How to talk about weather
How to talk about weather
How to Talk About Weather in English
One of the most basic topics of conversation is the weather. It seems like a discussion that you can’t get away from! It’s also an easy way to start a conversation, even with strangers. Knowing some simple weather phrases in English will help you get through «small talk» much more easily.
Some questions you might hear
No matter what season it is, there are a handful of standard words you would naturally use to describe the weather outside. Perhaps it’s sunny, bright, partly-cloudy, overcast, windy or raining.
However, there are so many more interesting ways to describe the different seasons. So, let’s take a look at season-specific vocabulary.
Spring Vocabulary
Spring is definitely welcome by all. It’s when everything reawakens after a cold winter. The ice melts, the flowers start to bloom, and the trees come alive. Many people take this opportunity to spring clean after a winter spent indoors, throwing open their windows and doors for a bit of cool fresh air.
Bloom: when plants and flowers start to flourish
The tulips are always the first spring flowers to bloom.
Breeze: a gentle wind
There is a fresh breeze this afternoon, a relief from the howling winter winds.
Bright: sunnier and lighter
Since the clocks have been turned back the days are so bright, it’s lovely!
Drizzle: light rain
Some days there is a light drizzle, but you don’t need an umbrella.
Fresh: not hot but not cold
It’s a perfect day for a walk outside, the air is so fresh.
Puddles: when water pools after rain
After heavy rains the park is full of kids jumping in the puddles.
Thaw: when the warm sun begins to melt the ice of winter
My favorite season is spring when everything outside begins to thaw and comes to life again.
Summer Vocabulary
Then comes summer: the temperature increases, the sun becomes brighter and the days become lazy and long. The outdoor season has begun, and life is definitely easier when the weather is good.
Where would you like to practice your English in the height of summer?
Boiling / scorching: very hot
Today is a scorcher, it’s boiling! We need to swim.
Blue skies: clear skies that are a feature of summer days
I woke up this morning to blue skies, what a perfect day.
Heatwave: unusually hot weather
I wish I wasn’t stuck in the office during the heatwave, I want to be enjoying the outdoors.
In the shade: find refuge under the cool trees away from the sun
It’s too hot today, let’s a find a spot to sit in the shade.
Not a cloud in the sky: a perfectly blue sky
It definitely won’t rain today, there is not a cloud in the sky.
Stay out of the sun: too hot to be in direct sunlight
Try to stay out of the sun at midday when it’s the strongest.
Sun-kissed: the look of spending time in the sun
I love to tan on holiday and come back looking sun-kissed.
Autumn Vocabulary
After a hopefully long, hot summer autumn is up next. Jumpers and jerseys come out, meals get warmer and leaves turn yellow and red. It’s time to get cozy!
Bundle up: layer up your clothing to keep warm
It’s forecast to be cold tomorrow so make sure you bundle up.
Crisp: cool and fresh
Who doesn’t love a bright crisp autumn day.
Foggy: a thick cloud that restricts visibility
It was difficult to see far this morning as it was so foggy.
Getting colder: warm weather is turning cooler
I can feel the evening are getting colder.
Muddy: covered in mud
It’s been raining a lot; the park is too muddy to walk in.
Rustle of leaves: the sound of dry leaves
The leaves rustled in a gust of wind.
Winter Vocabulary
And then just like that it’s winter. Dark evenings and snowy days are frequent, and people spend most of their time indoors shielded from the harsh elements outside.
Our Toronto students trying to keep warm in the bitter cold during a snowball fight
Below zero / bitter cold: freezing cold
I heard this weekend is going to be bitterly cold, I think it’s better we stay indoors.
Cold front: particularly gloomy weather approaching
Oh no! A cold front is coming next week, it’s going to be freezing.
Howling winds: strong winds
The sound of the howling winds woke me up in the middle of the night.
Icy: very cold
The wind this evening feels so icy cold.
In the dead of winter: in the middle of the season when it’s very cold
We’ve decided to escape the dead of winter and travel to a sunny destination.
Toasty: warm and cosy
Tonight, I’m spending a toasty evening in front of the television.
Winter blues: feeling gloomy during the season
The long dark nights give me the winter blues.
33 Words and Phrases for Talking About the Weather in English
Afraid of thunderstorms?
Like to dance in the rain?
Find the sunshine beautiful?
Many of us keep the Weather Channel bookmarked and ready on our computers or phone. We know how important it is to stay up-to-date on the latest weather news.
In this post, you’ll learn all the terms you need to describe sunny days, stormy days and all those in between—as well as why the weather is considered such a hot topic.
Contents
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Why Learn to Talk About the Weather in English?
Have you ever noticed how people seem to love talking about the weather? Whether they’re standing in the grocery checkout line or meeting new people at a party, the weather is quite the popular conversation starter.
Even at more formal occasions, like business meetings or other professional settings, weather is a popular topic for small talk.
That might be due to the fact that the weather is often different from day to day and from place to place, making it a relevant subject for everyone. To fully participate in these conversations, you’ll need lots of English words and phrases in your vocabulary.
Also, knowing weather-related terms is important for your safety! Imagine you’re in a local restaurant and the waiter casually tells you, “Be careful of that fog when you go over the bridge.” You’ll be glad you know what the word fog means!
How to Talk About the Weather in English with All the Right Vocabulary
There are so many adjectives you can use for describing the weather. Some of them are very similar in meaning (i.e., hot and warm) and a little harder to distinguish, while others are completely different (i.e., rainy and sunny) and easier to remember.
In addition to learning these terms, you should consider practicing them often—small-talk with native English speakers is the perfect opportunity!
Now let’s get to those common terms you’ll need to talk about all kinds of weather.
16 Vocabulary Words You’ll Need to Talk About the Weather
Hot / Warm
When we say it’s hot, we’re referring to very high temperatures, like you find in the middle of summer when the heat can get quite uncomfortable. When it’s warm though, temperatures are fairly high but bearable.
When the weather is warm, I prefer light clothing like t-shirts.
Today is so hot that I’ve been sitting under the fan all day.
Cold / Cool
Cold refers to very low temperatures, close to freezing—the type of weather that requires a heavy coat to go outside. With cool, however, we’re talking about fairly low, spring-like temperatures when you may only need to wear a sweater out.
On cool days like today, you should be fine with a light jacket.
Don’t forget your coat; it’s cold outside.
Sunny / Rainy
Sunny weather means there’s lots of sunshine. Its opposite is rainy weather, which means lots of rain.
On sunny days, I like to take the kids to the beach.
Rainy days are the best time to stay home and read a book.
Clear / Cloudy
A clear day is bright with no signs of bad weather. A cloudy day, however, means the skies are filled with clouds with little or no sun.
Isn’t it great that we’re having such clear days this week?
It looks cloudy; you should bring an umbrella in case it rains.
Dry / Humid
When it’s dry, there’s no rain or moisture in the air. But when it’s humid, the air is moist and contains a large amount of water vapor. Humid weather usually makes us perspire (sweat) more.
Bush fires are common around here when the weather is dry.
The weather’s been so humid lately it’s impossible to go outside without breaking a sweat.
Foggy / Misty
These two adjectives refer to hazy conditions caused by small droplets of water in the air that make it difficult to see. Fog (noun) forms closer to the ground and is thicker and more difficult to see through. Mist (noun) usually forms on hills and mountains and isn’t as thick.
Be sure to turn on your headlights when driving through foggy areas.
It’s misty up in the mountains in the mornings.
Gusty / Windy
These adjectives describe the wind. Gusty suggests a sudden brief burst of wind while windy refers to a stronger than usual wind blowing.
It’s been gusty all afternoon and my umbrella was blown away.
As we were walking along the beach, it started to get windy.
Thunder / Lightning
These two nouns are often used together when referring to storms. Thunder is the loud booming sound which usually follows a flash of lightning in the sky.
Whenever there’s thunder and lightning, my dog rushes into the house in fear.
17 Questions and Phrases to Talk About the Weather
Whether you’re at the coffee machine or waiting your turn at the post office, chances are you might get into a casual conversation with the person next to you about what’s going on outside.
Here are some phrases to help you prepare.
How’s the weather? / What’s it like out there?
Both of these are good questions to ask if you haven’t gone outside in a while, and you’re wondering if things have changed.
Or maybe you’re still debating about whether or not you want to venture (go) outdoors, so you might ask this to someone who comes inside.
What’s the temperature like (out there)?
This question is asking about degrees in Fahrenheit or Celsius. However, people are typically looking for an approximate temperature:
Of course, an answer like the following is still acceptable:
It’s really (hot/cold/warm/cool).
What’s the weather forecast?
If you’re planning a trip or event, you might want to know the weather ahead of time. Forecast simply refers to what kind of weather is expected in the coming days or weeks.
What a [beautiful] day!
Use other adjectives like nice or gorgeous to make your descriptions more interesting.
It’s [warm and sunny] outside.
This is a simple sentence using two or more descriptive adjectives.
It’s warm and windy outside.
Blue skies is a phrase meaning a sign of good weather:
There’s nothing but blue skies outside.
We couldn’t ask for [better] weather.
Here the use of the comparative adjective better suggests that the weather is so good that it couldn’t get any better. You could use other comparative adjectives like nicer or more beautiful.
We couldn’t ask for nicer weather this week!
This is the (best/worst) weather we’ve had all [season/week/year]!
The superlative adjective best is used to show that this weather is simply the best and nothing else can be better. Here’s another example:
This is the most beautiful weather we’ve had all week!
This is the worst weather we’ve had all spring!
[Awful] weather, isn’t it?
Using the question form can be quite refreshing especially when you expect the person to agree with you. You could use similar adjectives like nasty or terrible instead.
Nasty weather today, isn’t it?
It’s [boiling] hot!
The word boiling is used here as an adjective, not as a verb, to create an image of how hot it is. You could also use adverbs like extremely or really.
It’s [freezing] outside!
In this simple sentence, you may use any verb in its -ing form to describe the weather such as pouring (raining very heavily) or sizzling (very hot).
I can’t believe this [weather]!
Here’s a simple way to express your surprise. Feel free to use any other suitable noun such as storm or wind.
It’s raining cats and dogs!
This is a popular idiom (expression) for saying that it’s raining heavily. Have fun with it.
It looks like [rain].
Here you’re saying it looks like it might rain in the near future. It could be that you can see dark clouds or hear thunder. You could use other nouns like snow or a storm.
[A storm] seems to be [coming/heading] this way.
The phrase seems to be suggests that a storm is likely to be coming. You could also say:
Heavy rain seems to be heading this way.
The weather will be warming up soon.
Warming up means the temperatures will be rising and it’s getting warmer. The opposite of that would be:
The weather will be cooling down soon.
It’s expected to be [hotter] than last year.
The phrase expected to be suggests that you think it’ll happen. Use a comparative adjective here to compare the weather now with another time in the past. You could use other comparative adjectives like colder or less windy.
So there you have it—a great list of weather words and phrases to get you talking about the weather like a native speaker. I expect you’ll warm up to (get used to) these sentence structures pretty quickly and use them in your own words.
While knowing this vocabulary is a big step forward, understanding the nuances of how native speakers actually use these terms is even more important. That’s where a resource like FluentU can come in. This language learning program uses authentic English videos to teach you new words as well as culture by focusing on context.
So remember to actually practice the words, phrases and questions in this post so you can feel comfortable actually using them in conversations.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Talking About The Weather In English
When we talk about the weather in English, we can make a wide variety of descriptions or we can use different expressions to describe the weather. Let’s see how we can asked about the weather, before these descriptions.
“It is” and “Is it” are generally used while talking about the weather.
Questions About The Weather
Examples:
Answers About The Weather
We generally use some common structures, while answering the questions about the weather. These are;
“It + BE ( with different tenses like is, was, will be, etc.) + Adjectives ( like sunny, cloudy, rainy, etc)”
“It + BE ( with different tenses like is, was, will be, etc.) + a + Adjectives + day (or morning/afternoon/night, etc)”
“It + is/was + V-ing ( like snowing, raining, shining, etc. )” ( now, at that time )
We can also use other structures to describe the weather.
Examples:
Vocabulary ( Nouns, Adjectives and Verbs ) About The Weather in English
We can use or see many words about the weather conditions. These are listed below;
We usually do not use the nouns related to weather alone with “it is” to express weather conditions. We use their adjectives forms instead of them. So, while we are talking about the weather, we generally add the letter “-y” to the end of a noun to make it an adjective or we can use the nouns by putting adjectives in front of them.
Let’s see the common words that express the weather;
RAIN
Examples:
SNOW
snow ( noun ) – snow ( verb – we also use “rain” as a weather verb ) – snowy ( adjective )
SUN
sun (noun) – shine ( verb – we use “shine” to express “sun” as a weather verb ) – sunny (adjective)
Examples:
WIND
wind (noun) – blow ( verb – we use “blow” to express “wind” as a weather verb ) – windy (adjective)
Examples:
FOG
fog (noun) – foggy (adjective)
Examples:
CLOUD
cloud (noun) – cloudy (adjective)
Examples:
( Cloudy means that the sky is completely covered by clouds, no view of blue sky. )
( Overcast means that There are clouds in the sky, no light and sun. )
( Gloomy means dark or cloudy in a way that is unpleasant and makes it difficult to see. )
CLEAR
clear ( adjective )
Examples:
( Clear means that there are no clouds in the sky )
COLD
cold ( adjective )
Examples:
( Frost means a weather condition in which the air temperature falls below the freezing point of water, especially outside at night. )
( Frosty / Nippy / Freezing means very cold.)
HOT
hot ( adjective )
Examples:
( S weltering means extremely hot. )
WARM
warm ( adjective )
Examples:
HUMID
humid ( adjective )
Examples:
( Dew is drops of water that form on the ground and other cool surfaces during the night, when atmospheric vapor condenses.)
THUNDER / LIGHTNING
Examples:
( Thunder is a sudden loud noise that comes from the sky after a lightning flash due to the expansion of rapidly heated air.)
( a clap of thunder / a thunderclap is a sudden loud noise made by thunder.)
( a bolt of thunder / thunderbolt is a flash of lightning and the sound of thunder together.)
( Lightning / a flash of lightning /a bright flash of lightning / a bolt of lightning is a flash of bright light in the sky that is produced by electricity moving between clouds or from clouds to the ground. )
WORDS RELATED TO THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THEIR ADJECTIVE FORMS
rain (noun) – rainy (adjective)
snow (noun) – snowy (adjective)
sun (noun) – sunny (adjective)
wind (noun) – windy (adjective)
cloud (noun) – cloudy (adjective)
fog (noun) – foggy (adjective)
gloom (noun) – gloomy (adjective)
storm (noun) – stormy (adjective)
frost (noun) – frosty (adjective)
breeze (noun) – breezy (adjective)
mist ( noun) – misty (adjective)
drizzle (noun) – drizzly (adjective)
ice (noun) – icy (adjective)
nip (noun) – nippy (adjective)
freeze ( verb ) – freezing (adjective)
swelter ( verb) – sweltering (adjective)
hot (adjective)
warm (adjective)
cold (adjective)
clear (adjective)
humid (adjective)
Attention:
Temperature
Asking Temperature
Expressing Temperature
Examples;
Speaking about the Weather in English
English speakers love to talk about the weather. It is a way of breaking the ice (starting a conversation). People talk about the weather on the phone and in person. Friends and family talk about the weather before they discuss what’s new. Co-workers talk about the weather before starting a hard day of work. Even strangers discuss the weather. Learn the proper vocabulary and expressions, and you will find it easy to start a conversation anytime and anywhere with anyone you meet!
Common questions and responses about weather
What’s it like out?
It’s miserable out.
How’s the weather?
It’s ten below. (-10 degrees)
Do you have rain?
We haven’t had a drop of rain for weeks.
What’s the temperature there?
It’s 22 degrees Celsius.
It’s snowing here, what’s it doing there?
It’s pouring outside. (raining heavily)
Beautiful day, huh?
We couldn’t ask for a better day than this.
What’s the weather forecast?
They’re calling for blue skies all week.
Common errors
One common mistake learners make when talking about the weather is mixing up the noun, adjective and verb forms of weather words.
Example 1: How’s the weather? It is snow (noun). incorrect
It is snowy (adjective). correct
It is snowing (verb). correct
Example 2: What’s it like out? It is rain (noun). incorrect
It is rainy (adjective). correct
It is raining (verb). correct
Example 3: What’s the weather like? It is sun (noun). incorrect
It is sunny (adjective). correct
The sun is shining (verb). correct
Now check out the words we use to talk about the weather, then do the quizzes to test your understanding:
How to talk about the weather in English
How to talk about the weather in English
A beautiful day today, isn’t it?
It’s warm and sunny and a lovely day for a walk in the park.
Or is it a bit chilly and cloudy where you are?
Overcast skies and slightly rainy?
Or perhaps it’s hot and humid with a thunderstorm soon approaching?
What is the weather like where you are at today? Is it always a little unpredictable or pretty consistent? Sometimes we never know, which is why everyone is always checking the weather reports. Sometimes we simply ask people, “hey, what is the weather like today?”
Why is it that everyone always seems to be talking about the weather? Every culture and every language seems to have that one topic in common. Talking about the weather in English can sometimes be a bit tricky. If we think about all of the countries that speak English, the climates are so very different. Take just the United States for example, the weather in New York is definitely not what the same as the weather in San Francisco or Los Angeles.
Why is it so important to know how to talk about the weather in English?
Well, in addition to the wide range of vocabulary used when talking about the weather in English, it’s also a really important part of ‘small talk’ and it makes conversations with strangers a lot easier! We all have the weather in common so why not talk about it, all the time? Small talk is just polite conversation between two people that may not know each other very well. Talking about the weather is often how people start conversations with others. Or when you just don’t know what to say, talking about the weather is a good and safe option.
Conversation starter phrases about the weather in English
Here are some great ways to start a conversation. They are all polite and friendly ways to speak about the weather in a way that isn’t so dry and boring.
Each of these are friendly and easy to use. These phrases can be said to really anyone and in any situation. Starting a conversation while talking about the weather is easy, all you have to do is look outside and know a bit of vocabulary. So let’s look then to some vocabulary and words that often go together.
Vocabulary words to talk about the weather in English
These are all words that are used to describe the temperature. Hot is only used to describe very, very warm temperatures such as in the middle of summer. In some parts of the world it is hot all year, however in most places only throughout the summer months. Warm would usually be used for the Spring and sometimes the Fall. Cool/chilly are usually used for the Fall or when it is only a little cold. Cold is only for the winter months when it is very cold and you need a heavy coat.
Wow, it’s so hot outside today, I’ve been sweating non-stop!
It’s finally warm outside and I can go out with only a t-shirt.
Tonight will be a little chilly so I’m going to bring an extra jacket.
Can you believe how cold it’s been lately with all of this snow?
Sunny is used to describe a clear day with no clouds in the sky. Rainy is when it is dark and cloudy with rain. Cloudy is simply when there are many, many clouds in the sky without the sun.
I strongly prefer sunny days to rainy days because there’s nothing better than relaxing at the beach.
I wish it wasn’t cloudy today… Everyone planned to sun bath at the beach!
Windy is when there is a lot of wind, usually very strong with the trees blowing all around. Misty is a bit of a mix between foggy and rainy. If you know the city of San Francisco, this is exactly what misty is. There is light moisture in the air but not full rain. Foggy is basically when it is cloudy but on the ground.
It is so windy that it almost blew me over when I tried to walk outside.
Everyone always thinks San Francisco is warm but really it is often foggy and misty, especially in the evenings.
Last night it was so foggy when I was driving home that I could barely see in front of me!
Dry and humid usually refer to climates in general but sometimes that can change based on season. In general, the tropical jungles of somewhere like Brazil are very humid, or moist, very wet. Whereas the climate in California or in Spain and generally very dry, meaning that there is no moisture in the air.
Wow, it’s so humid today that I started sweating right when I walked outside!
I prefer dry weather to humid weather because it’s much easier to do my hair.
Stormy describes when the weather is overall very dark, cloudy and rainy. When there is a storm, thunder is the sound that you hear which is actually the sound from the lightning, or the light flashes in the sky.
I wouldn’t go outside right now, it’s really stormy!
All of this loud thunder is making my dog very nervous.
Did you see that intense lightening flash? It really lit up the entire sky.
Well, now you’re ready! Talking about the weather in English is easy! Just take some of the simple conversation starters and talk up a storm(talk a lot) with random people anywhere! You don’t know what to talk about with some new people you just met? Perhaps the weather could be of some assistance. Is it raining cats and dogs(to be raining a lot, non-stop) right now? Let’s see what other ways and phrases to talk about the weather in English that you can think of! Let us know some of your creative ideas!