Word lists for the weather

• What the weather is like in your
  country

• Your favourite weather or season

• How the weather affects how you
  or other people feel

• How the weather affects what you
  or other people do

• The effect of the weather on jobs
  or local transportation

• Bad, problematic or extreme
  weather

• Climate change

• Weather forecasting

• IELTS-style
  questions on the topic of weather

• Sample answers
  

• A
  list of common weather vocabulary with definitions & sample sentences 

• Links
  to online reading and listening resources

It’s important to learn new vocabulary in context so that you understand how it’s used by native speakers.

Part 1

1) What is the weather like in your
country?

Our
weather is very unpredictable. One minute it can be
lovely sunshine, the next we’re
experiencing a downpour. The UK is
well-known for this.

2) Do you like the weather in your country?

Yes
and no. I get frustrated that we have so many rainy days but we do have some glorious
weather as well. When the sun comes out and there’s not a cloud in the sky, I couldn’t be happier.

3) Is the weather the same in all parts of
your country?

There are
some quite marked regional differences. I live in the south-west where it’s mild but we get high precipitation. It’s drier in the east
and they actually had a drought this
summer. Further north, it’s very cold in winter
and they get heavy snow.

4) Are there any problems with
the climate in your country?

We
certainly seem to have experienced more violent storms and torrential rain
in recent years. This has caused serious flooding in some places. A village near where I live had a flash
flood this summer which washed
away cars and a few buildings. People say global warming is to blame.

5) Does the weather ever affect the way you feel?

Most
definitely. I feel so much more cheerful and full of energy when it’s sunny, whatever season it is. Even a break
in the weather on an overcast
day lifts my spirits.

Part 2

That’s really
difficult as I like things about every season
but if I had to choose one, I guess I’d go for spring. It covers the months of March, April and May in my
country and is actually the time of year I was born.

I spend the
cold winter months looking
forward to the first signs of spring
as nature comes back to life with the change of the season – things like the snowdrops poking through the soil,
colourful daffodils and crocuses, blossom on the trees, shiny new leaves and the birds singing their hearts out as they build their nests. It’s such a
lovely time of year.

The weather gradually improves week
by week, although we can still get frost
right up to the end of April and even snow,
but it’s usually just sleet and
turns to slush as soon as it
touches the ground. Hail storms are quite common and
bright rainbows, which we see
as a promise of fine weather
to come.

Whilst
there’s plenty of warm sunshine in spring, a shower
of rain is never far away and the wind
tends to be quite chilly so you need to dress up warm
to go out. I keep a close eye on the weather
forecast before making plans as to what to do.

To sum up the weather, you’d have to say that it’s changeable – a mixture of sunny spells and cloudbursts
is how I’d describe it.

As the temperature rises, I definitely
get more active. I start to take longer walks and go out on my bike more often.
Weather permitting, we often
have a barbecue on my birthday.

I also get
stuck into some gardening. There’s always lots of cutting down and clearing up
to do, plus the grass begins to grow again and needs cutting. At weekends, I go
to the garden centre to buy bedding plants ready for a colourful summer display.

One of the
best things of all about spring
is the lighter evenings, such a relief after the dark winter months. You can now spend evenings outdoors if you
want to rather than being stuck in watching TV.

So you see,
there are lots of reasons why spring
is my favourite month. I love the hotter weather
of the summer, of course, but
there’s something about the freshness of spring
that makes it special.

Part 3

1) How do the different seasons affect the
lifestyle of people in your country?

As we have a fairly mild
climate, people are able to enjoy the outdoors all times of the year.
Of course, summer is the most popular time for going to the beach
and such like but even on blustery winter’s days, you’ll
see people out walking along the shore enjoying the fresh air. With our unpredictable
weather, we’re used to getting caught in the rain
whatever the season so we just put on our waterproofs and off we
go.

When it’s warm,
people tend to take a picnic when they go out walking or cycling but in chilly
weather, they’re more likely to stop off at a cosy pub or café for
something to eat.

One of the biggest
differences in our lifestyle through the seasons is down to the
variation in daylight hours. In summer, it’s light until around
10.30pm whilst in the middle of winter it’s dark by 3.30pm.
No-one feels much like going out when it’s cold and dark so we stay at home
more.

2) Do you think people who
live in cold places have different personalities to people who live in warm or
hot places?

That’s
something I’ve never considered but now I come to think of it, I’m sure they
do. From my experience, people living in cold countries are fairly reserved and
quite serious. Those living in hot climates,
on the other hand, are more outgoing and full of life. That’s apart from the
most humid regions where it’s
so hot and sticky that you just want to sit around and do nothing all day.

Although
I’d have to agree overall, I think there are many other factors than temperature and the weather that affect people’s
personalities.

3) Do you think there
are any problems with the world’s climate now?

I
believe that we’re facing many serious issues with our climate at the moment and they’re only going to get worse
unless we do something about global
warming soon.

In
my country, the winters are
getting milder and wetter and serious flooding
is becoming common. It’s a real problem in many areas. However, that’s nothing
compared to the devastating tropical
storms that some parts of the world are experiencing, more violent ever
before. Meteorologists
predict that they will get even stronger in the future which is a great
concern.

One
of the most serious problems of climate
change is the melting
of the icecaps as it’s causing rising sea levels. It’s possible that many
coastal areas could be under water by the end of the century. Now that really
is a worry.

Click this link to get a PDF download of these practise questions & sample answers.

• Do not try
  and learn this list of weather vocabulary.

• Identify
  the vocabulary you find useful for answering practise questions about the weather.

• Record
  these in your vocabulary notebook and practise using them regularly.

Weather Vocabulary Set 1: Key definitions

weather – the temperature or conditions outside with
regard to heat,
cloudiness, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc.

— The weather can change very quickly up on
the moor, so make sure you take your waterproofs when you go walking.

climate – the general weather conditions usually found in
a particular area.

— The climate in the Andean mountains of Peru is very different to that
found on the coast.

climate change – a change in global or
regional temperature patterns.

— Scientists believe that climate change will
lead to more extreme weather in the future.

global warming – a gradual increase in
world temperatures caused by polluting gases, such as carbon dioxide, which are
collecting in the air around the Earth and preventing heat from escaping into
space.

— It’s not too late to reverse the effects of global
warming but we must act right now.

Weather Vocabulary Set 2: Seasons

season – time of year characterized by certain weather.

— In Europe, we have four seasons but in some parts of the world,
they have only two, such as the Philippines which has a wet season and a dry
season.

winter – the coldest season of the year, December to February north of
the equator and from and June to August in the southern hemisphere.

— I don’t
like the winter as it’s very cold
and there isn’t much daylight.

spring – the season between winter and summer when the
weather becomes warmer and vegetation starts to grow again.

— In spring I love to watch nature come to life again; to see leaves
sprouting on the trees and lambs in the fields.

summer – the warmest season of the year, June to August north of the
equator and from and December to February in the southern hemisphere.

— We can’t
wait for summer and are already
planning the outdoor activities we’re going to enjoy in the nice weather.

autumn – the season between summer and winter when the
leaves change colour and fall from the trees and it becomes cooler.

— Autumn is a great time for hiking as the weather is often pleasant
and the trees look stunning as their leaves change to red, yellow and orange.

fall – Term for autumn in American English.

— In the US, fall is the time for celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Weather Vocabulary Set 3: Snowy weather

snow – water vapour frozen into ice crystals and
falling to the ground as white flakes.

— I live in a hot climate so we don’t get snow but I’ve seen it in photos and it looks so beautiful.

snowflake – a single particle of snow.

— Did you know that every single snowflake is different which is quite
amazing?

snowing – when snow is falling to the ground.

— It was so exciting to wake up
this morning to find that it was snowing.

snowy – when it’s snowing or things are covered with
snow.

— Children love snowy weather as it often means that
the schools are closed.

fresh
snow – snow that has recently fallen.

— The fresh snow glistened in the moonlight, the pristine carpet of white
not marked by a single footprint.

heavy snow – when a lot of snow falls.

— The weather forecast predicted heavy snow so we got out our sledge
ready to have some fun.

a blanket
of snow – a complete covering of snow.

— It snowed heavily all afternoon
and the countryside was soon covered in a blanket
of snow.

snowstorm – when a large amount of snow falls, often mixed
with wind.

— I was still at work when the snowstorm hit and had to sleep in my
office as the buses were cancelled and I couldn’t get home.

blizzard – a storm with very heavy snow and strong winds.

— It’s dangerous driving on the
roads in a blizzard.

whiteout – snowfall that is so heavy that it’s almost
impossible to see anything.

— I was so glad I decided not to
drive to the shops as the light snowfall soon turned into whiteout conditions.

flurry – very light snowfall.

— The children were hoping for
heavy snow so they could make a snowman but all we got were light flurries.

avalanche – a large mass of snow and ice sliding rapidly down a
mountainside.

— It was
reported that five skiers were caught in the avalanche and rescuers are trying to dig them out.

snowdrift – a bank of deep snow formed by the wind.

— The road was blocked by
snowdrifts blown by the strong winds.

sleet – a mixture of rain and snow.

— The sleet made the pavements
slippery and it was difficult not to fall over.

slush – partly melted snow

— As the temperature rose
slightly, the glistening white snow turned to mucky slush.

Weather Vocabulary Set 4: Cold weather

below
freezing – below
zero degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

— I put on a thick coat, gloves, hat and a
scarf before going outside as it was well below freezing.

ice – very cold water in a solid state; you only see
it when the temperature is below freezing.

— I had to clear ice from my car windscreen before I could
drive to meet my friend.

icy – covered in ice; slippery because of ice.

— It’s better for elderly people
to stay indoors when it’s icy as
they can easily fall over and break a bone.

frozen – when the temperature is so cold that water has
turned to ice or expression to mean feeling very cold.

— It was so cold that the surface
of the pond was frozen.

— Ingrid got absolutely frozen watching her son’s team playing
football.

freezing
cold – very cold.

— Bruno was reluctant to take the dog for a walk as it was freezing
cold outside.

bitterly
cold – extremely cold.

— The sun was shining but there
was a bitterly cold wind blowing.

hail – pieces of ice falling from the sky; frozen rain.

— I hate being out in hail because it really hurt when it
strikes your face.

frost – ice crystals on a frozen surface.

— I could tell from the frost on the ground that the
temperature overnight had fallen below freezing.

hard frost – when it gets very cold overnight and everything is
covered with thick frost.

— The hard frost turned everything white and
made the garden look like a magical frozen wonderland.

Jack
Frost – mythical character who comes
out at night and lays out frost.

— We woke in the morning to
see that Jack Frost had been in the
night.

frostbite – injury to any part of the body caused by overexposure
to extreme cold.

— Frostbite is one of the greatest dangers faced by Arctic explorers.

to dress
up warm – to wear warm clothes to
protect yourself against wintry conditions.

— If you go out to play in the
snow, be sure to dress up warm.

to melt – the process by which snow or ice changes to
water as the temperature rises above freezing.

— After a week of freezing
conditions, the temperature rose and the snow finally began to melt.

a cold
spell / cold snap – a
short period of cold weather.

— The weather is usually mild at
this time of year but the forecasters say we’re in for a cold spell next week.

— The sudden cold snap had us searching for our hats, gloves and scarves.

chilly – uncomfortably cold.

— Fuyuko was feeling a bit chilly so she turned the heating up.

Weather Vocabulary Set 5: Rainy weather

precipitation – water that falls to the earth in the form of
rain, hail, mist, sleet, or snow.

— The average annual precipitation
in London is 23 inches (58 cm) which makes it drier than New York which has an average of 50 inches (127cm) of rain per year.

heavy
rain – intense rainfall.

— The heavy rain kept the children indoors all day despite it being the
weekend.

torrential
rain – very heavy rain.

— The torrential rain was making driving conditions hazardous.

driving rain – heavy rain mixed with strong wind.

— We walked on
through the driving rain, wanting to
get home as quickly as possible.

to pour – to rain heavily.

— It was pouring with rain when I set off for the bus stop.

downpour – heavy
shower of rain.

— Christian
got caught in a downpour on his way
to the party but fortunately had an umbrella with him.

cloudburst – sudden rainfall that it over quickly.

— The sudden cloudburst took them by surprise and they had to run for shelter.

raining
cats and dogs –
raining heavily.

— What miserable weather. It’s
been raining cats and dogs all day.

to get
drenched / soaked – to get
very wet.

— Ekrem left her coat at home and
got drenched in the cloudburst.

— The children had great fun
playing in the rain but got soaked
to the skin.

rainy day – a day when it rains a lot.

— I quite like a rainy day as I can be lazy and cuddle
up by the fire with a good book.

a drop of
rain – a small amount of rain.

— There was a drop of rain in the afternoon but it
didn’t spoil our day out.

drizzle – very light rain.

— There was a bit of drizzle in the air as we set off on our
walk but it didn’t come to anything.

gentle rain – light rain.

— The gentle rain was quite welcome at the
end of a long, hot day as it really cooled the air.

shower (of
rain) – a quick, light rainstorm.

— It was only a shower of rain so we didn’t get too
wet.

— It was only a quick shower so we didn’t get too wet.

to get
caught in the rain – to be
outside when it rains unexpectedly.

— Meena was soaked through having
got caught in the rain without a
coat on.

to be
rained off – to be
cancelled or postponed because it’s raining or expected to rain.

— The pupils were looking forward
to the school sports day but sadly it got rained
off.

let up – to stop raining.

— We’ll go out for a walk if
there’s a let up in the rain.

to clear up – when clouds or rain disappear.

— The
forecast says that it will clear up by this afternoon.

puddle – a small pool of water usually formed by
rainfall.

— When I was young, I loved splashing
in puddles.

to flood – when a large amount of water flows over an area of land
that is normally dry.

— There
had been so much rain that the road was flooded.

a flash
flood – a sudden and severe flood.

— The flash flood brought mud and debris gushing down the road bringing
traffic to a standstill.

burst its banks – when a river overflows onto the land due to heavy
rainfall and causes flooding.

— After nearly
three days of continuous rain, the river burst
its banks flooding the town.

rainbow – an arch of colours seen in the sky during or
after rainfall when it is also sunny.

— As the storm passed, a
beautiful rainbow appeared in the
sky.

monsoon – the season of heavy rain in tropical climates.

— Nearly all of the country’s
annual rainfall falls during the monsoon.

rainy
season – another term for the time of
the monsoon.

— The rainy season in my country is normally July to October.

horrid weather – unpleasant weather.

— I’m fed
up of this horrid weather and can’t
remember when I last saw any sunshine.

foul weather – bad weather.

— The foul weather kept the fishing boats in the harbour as it was too
dangerous for them to go to sea.

Weather Vocabulary Set 6: Sunny weather

sunshine – direct sunlight unbroken by cloud.

— Isabella usually had lunch in
the canteen but today she bought a sandwich and ate it in the sunshine.

sunny – bright with sunshine.

— Looking out at the pouring
rain, Svetlana longed for a sunny
day.

sunny spells
– short periods of sunny weather.

— It was
mostly cloudy for our trip to the zoo but there were some sunny spells in the afternoon.

heatwave – a period of very hot weather.

— Summer weather in the UK can be
very unpredictable but this year we had a real heatwave.

to come
out (the sun) – when the sun appears
out of a cloudy sky.

— We were so pleased that the sun
came out for our wedding photos as
it had been a bit of a dull day up to then.

baking
hot / boiling hot – very
hot.

— Sunday was baking hot so Duong and his friends headed to the river for a swim.

scorcher – a very hot day.

— The day was a real scorcher, far too hot to be out in the
sun for very long.

drought – a long period with no rainfall.

arid – having
had little or no rain for a long time; too dry to support vegetation.

— Large areas of Australia are suffering from drought. The land has become arid and cattle and sheep on the
ranches are dying from a lack of food and water.

humid /
humidity – hot
and damp conditions

— Celeste found the climate in
Florida too humid and moved to
California where it was still hot but with less humidity.

stifling – uncomfortable hot; can make you feel breathless.

— The heat of the day was stifling so the expedition travelled
only at night when it was cooler.

sweltering – extremely hot.

— My classroom
is sweltering in the summer so I
take the children outside and we have lessons in the shade of a large tree.

close – warm and uncomfortable.

— We don’t have a humid climate
in the UK but in summer it is often close
which leaves you feeling sweaty and lethargic.

warm – a temperature in between hot and cold.

— Feeling the warm spring sunshine on your face is
such a treat after the long, cold months of winter.

sunburn – painful red skin caused by being in the sun too
long.

exposed
to sunlight –
allowing strong sunshine to fall on the skin.

— It’s important to limit our exposure to sunlight as sunburn
can lead to skin cancer.

suntan /
tanned – brown skin caused by long
periods of exposure to sunlight.

— Jay got a great suntan on his sailing holiday in Greece
and arrived home looking tanned and
healthy.

sunscreen
/ suntan lotion – a
cream or lotion that protects the skin from the damaging UV (ultraviolet) rays
of the sun.

— As children, we were never
allowed out to play in the sun without sunscreen
on.

glorious
weather – wonderful weather.

— We had glorious weather on our
holiday in France.

fine
weather – lots of sunshine and no rain.

— The fine weather we’re having at the moments has lifted everyone’s
spirits.

pleasant weather – warm temperatures and mainly clear skies.

— Jerry
made the most of the pleasant weather
to get some gardening done.

a break
in the weather – when
the rain stops for a while.

— I waited for a break in the weather before taking the
dog for a walk.

a spell
of fine weather – a
short period of good weather.

— It’s been a pretty awful summer
but we’re finally enjoying a spell of
fine weather.

clear
blue skies – a sky
without clouds.

— The clear blue skies drew hordes of tourists to the beach.

not a
cloud in the sky – when no clouds are visible.

— There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it promised to be
a glorious day.

Weather Vocabulary Set 7: Cloudy weather

cloud – a grey or white mass, made up of very small drops of water,
floating in the sky.

— As the dark clouds drifted overhead, Yana rushed to
the garden to bring in her dry washing before it rained.

cloudy – when there are lots of clouds in the sky.

— Although it was a cloudy day, they still had a good time
on the beach.

overcast – very cloudy with no sun is visible.

— Thahn was disappointed that it
was overcast for the barbecue but at
least it wasn’t raining.

partly
cloudy – when it is sunny and cloudy at
the same time.

— The TV weather forecast has
said partly cloudy but it ended up
being overcast for most of the day.

dull – not clear, bright or sunny.

—  Dull days can be rather depressing, especially at
this time of year when it’s cold outside and daylight hours are short.

Weather Vocabulary Set 8: Windy weather

wind – a natural current of air.

— There wasn’t enough wind to go sailing so they kayaked
instead.

windy – when there is a lot of wind.

— It was a windy day and Dan spend the afternoon flying his kite.

breeze – light wind

— The flag was hoisted to the top
of the mast where it flapped gently in the breeze.

high wind – strong wind.

— The forecast warned
of high winds and a risk of fallen
trees.

gale – a very strong wind.

— The gale blew all night and caused damage to several buildings.

gust – a sudden, strong blast of wind.

— It was a fierce storm with gusts of up to 80 miles an hour.

blustery – blowing in strong gusts.

— Kali’s umbrella turned inside
out in the blustery weather.

wind
chill (factor) – when
the wind makes the air feel colder than the actual temperature.

— It was just above freezing but
the wind chill factor made it feel
more like minus 5.

picking
up – becoming stronger

— The wind started picking up at about 3.00 pm and an hour
later had reached gale force.

Weather Vocabulary Set 9: Foggy weather

fog – a thick cloud of tiny water droplets close to
the ground or sea that makes it difficult to see.

— I hate driving in fog as it’s hard to see other cars on
the road.

foggy – when there is a lot of fog.

— It’s so foggy today that I can hardly see the houses across the street.

smog – fog-like cloud caused by pollution.

— The smog hung over the city and many people wore masks when they went
out to stop them breathing in the polluted air.

Weather Vocabulary Set 10: Stormy weather

storm – severe rainy and windy weather.

— The storm brought a tree down
in our garden which only just missed our house.

thunder – a loud rumbling or crashing noise heard in the sky, especially
during a storm.

— We heard the thunder in the distance and knew that a
storm was on its way.

lightning – electric flash of light in the sky.

— The lightning lit up the whole sky and was quite spectacular.

thunderstorm – a storm that includes thunder and lightning.

— My pets hate thunderstorms. The dog barks at the
thunder and the cat hides under the bed.

tropical
storm – a storm with very high winds
typical of tropical regions.

— The first time I was in a tropical storm I was very frightened as
I’d never experienced such high winds before.

Hurricane
/ cyclone / typhoon – a
tropical storm with extremely strong, damaging wind. The difference between
them is where the storm originates in the world. Hurricanes come in from the
Atlantic Ocean, cyclones from the Indian Ocean and typhoons from the Pacific
Ocean.

— In 2017, a hurricane devastated the Caribbean island of Anguilla.

Weather Vocabulary Set 11: General weather terms

changeable – weather that often changes.

— The weather is very changeable at the moment and it’s
difficult to decide what to wear to go out.

unpredictable – likely to change
suddenly and therefore not easy to predict.

— The weather in the Scottish islands is notoriously unpredictable so it’s best to carry a
raincoat at all times.

weather
permitting – if the
weather allows it.

— We’ll be having a family picnic
in the park at the weekend, weather
permitting.

the
weather holds – fine
weather continues.

— I hope the weather holds as I have a few days off next week.

freak weather conditions – weather
conditions, often extreme and destructive, that are not normal for that place.

— Freak weather conditions are becoming
more common due to global warming and climate change.

Weather Vocabulary Set 12: Weather forecasting

weather
forecast – a
prediction of what the weather is likely to be, broadcast on TV/radio
programmes and printed in newspapers.

— I’ve just seen the weather forecast and we’re in for a
nice day.

long-range
forecast – the
weather forecast for several days or weeks ahead.

— The long-range forecast is a bit disappointing as it predicts rain by
the weekend.

mild – gentle, not harsh or extreme.

•      mild
  weather

            — We’re having really mild weather for the time of year.

•      mild climate – a climate without extreme weather conditions.

             — We have a mild climate in the UK with no extremes of heat or cold and few
violent storms.

•      mild winter – a winter that isn’t particularly cold.

             —  It’s
been a mild winter with only one real cold
snap.

temperature – how hot or cold it is

— It’s cold in the shade but the temperature rises significantly when
you step into the sun.

thermometer – instrument for measuring temperature.

— The thermometer on the wall showed that it was almost 100 degreesº.

degrees – measurement for temperature. Denoted by the
symbol º.

— Temperature can be measured in degrees Celcius or Fahrenheit.

Celsius – measurement of temperature where freezing point
is 0º and boiling point is 100º.

Fahrenheit – measurement of temperature where freezing point
is 32º degrees and boiling point is 212º.

meteorology – the scientific study of weather.

— Nandor had always been
fascinated by what caused different weather conditions and wanted to be study meteorology at university.

meteorologist – a person who studies weather patterns.

— Meteorologists are far better at predicting the weather than they
were a decade ago.

Click this link to get a PDF download of this list of weather vocabulary.

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