shelter from the rain.
— That sounds thunder!
It looks like thunder too!
— The bus stop is very close. Let’s go.
Bus stop nearby. Went.
The third topic of the dialogue:
Overseas friend’s phone call in winter
— Hello, John!
Hi John — Good afternoon, Alex! Nice to hear from you! Are you right? It seems to me that your voice chanced.
Good afternoon, Alex! Glad to hear from you! Are you all right? I think your voice has changed.
— I’ve caught a cold.
I caught a cold.
— Oh! I forgot that now it’s so cold in your country.
O! I forgot that it is so cold in your country now.
— It’s very cold. Besides, the strong wind blows.
Very cold. Plus, strong winds blow.
— What’s the temperature?
How many degrees?
— It’s 12 degrees below zero.
12 degrees below zero.
— Is it snowing?
Snowing?
— No, now it isn’t.
No, it doesn’t work now.
— But it was snow-storm 3 days ago.
But there was a blizzard 3 days ago.
— It’s difficult to imagine such weather conditions.
It’s hard to imagine such weather conditions
The fourth topic of the dialogue:
First spring fresh morning
— Good morning, dear neighbor!
Good morning, dear neighbor! — Good morning, Ann! What a nice morning!
Good morning En! What a wonderful morning!
— The sun is coming out. It will be a sunny day.
The sun is peeking out. It will be a sunny day.
— I there are no clouds in the sky. I think it will not be rain.
There is not a cloud in the sky. I don’t think it will rain.
— I hope so, but it’s a windy day. We have to dress warmly.
Hopefully, but it’s windy today. We must dress warmly.
— I agree. Now it is easy to catch cold.
Agree. It’s very easy to catch a cold right now.
English sayings about the weather
The theme of the weather can be traced in folk wisdom, in sayings. Since ancient times, people began to associate troubles and hardships with rain, and joy and luck with the sun. Gradually, sayings about the weather began to accumulate in the English language.
The most famous sayings in English weather and their translation you can download here.
I wish you success!
Source: https://englishfull.ru/leksika/pogoda.html
Learn Rainy Weather Vocabulary in English with the Infographic. This lesson shows many words and phrases that we use when talking about rainy weather vocabulary.
Phrases to Describe Rainy Weather
- It’s raining.
- It’s spitting.
- It’s drizzling.
- It’s been raining on and off all day.
- It’s pouring.
- It’s really coming down out there!
- Take your umbrella. It looks like it’s going to rain.
- I’ve had enough of all this rain!
- We got caught in a downpour.
- Let’s stay inside until the rain lets up
- I got soaking wet.
- The forecast calls for scattered showers.
- It’s raining cats and dogs. (Rain Idioms)
- It’s raining sideways.
Words Related to Rain
- Heavy/ Constant/ Steady/ Pouring rain/ Downpour: a lot of rain in a short time
- Light/ Gentle rain/ Drizzle: not heavy rain
- Rainfall: the amount of rain that falls
- Deluge: a severe flood
- Rainstorm: a storm with heavy rain
- A drop of rain/ a droplet/ a raindrop: a single drop of rain
- Shower: a short period of rain or snow
Examples of Rainy Weather Vocabulary
Heavy rain
- The heavy rain was the cause of the flood.
Downpour
- We got caught in a torrential downpour.
Drizzle
- A fine drizzle began to veil the hills.
Rainfall
- The rainfall was measured over a three-month period.
Deluge
- I got caught in the deluge on the way home.
Rainstorm
- The rainstorm has made the road impassable.
A drop of rain
- We’ve seen scarcely a drop of rain for over six months.
Shower
- A cold shower always refreshes us in summer.
Pouring rain
- We drove all the way through pouring rain.
Light rain
- When the sun shines through light rain, it makes a rainbow.
Steady rain
- A steady rain began to fall.
Constant rain
- The river was swelling rapidly with constant rain.
Rainy Weather Vocabulary | Infographic
Rainy Weather Vocabulary in English
Last Updated on February 5, 2021