Weather Vocabulary

The Weather

The condition of the atmosphere over a particular area is called the weather.

Rain

Rain: drops of water that fall from clouds. A single drop of rain is called a raindrop. The total amount of rain is called rainfall. Rain can include:

Deluge

a sudden large amount of rain

Downpour

a heavy rain in a short time

Drizzle

a rain that falls in light drops

Hail

balls of ice that fall from the sky. Each of the balls of ice is called a hailstone.

Shower

a short period of rain

Sleet

partly frozen falling rain

Monsoon

heavy rain that falls in S Asia in the summer

Snow

soft, white pieces (called snowflake) of water ice that falls from clouds.

Rain can cause:

Flood

a large amount of water covering land which is usually dry

Puddle

a small amount of water on the ground

Wind

A natural movement of air as a result of atmospheric pressure is called the wind. The Wind can include:

Breeze

a light and gentle wind

Crosswind

the wind that is blowing across the direction of travel of a person or vehicle

Easterly

the wind that is blowing from the east

Northerly

the wind that is blowing from the north

Gale

a very strong wind

Gust

a sudden blast of wind

Headwind

the wind that is blowing against the direction of travel of a vehicle

Tailwind

the wind that is blowing in the same direction of travel of a vehicle

Sirocco

a hot wind that comes from the Sahara Desert to southern Europe

Storms

A severe weather condition with strong wind, heavy rain, thunder, and lightning is called a storm. Storm can include:

Blizzard

a severe snowstorm

Cyclone

a powerful tropical storm rotating in a circular direction

Hurricane

a rapidly rotating storm, that occurs especially in the West Atlantic Ocean

Thunderstorm

a storm with thunder and lightning and sometimes heavy rain and strong winds

Tornado (twister)

a dangerous spinning cone-shaped column of air

Difference between tornado and twister

Tornado	Twister
The term used by meteorologists	Slang for tornado

Typhoon

a tropical cyclone that occurs especially in the West Pacific Ocean

Sky

The area above the surface of the Earth is called the sky. The sky can include:

• The Sun: the star that gives the earth heat and light. 
• Cloud: a grey or white mass of water in the sky. 
• Fog: water droplets that form a thick cloud in the air above the land or the sea, reducing visibility.
• Mist: thin fog that occurs when humid air cools rapidly.
• Rainbow: a multicolored arch appearing in the sky when the sun shines through rain

Adjectives that describe the weather

Rainy

with a lot of rain

Warm

with comfortably high temperature; not hot or cold

Cold

with a very low temperature

Cloudy

with a lot of clouds

Clear

without cloud

Sunny

with a lot of sunlight

Stormy

with strong wind, heavy rain, thunder, and lightning

Misty

with a lot of mist

Foggy

with a lot of fog

Breezy

with strong winds

Windy

with a lot of wind

Showery

with light rain

Frosty

cold with frost

Chilly

too cold

Snowy

with a lot of snow

Icy

extremely cold; covered with ice

Drizzly

with light rain

Dry

without moisture

Overcast

with a lot of clouds

Wet

covered with water