Weather Vocabulary

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