Weather Vocabulary WordPart of speechMeaningExample Sentenceairconditioner/airconditioning nounan 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.
avalanchenouna dangerous slide of snow down a mountain
The skiers were warned about a possible
avalanche. below freezingpreposition/adjectivetemperature less than 0 degrees Celsius/(32F)
It's supposed to go
below freezing before the weekend.
blizzardnouna storm with lots of snow and wind
The airplane couldn't take-off because of the
blizzard.
boiling hotadjective + nouncommon expression for describing a very hot day
It was
boiling hot, so we all jumped into the lake.
breezenounlight wind
Don't bother with a hat. There is always a
breeze near the ocean.
Celsiusnounmeasurement of temperature (0 degrees is freezing/100 is boiling)
In the summer, the average temperature here is 20 degrees
Celsius. chillyadjectivecold
It's a bit
chilly today, so I think you should wear a coat.
clearadjectivewhen the sky is blue because no clouds are blocking the sun
On a
clear night you can see a lot of stars.
cloud/cloudynoun/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 spelladjective + nouna period of colder than average weather
They're calling for a
cold spell, so we put off our camping trip.
cooladjective temperature in between warm and cold
The days were boiling hot, but the nights were
cool and comfortable for sleeping.
degreesnounmeasurement for temperature
I don't feel the heat until it's about forty
degrees Celsius outside.
drizzlingcontinuous verbraining slightly
I think I'll take the dog for a walk. It's only
drizzling now.
droughtnouna long period with no rainfall
Forest fires are a serious danger during a
drought.
Fahrenheitnounmeasurement of temperature (32 degrees is freezing/212 is boiling)
It was 100 degrees
Fahrenheit when we got to San Francisco.
floodnounoverflow of rain water
The
flood was so bad, our basement was full of water.
flurriesnounvery light snowfall
There are a few
flurries but the snow isn't sticking to the roads.
fog/foggynoun/adjectivethick water vapor that blocks one's vision
We couldn't see the bridge because there was too much
fog.
forecastnoun/verbthe expected weather for the future
According to the 5 day
forecast, it's going to rain on our wedding day.
freezing coldadjective + nouncommon expression used to describe a very cold day
It was a
freezing cold day for the Santa Claus parade.
frost nounice crystals on a frozen surface
Some flowers are so strong they can withstand
frost.
frostbite nouna 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.
hailnounsmall pieces of ice that fall during a storm
There was so much
hail that some of the trailer homes were destroyed.
heat strokenouna 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-wavenounextremely 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/humidityadjective/nounmoisture in the air
It feels a lot hotter than it actually is because of the
humidity.
hurricanenouna tropical storm with very strong wind and rain
Half of the buildings on the island were flattened by the
hurricane.
icyadjective slippery because of ice
The roads are
icy so please avoid driving down any hills.
lightningnounelectric flash caused by two clouds hitting
The outdoor pool always closes when the lifeguards suspect
lightning. mildadjectivetemperature that is warmer than average(in a cold season)
It's quite
mild out so I didn't bother with a hat or mittens.
meteorologistnouna person who studies weather patterns
The
meteorologist predicted that the cold spell would be over by now.
minus/negativeadjectiveindicates that a temperature is below zero
It was
minus twenty degrees at the top of the skil hill.
overcastadjectiveno sun is visible
The sky is
overcast this morning, but the sun is supposed to come out by late afternoon.
partly cloudy adverb + adjectiveterm 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.
precipitationnounrain or snow that falls on an area
There is very little
precipitation in the desert.
puddlenouncollection of rain water
Children love to splash in
puddles when they are wearing rubber boots.
rain/raining/rainynoun/continuous verb/adjectivewater that falls to earth
My hair is all wet and messy from the
rain.
raindropnouna single measurement of rain
I love catching
raindrops on my tongue.
rainbownouna 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 dogsidiomraining heavily
They cancelled the football game because it was
raining cats and dogs.
scorching/a scorcheradjective/nounextremely hot temperature/a very hot day
It was
a scorcher, so the whole family slept in the cool basement.
seasonnountime 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.
showernounquick/light rainstorm
They've been calling for
showers all week, but so far it's been dry.
sleet(similar to hail)nounrain that freezes as it falls
All-weather-tires are best if you have to drive in
sleet.
slush/slushynoun/adjectivesnow on the ground that has been rained on
The snow turned to
slush as soon as it started to rain.
smognounheavy,dark cloud cover caused by pollution
You really notice the
smog downtown in this type of humidity.
snow/snowy/snowingnoun/adjective/ continuous verbfrozen 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.
snowstormnounlarge amounts of wind and snow
All of the schools were closed because of the
snowstorm.
sun/sunshine/sunnynoun/noun/adjectivethe gassy star that warms the earth
We hope to have
sunshine on the day of the beach picnic.
sunburnnounpainful red/pink skin caused by being in the sun too long
The bald man got a
sunburn on his head.
sunglasses/shadesnoundark eyewear that protects you from the sun
I forgot my
shades and I was driving right into the sun.
suntan/tannednoun(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 lotionnouncream that protects your skin from sun damage
Don't forget to reapply your
sunscreen when you get out of the lake.
temperaturenounhow warm or cold the air is
Can you check the
temperature before we get dressed for our walk?
thermometernouninstrument for measuring the temperature of the air
When I checked the temperature this morning, the
thermometer said it was already thirty degrees Celsius.
thunder/thunderstormnounthe crashing of clouds (often followed by a strike of lightning and heavy rain)
Let's close all of the windows. It looks like a
thunderstorm is coming.
tornado/cyclonenounviolently spinning windstorm
The
tornado picked up everything in its path, including animals and cars.
umbrellanounheld over one's head and body for rain protection
I always keep an
umbrella in my car in case of rain.
UV (ultra violet) raysnounthe damaging rays from the sun
Ultra violet rays can cause skin cancer if you don't wear sunscreen.
wind/windynoun/adjectiveblowing air outside
It's too
windy to play golf today.
wind chill factornounwhen 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.