Weather Vocabulary

      

Word
Part of speech
MeaningExample Sentence
airconditioner/airconditioning
noun
an appliance that
cools down the air
in a home or building
The airconditioner keeps the office nice and comfortable even when it's very hot outside.
avalanche
noun
a dangerous slide
of snow down
a mountain
The skiers were warned about a possible avalanche.
below freezing
preposition/adjective
temperature less
than 0 degrees
Celsius/(32F)
It's supposed to go below freezing before the weekend.
blizzard
noun
a storm with lots of
snow and wind
The airplane couldn't take-off because of the blizzard.
boiling hot
adjective + noun
common expression
for describing a very
hot day
It was boiling hot, so we all jumped into the lake.
breeze
noun
light windDon't bother with a hat. There is always a breeze near the ocean.
Celsius
noun
measurement of
temperature
(0 degrees is freezing/100
is boiling)
In the summer, the average temperature here is 20 degrees Celsius.
chilly
adjective
coldIt's a bit chilly today, so I think you should wear a coat.
clear
adjective
when the sky is blue
because no clouds
are blocking the sun
On a clear night you can see a lot of stars.
cloud/cloudy
noun/adjective
water in the sky that
appears as a white or
grey mass
It may look cloudy in the morning, but the sun always comes out by afternoon.
cold spell
adjective + noun
a period of colder
than average weather
They're calling for a cold spell, so we put off our camping trip.
cool
adjective
temperature in between
warm and cold
The days were boiling hot, but the nights were cool and comfortable for sleeping.
degrees
noun
measurement for
temperature
I don't feel the heat until it's about forty degrees Celsius outside.
drizzling
continuous verb
raining slightlyI think I'll take the dog for a walk. It's only drizzling now.
drought
noun
a long period with
no rainfall
Forest fires are a serious danger during a drought.
Fahrenheit
noun
measurement of
temperature (32 degrees
is freezing/212 is boiling)
It was 100 degrees Fahrenheit when we got to San Francisco.
flood
noun
overflow of
rain water
The flood was so bad, our basement was full of water.
flurries
noun
very light snowfallThere are a few flurries but the snow isn't sticking to the roads.
fog/foggy
noun/adjective
thick water vapor
that blocks one's vision
We couldn't see the bridge because there was too much fog.
forecast
noun/verb
the expected weather
for the future
According to the 5 day forecast, it's going to rain on our wedding day.
freezing cold
adjective + noun
common expression
used to describe a
very cold day
It was a freezing cold day for the Santa Claus parade.
frost
noun
ice crystals on a
frozen surface
Some flowers are so strong they can withstand frost.
frostbite
noun
a skin condition
caused by over exposure
to the cold (typically
reddish skin with
white spots)
I lost my hat while I was skiing, and I ended up with frostbite on my ears.
hail
noun
small pieces of ice
that fall during a storm
There was so much hail that some of the trailer homes were destroyed.
heat stroke
noun
a flu-like condition
one can acquire
after spending too
long in the sun
Bring lots of water and wear a hat to avoid heat stroke in this weather.
heat-wave
noun
extremely hot weather
that is much higher
than average--usually
lasts a short time
During the heat-wave we cooled our beds down with ice packs.
humid/humidity
adjective/noun
moisture in the airIt feels a lot hotter than it actually is because of the humidity.
hurricane
noun
a tropical storm with
very strong wind
and rain
Half of the buildings on the island were flattened by the hurricane.
icy
adjective
slippery because of iceThe roads are icy so please avoid driving down any hills.
lightning
noun
electrical discharge
and flash between a
cloud and the ground
The outdoor pool always closes when the lifeguards think lightning is coming.
mild
adjective
temperature that is
warmer than average
(in a cold season)
It's quite mild out so I didn't bother with a hat or mittens.
meteorologist
noun
a person who studies
weather patterns
The meteorologist predicted that the cold spell would be over by now.
minus/negative
adjective
indicates that a
temperature is below zero
It was minus twenty degrees at the top of the skil hill.
overcast
adjective
no sun is visibleThe sky is overcast this morning, but the sun is supposed to come out by late afternoon.
partly cloudy
adverb + adjective
term often used in
a weather forecast
to indicate that the
skies are sunny and
cloudy at the same time
Tomorrow's forecast is partly cloudy with clear skies by nightfall.
precipitation
noun
rain or snow that
falls on an area
There is very little precipitation in the desert.
puddle
noun
collection of rain waterChildren love to splash in puddles when they are wearing rubber boots.
rain/raining/rainy
noun/continuous verb/adjective
water that falls to earthMy hair is all wet and messy from the rain.
raindrop
noun
a single measurement
of rain
I love catching raindrops on my tongue.
rainbow
noun
a band of colours
found in the sky
after a rainfall
According to legend you can find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
raining cats and dogs
idiom
raining heavilyThey cancelled the football game because it was raining cats and dogs.
scorching/a scorcher
adjective/noun
extremely hot temperature/
a very hot day
It was a scorcher, so the whole family slept in the cool basement.
season
noun
time of year
characterized by
certain weather
Winter,Spring,Summer,Fall
(or Autumn)
My favorite season is Fall, because I love to watch the leaves changing colours.
shower
noun
quick/light rainstormThey've been calling for showers all week, but so far it's been dry.
sleet(similar to hail)
noun
rain that freezes
as it falls
All-weather-tires are best if you have to drive in sleet.
slush/slushy
noun/adjective
snow on the ground
that has been rained on
The snow turned to slush as soon as it started to rain.
smog
noun
heavy,dark cloud
cover caused by
pollution
You really notice the smog downtown in this type of humidity.
snow/snowy/snowing
noun/adjective/ continuous verb
frozen water that
warms slightly as it
falls to earth
It is already snowing up in the mountains, so the ski season should be great this year.
snowstorm
noun
large amounts of wind
and snow
All of the schools were closed because of the snowstorm.
sun/sunshine/sunny
noun/noun/adjective
the gassy star that
warms the earth
We hope to have sunshine on the day of the beach picnic.
sunburn
noun
painful red/pink skin
caused by being in
the sun too long
The bald man got a sunburn on his head.
sunglasses/shades
noun
dark eyewear that
protects you from
the sun
I forgot my shades and I was driving right into the sun.
suntan/tanned
noun(also verb)/adjective(also verb)
brown/golden skin
caused by long periods
of sun exposure
I got a suntan on the cruise, but it has already faded away.
sunscreen/suntan lotion
noun
cream that protects
your skin from sun
damage
Don't forget to reapply your sunscreen when you get out of the lake.
temperature
noun
how warm or cold
the air is
Can you check the temperature before we get dressed for our walk?
thermometer
noun
instrument for
measuring the
temperature of the air
When I checked the temperature this morning, the thermometer said it was already thirty degrees Celsius.
thunder/thunderstorm
noun
thunder is a loud noise
after lightning,
caused by rapid expansion
of air superheated
by the lightning
Let's close all of the windows. It looks like a thunderstorm is coming.
tornado/cyclone
noun
violently spinning
windstorm
The tornado picked up everything in its path, including animals and cars.
umbrella
noun
held over one's
head and body for
rain protection
I always keep an umbrella in my car in case of rain.
UV (ultra violet) rays
noun
the damaging rays
from the sun
Ultra violet rays can cause skin cancer if you don't wear sunscreen.
wind/windy
noun/adjective
blowing air
outside
It's too windy to play golf today.
wind chill factor
noun
when the wind makes
the air feel colder
than the actual
temperature
It's minus two, but with the wind chill factor it's minus fifteen.