Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Weather Vocabulary



ThunderstormTornadoSnow flurriesUmbrella Sun
 
Word
Part of speech
MeaningExample Sentence
airconditioner/airconditioning
noun
an appliance that cools down the air in a home or buildingThe airconditioner keeps the office nice and comfortable even when it's very hot outside.
avalanche
noun
a dangerous slide of snow down a mountainThe 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 windThe airplane couldn't take-off because of the blizzard.
boiling hot
adjective + noun
common expression for describing a very hot dayIt 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 sunOn 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 massIt may look cloudy in the morning, but the sun always comes out by afternoon.
cold spell
adjective + noun
a period of colder than average weatherThey're calling for a cold spell, so we put off our camping trip.
cool
adjective
temperature in between warm and coldThe days were boiling hot, but the nights were cool and comfortable for sleeping.
degrees
noun
measurement for temperatureI 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 rainfallForest 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 waterThe flood was so bad, our basement was full of water.
Snow flurriesflurries
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 visionWe couldn't see the bridge because there was too much fog.
forecast
noun/verb
the expected weather for the futureAccording 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 dayIt was a freezing cold day for the Santa Claus parade.
frost
noun
ice crystals on a frozen surfaceSome 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 stormThere 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 sunBring 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 timeDuring 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 rainHalf 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
electric flash caused by two clouds hittingThe 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 patternsThe meteorologist predicted that the cold spell would be over by now.
minus/negative
adjective
indicates that a temperature is below zeroIt 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 timeTomorrow's forecast is partly cloudy with clear skies by nightfall.
precipitation
noun
rain or snow that falls on an areaThere 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 rainI love catching raindrops on my tongue.
rainbow
noun
a band of colours found in the sky after a rainfallAccording 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 dayIt 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 fallsAll-weather-tires are best if you have to drive in sleet.
slush/slushy
noun/adjective
snow on the ground that has been rained onThe snow turned to slush as soon as it started to rain.
smog
noun
heavy,dark cloud cover caused by pollutionYou 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 earthIt is already snowing up in the mountains, so the ski season should be great this year.
snowstorm
noun
large amounts of wind and snowAll of the schools were closed because of the snowstorm.
Sunsun/sunshine/sunny
noun/noun/adjective
the gassy star that warms the earthWe hope to have sunshine on the day of the beach picnic.
sunburn
noun
painful red/pink skin caused by being in the sun too longThe bald man got a sunburn on his head.
sunglasses/shades
noun
dark eyewear that protects you from the sunI 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 exposureI got a suntan on the cruise, but it has already faded away.
sunscreen/suntan lotion
noun
cream that protects your skin from sun damageDon't forget to reapply your sunscreen when you get out of the lake.
temperature
noun
how warm or cold the air isCan you check the temperature before we get dressed for our walk?
Thermometerthermometer
noun
instrument for measuring the temperature of the airWhen I checked the temperature this morning, the thermometer said it was already thirty degrees Celsius.
Thunderstormthunder/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.
Tornadotornado/cyclone
noun
violently spinning windstormThe tornado picked up everything in its path, including animals and cars.
Umbrellaumbrella
noun
held over one's head and body for rain protectionI always keep an umbrella in my car in case of rain.
UV (ultra violet) rays
noun
the damaging rays from the sunUltra violet rays can cause skin cancer if you don't wear sunscreen.
wind/windy
noun/adjective
blowing air outsideIt's too windy to play golf today.
wind chill factor
noun
when the wind makes the air feel colder than the actual temperatureIt's minus two, but with the wind chill factor it's minus fifteen.

ThunderstormTornadoSnow flurriesUmbrella SunThermometer

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