“It’s cloudy, but it should brighten up later.”
Weather vocabulary helps you describe what you can see now and understand what a forecast predicts. Learn useful words, natural combinations and a few common British expressions.
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Basic weather conditions
Use it as the subject when describing conditions:
“It’s sunny”
“It’s raining”
Weather is normally uncountable:
“lovely weather”
not
“a lovely weather”
Sunny and hot do not mean the same thing: a winter day can be sunny and cold. Dry does not necessarily mean warm. Combine words to give a more exact description:
“a cold, clear morning”
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Temperature vocabulary
Freezing can also refer literally to the temperature at which water freezes. In conversation,
“I’m freezing”
often simply means
“I feel very cold”
Boiling is usually an exaggeration when describing a room or the weather.
Read 18°C as:
“eighteen degrees Celsius”
Say:
“The temperature is eighteen degrees”
not
“The weather is eighteen degrees”
Humid describes moisture in the air; damp often describes something slightly wet, such as clothes or a room.
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Rain, wind and storms
Thunder is the sound; lightning is the flash.
Say
“a flash of lightning”
and
“a clap of thunder”
Lightning, thunder and rain are normally uncountable, but showers and storms are countable.
Showery means there are showers, often with breaks between them. A shower can be heavy: the word describes its character and duration, not necessarily light rain. Pouring means raining heavily:
“It’s pouring outside.”
Seasons and weather versus climate
The four commonly named seasons are spring, summer, autumn and winter. Autumn is usual in British English; fall is common in American English.
Use in:
“in winter”
“in the summer”
Seasonal conditions vary by location.
Weather describes conditions at a particular place and time:
“It rained this morning.”
Climate describes the usual patterns over a long period:
“The region has a dry climate.”
One rainy afternoon does not describe an area’s whole climate.
Some places have wet and dry seasons rather than four sharply distinct seasons. For language about climate change, pollution and conservation, visit our environment vocabulary guide.
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Understanding weather forecasts
A forecast predicts future conditions. Read the location and time period before interpreting the symbols or numbers. These are common forecast terms.
A 70% chance of precipitation means a seven-in-ten chance of precipitation during the specified period. It does not mean it will rain for 70% of that time. Precipitation includes rain, snow, sleet and hail; read the symbols to understand the expected type.
Forecasts express uncertainty:
“Rain is likely”
“It may snow”
“There’s a chance of frost”
Do not turn may into will when you report a forecast. The statement
“It may rain”
leaves open the possibility that it stays dry.
Useful weather collocations
Use heavy rain and strong winds, not
“strong rain”
and
“heavy winds”
Other natural combinations are light rain, thick fog, bright sunshine, a clear sky, a cold snap and a heatwave. A cold snap is a short period of unusually cold weather; a heatwave is a spell of unusually hot weather.
Describe changes with brighten up, cloud over and clear up:
“It brightened up after lunch”
“The sky is clouding over”
“The rain should clear up later”
Clear up can mean the weather improves as cloud or rain goes away.
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British weather expressions
“It’s chucking it down”
means it is raining heavily and is very informal.
“It’s a bit nippy”
means it feels chilly.
“Lovely weather for ducks”
is a humorous comment about wet weather.
“It’s raining cats and dogs”
also means heavy rain, but it can sound exaggerated. In everyday conversation,
“It’s pouring”
is a straightforward choice. Expressions are useful to recognise; you do not need an idiom in every answer.
For natural short answers about your preferences, practise our IELTS weather questions.
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Exercises and answers
Complete the 15 questions. Use the stated options where provided; otherwise write a short answer or correct the sentence.
Practice
- The entire sky is covered by cloud. Choose overcast or clear.
- Can a sunny day also be cold? Answer yes or no.
- Very light rain falls in tiny drops. Choose drizzle or hail.
- A sudden stronger burst of wind is a breeze or a gust?
- Which is the sound: thunder or lightning?
- Choose the usual British word: autumn or fall.
- Correct: “We had a lovely weather yesterday.”
- Complete with heavy or strong: “Expect ___ rain tonight.”
- Complete with heavy or strong: “There will be ___ winds.”
- A region’s usual conditions over many years describe its weather or climate?
- A northerly wind comes from the north or south?
- Does a 70% chance of rain mean rain lasts for 70% of the period?
- A forecast gives a high of 20°C and a low of 12°C. Which is the maximum?
- In conversation, “It’s a bit nippy” means chilly or extremely hot?
- Does “It may rain” guarantee rain?
Answers and explanations
- overcast — Overcast means cloud covers the sky.
- yes — Sunny describes sunshine, not temperature.
- drizzle — Hail consists of balls of ice.
- a gust — A breeze is a light wind.
- thunder — Lightning is the flash.
- autumn — Fall is common in American English.
- We had lovely weather yesterday. — Weather is normally uncountable.
- heavy — Heavy rain is the natural collocation.
- strong — Strong winds is the usual combination.
- climate — Weather describes conditions at a particular place and time.
- the north — Wind direction names where the wind comes from.
- no — It expresses the likelihood of rain, not its duration.
- 20°C — High refers to the maximum temperature.
- chilly — Nippy informally describes cold conditions.
- no — May expresses possibility, not certainty.
Describe today’s conditions, then give tomorrow’s forecast. Use one collocation and one expression of uncertainty.
For short weekday English practice on LINE, LEW Daily offers useful activities, a chance to reply and feedback.
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