The Weather in English

In English, we usually use it is when we talk about the weather.

This is normally: It is + adjective OR It is + verb-ing

It is + adjective = A description of the weather

 It is sunny today.
 It's hot and humid today.
 It's a nice day today.

We can also say:

It is a + adjective + day (or morning/afternoon/night)

 It's a fine day.

 It's a windy afternoon.

It is + verb-ing = This type of weather is happening now.

 It's drizzling outside.

 It's snowing.
 Take an umbrella, it's raining.

You can also use it is in different tenses

 It was cold yesterday.

 It will be cloudy tomorrow.

When you are learning vocabulary about the weather, it is important to remember that some of
the words have a noun form, a verb form and/or an adjective form. For example:

 Rain: (noun) The game was cancelled because of the rain.

 Rain: (verb) I think it is going to rain later.
 Rainy: (adjective) It's a rainy day.

It pays to learn the different forms of each word and when they are used.

Nouns and Adjectives

Many times when we are talking about the weather, we can add the letter Y to the end of a
noun to make it an adjective.

 rain (noun) - rainy (adjective)

 sun (noun) - sunny (adjective)
 wind (noun) - windy (adjective)
 cloud (noun) - cloudy (adjective)
 fog (noun) - foggy (adjective). NIEBLA - NUBLADA

Questions about the weather

People commonly ask about the weather by saying:
  What's it like out(side)?
 How's the weather?
 What's the weather like?
 What's the temperature?
 What's the weather forecast? CUAL ES EL PRONÓSTICO DEL TIEMPO
 What's the forecast for tomorrow?

Clear or Cloudy
Bright: (adjective) full of light; when the sun is shining strongly BRILLANTE
Sunny: (adjective) the sun is shining and there are no clouds
Clear: (adjective) without clouds
Fine: (adjective) not raining, clear sky
Partially cloudy: (adjective) when there is a mixture of both. PARCIALMENTE NUBLADO
Cloudy: (adjective) with many clouds in the sky
Overcast: (adjective) covered with cloud; dull NUBLADO
Gloomy: (adjective) with dark clouds and dull light; some people consider this weather
depressing OSCURO- SOMBRIO

Sometimes the cloud lowers to ground level and it becomes harder to see…
Fog (noun)/ foggy (adjective): thick cloud close to land. NIEBLA – NUBLADO
Mist (noun) / misty (adjective): light fog, often on the sea or caused by drizzle. NEBLINA- BRUMOSA

Types of Rain
Damp: (adjective) slightly wet (often after the rain has stopped). HUMEDA
Drizzle: (verb/noun) to rain lightly with very fine drops. LLOVIZNA
Shower: (noun) a short period of rain
Rain: (verb/noun) water that falls from the clouds in drops
Downpour: (noun) heavy rain
It's raining cats and dogs: (Idiom) To rain heavily
Torrential rain: (noun) very heavy rain. LLUVIA TORRENCIAL
Flood: (verb/noun) to become covered in water usually due to excessive rain INUNDACIÓN

Cold stuff
Blizzard: (noun) severe snowstorm with strong winds TORMENTA DE NIEVE
Frost: (noun) a layer of small ice crystals that forms on the ground or other surfaces when the
temperate is cold ESCARCHA
Hail: (verb) when frozen rain falls as small balls of ice (hailstones). GRANIZO
Hailstones: (noun) the small hard balls of ice that fall from the sky
Snow: (noun/verb) frozen rain that falls from the sky as soft snowflakes
Snowflake: (noun) an individual piece of snow COPO DE NIEVE

Types of Wind
Breeze: a gentle wind (often nice or refreshing) BRISA
Blustery: blowing (strong) gusts of wind TEMPESTUOSA
Windy: continual wind.
Hurricane/cyclone/typhoon: a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce winds and
heavy rain.

HURRACAN - - TIFON
What's the difference between a hurricane, a typhoon and a cyclone?
They are the same thing just with different names because of the region they are in.
Atlantic/Northeast Pacific = a hurricane
Northwest Pacific = a typhoon
Southern Hemisphere = a cyclone

Tornado: (noun) strong violent circular winds in a small area; a rapidly revolving column of air
In United States the word twister is often used instead of tornado.

More vocabulary about the weather

Drought: (noun) Long periods of time without rain causing a lack of water in the area

 A lot of the crops dried up because of the drought. SEQUIA

Forecast: (noun) A prediction of how the weather will be on a certain day

 The forecast says it's going to rain tomorrow.

Lightning: (noun) A flash of light in the sky during a storm. RELAMPAGO

 Lightning lit the sky many times that night.

Puddle: (noun) a small pool of water on the ground, usually after rain. CHARCO

 The kids jumped in the puddles on the way home from school.

Rainbow: (noun) an arch of colors in the sky formed when the sun shines through rain

 I took a photo of a beautiful rainbow that was just above the lake. ARCOIRIS

Smog: (noun) a cloud of pollution hanging over a city (a fog of smoke)

 The view of the city wasn't very good because it was covered in thick smog.

Storm: (noun) a combination of strong winds and rain, often with thunder and lightning, and in
some occasions snow. TORMENTA

 It is too dangerous to go fishing because of the storm.

Sunshine: (noun) the light and heat of the sun BRILLO SOLAR

 I could feel the warm sunshine on my back.

Thunder: (noun/verb) the rumbling sound in the clouds that happens after lightning

 The cat hid under the bed because it was scared by the thunder. TRUENO
WEATHER’S EXPRESSIONS VOCABULARY

SUNNY. SOLEADO DRIZZLING LLOVISNANDO- LLOVIZNA

CLOUDY. NUBLADO SNOWING NEVANDO
WINDY VENTOSO SNOWY. NEVAD@
RAINING. LLUVIENDO RAINY. LLUVIOS@
HUMID. HUMEDO IT’S COOL

A THUNDERSTORM TORMENTA
SNOWSTORM. TORMENTA DE NIEVE
HURRICANE. HURACÁN
TORNADO TORNADO

FOUR SEASONS
SPRING. PRIMAVERA
SUMMER VERANO
FALL/AUTUMN OTOÑO
WINTER. INVIERNO