WORD FOCUS: weather

good weather: sunny/fine used to describe weather or a day when there is a lot of sunshine

nice/lovely/glorious very sunny and good

bright if the weather is bright, the sun shines strongly

there isn't a cloud in the sky the sky is completely clear

dry if the weather is dry, it does not rain

fair sunny and not windy or rainy - used especially in weather forecasts

rain: wet/rainy/damp used to describe weather or a day when there is a lot of rain

unsettled if the weather is unsettled, it keeps changing and it often rains

drizzle light rain which consists of very small drops of water

shower a short period of rain

downpour a short period when it suddenly rains very heavily

it's pouring down British English/it's pouring rain American English it is raining very hard

it's drizzling it is raining a little, with very small drops of rain

snow: snowy used to describe weather or a day when there is a lot of snow

sleet a mixture of snow and rain

slush a mixture of partly melted snow and ice

hail/hailstones frozen drops of rain, that fall as drops of ice

blizzard: a storm with a lot of snow and strong wind

frost white powder that covers the ground when it is cold

wind: windy used to describe a day or weather when there is a lot of wind

blustery ['blʌst(ə)rɪ]: very windy

breeze a gentle pleasant wind

hurricane ['hʌrɪkən] (in the Atlantic Ocean) / typhoon (in the Pacific Ocean) a violent storm with extremely strong winds

cloudy: cloudy used to describe weather or a day when there are a lot of clouds in the sky

grey/dull cloudy and not bright

overcast if the sky is overcast, it is very cloudy and dark, and it is likely to rain

hazy not clear, especially because there is a slight mist caused by heat or smoke fog, mist

hot: boiling/scorching/sizzling/blazing/burning/baking/broiling (hot) extremely hot

sweltering very hot and humid

warm a little hot, in a way that is pleasant

balmy ['bɑ:mɪ] pleasantly warm, with a gentle wind blowing

heatwave a period of unusually hot weather

cold: freezing (cold) extremely cold

arctic extremely cold, usually with a lot of ice and snow

wintry cold and snowy or rainy, like the weather in winter

crisp if the air is crisp, it feels cold but pleasantly fresh and clear

chilly a little too cold, in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable

cool a little cold, in a way that is pleasant

cold snap/cold spell a period of unusually cold weather

Cold weather

In Scandinavia, the chilly days of autumn soon change to the cold days of winter. The first frosts arrive and the roads become icy. Rain becomes sleet and then snow, at first turning to slush in the streets, but soon settling, with severe blizzards and snowdrifts in the far north.

Warm/hot weather

close [kləuz] (warm and uncomfortable)

stifling ['staɪflɪŋ] -hot, uncomfortable, you can hardly breathe

humid ['hju:mɪd] - hot and damp, makes you sweat a lot

scorching ['skɔ:ʧɪŋ] - very hot, often used in positive contexts

boiling - very hot, often used in negative contexts]

mild [maɪld] - warm at a time when it is normally cold

Note also: We had a heat wave last month. (very hot, dry period)

Wet weather

This wet weather scale gets stronger from left to right.

damp —drizzle ['drɪzl] - pour down / downpour ['daunpɔ:] —torrential [tə'ren(t)ʃ(ə)l] rain — flood [flʌd]

Autumn in London is usually chilly and damp [dæmp] with rain and drizzle. It was absolutely pouring down. or There was a real downpour.

In the tropics there is usually torrential rain most days, and the roads often get flooded. or There are floods on the roads.

This rain won't last long; it's only a shower (short duration) The storm damaged several houses, (high winds and rain together) We got very wet in the thunderstorm ['θʌndəstɔ:m], (thunder and heavy rain)

Hailstones ['heɪlstəunz] were battering the roof of our car. (small balls of ice falling from the sky].

Note also hail [heɪl] (uncountable). The sky's a bit overcast ['əuvəkɑ:st]: I think it's going to rain, (very cloudy)

We had a drought [draut] last summer. It didn't rain for six weeks.

Mist and fog

Nouns and adjectives: haze/hazy (light mist, usually caused by heat) mist/misty (light fog, often on the sea, or caused by drizzle) fog/foggy (quite thick, associated with cold weather) smog (mixture of fog and pollution (smoke + fog))

Wind

There was a gentle breeze on the beach, just enough to cool us. There's a good wind today; fancy going sailing? It's a very blustery ['blʌst(ə)rɪ] day; the umbrella will just blow away. There's been a gale warning; it would be crazy to go sailing.

People boarded up their windows when they heard there was a hurricane ['hʌrɪkən] on the way.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-10