Friday, September 23, 2011

Weather Terminology (for Intermediate Students)

I have always been fascinated by the weather and its changing.
This fascination almost surely owes to my parents' encouragement.
My mother and father always described the weather for us in great detail
and it was believed that the changes of the weather affected
the human spirit.

Whatever the case, I hope this vocabulary section is useful to you as you study
English. - David

When we describe the weather, Spanish uses "hace" and "hay"
whereas in English uses
"to be" For example: It is sunny = Hace sol (literally it makes sun)
It is hot = Hace calor
It is very windy - Hace / Hay mucho viento


Asking about the weather:
what’s the weather like? = "¿qué tiempo hace?" or "¿cómo está el tiempo?"

Other set expressions
tomorrow will be dry = mañana hará tiempo seco
there’s been a change in the weather = ha cambiado el tiempo
let’s hope the weather holds out = esperemos que no nos falle el tiempo
the weather spoiled our plans = el tiempo nos estropeó los planes
it looks like it's going to rain = parece que va a llover
the bad weather is still with us = seguimos con mal tiempo
the garden could do with a spot of rain =
al jardín le vendría bien que lloviera un poco

you get better weather on the south coast =
en el sur hace mejor tiempo;

weather permitting = si hace buen tiempo
we’re hoping for good weather while we’re on holiday =
esperamos tener buen tiempo durante las vacaciones

I don’t like the look of the weather =
no me gusta cómo se está poniendo el tiempo


Meteorological Expressions (Taken from Weather Broadcasts)
a clap of thunder, a thunderclap = un trueno
a clear sky/day = un cielo/día despejado
a cloudburst = un chaparrón
a cold front = un frente frío
a downpour = un chaparrón
a flash of lightning = un relámpago
a flood = una inundación
a force nine gale = vientos de fuerza nueve
a frosty night = una noche de helada
a gale = un viento fuerte, una vendaval
a gust of wind = una racha
a hailstorm = una granizada
a light covering of snow = una fina capa de nieve
a shower = un chaparrón, un chubasco
a snowball = una bola de nieve
a storm = una tormenta, un temporal
a stormy day = un día tormentoso
a streak of lightning = un rayo
a sunny day = un día soleado
a sunny spell = un claro
a thaw = un deshielo
a thundercloud = un nubarrón
to become muggy = abochornarse
climate = el clima
to rain cats and dogs = llover a cántaros
cloud = una nube
cloudburst = un chaparrón, un aguacero
damp = húmedo
degree = grado
depression = una depresión atmosférica, una borrasca
dew = el rocío
flashes of lightning = un relampagueo
frost (white frozen dew) = escarcha
It's chilly today = hace fresquito hoy
fog = la niebla
to ride out the storm = capear el temporal
a weather vane = una veleta
blustery = borrascoso
a heat wave = una ola de calor
forked lightning = una culebrina
gale-force winds = los vientos (con intensidad) de tormenta
hailstones = los granizos, las piedras de granizo
haziness = la nebulosidad, lo neblinoso
he was struck by lightning = le cayó un rayo
hot = cálido
humid = húmedo
humidity = la humedad
it’s cloudy = hace nubes or está nublado
it’s drizzling = está lloviznando
it’s foggy = hay niebla
it’s frosty = está helado
it’s hot = hace calor
it’s misty = hay neblina
it’s muggy / clammy / close (Brit)= está abochornado
it’s raining = está lloviendo
it’s sleeting = cae aguanieve
it’s snowing = está nevado
it’s sunny = hace sol
it’s windy = hace viento, está ventoso
a breeze / a sea breeze = una brisa / una brisa marina
drizzle / to drizzle = llovizna / lloviznar
low/high-pressure = de bajas/altas presiones
mist = la neblina
the coastal area (used in weather forecasts) = el litoral
night dew = el sereno
rain = la lluvia
scattered showers = chubascos aislados (dispersos)
sea mist = la bruma
sleet = aguanieve f.
sleet showers = chubascos de aguanieve
snow = la nieve
snow showers = chubascos de nieve
sun = el sol
sunstroke = insolación
the outlook for tomorrow = la previsión del tiempo para mañana
the temperature = la temperatura
the weather = el tiempo
thunder = los truenos
to clear up = despejar
to flood = inundar
to frost = helar
to hail = granizar
to rain = llover
to snow = nevar
to thaw = deshelar
turbulence = la turbulencia
unsettled weather = un tiempo revuelto
wind = el viento
hurricane = un huracán










2 comments:

David Shea said...

Dear Students, I mentioned in class a few expressions which use weather words to describe human relations.
"Pat and Lyn had a very stormy marriage" was one example. There are many more.

Diane said...

Dear David, What interesting vocabulary! If your students go to Ireland or Great Britain, they shall be very well prepared to talk about the weather; everyone there does that!