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. |