Explanation
Exercises
The weather & natural disasters
B1 Upper-Intermediate • Vocabulary
Adjectives for weather, temperature words, and natural disaster terms.

1. Describing the weather

  • partly sunny / partly cloudy – the sky changes during the day, with some blue sky and some clouds.
    It was partly sunny in the morning but more cloudy in the afternoon.
  • rainy – there is a lot of rain.
    We had a very rainy weekend, so we stayed at home.
  • drizzly – there is light rain falling all the time.
    It was cold and drizzly, so the streets were wet and grey.
    drizzle can be a noun or a verb: It’s starting to drizzle.
  • windy – there is a lot of wind.
    It was so windy that it was difficult to ride a bike.
  • stormy – there are strong winds, heavy rain, and sometimes thunder and lightning.
    We stayed inside all day because the weather was stormy.
  • snowy – there is a lot of snow falling or on the ground.
    Children love snowy days because they can make snowmen.

2. Fog, mist & clouds

  • foggy – there is thick fog and you cannot see very far.
    It was so foggy that we drove very slowly.
  • misty – there is light fog, so things in the distance are not clear.
    The hills looked beautiful on that misty morning.
  • hazy – the air is not clear because of heat, light mist, smoke, or dust.
    The city looked hazy in the afternoon heat.
  • overcast – the sky is completely covered with clouds, and it looks dull.
    It was overcast all day and looked like rain.
  • clear – the sky has no, or almost no, clouds.
    The sky was clear, so we could see the stars.
  • thundery – the air feels heavy and there are storms with thunder and lightning from time to time.
    The weather was hot and thundery all afternoon.

3. Temperature & humidity

  • freezing – very cold, at or below 0°C.
    It’s freezing outside; don’t forget your hat and gloves.
  • cool – a little cold but still pleasant.
    The evenings are cool but comfortable in spring.
  • chilly – cold enough to feel uncomfortable.
    It’s a bit chilly today; I’ll take a jacket.
  • scorching – extremely hot.
    We stayed in the shade because the sun was scorching.
  • warm – pleasantly hot but not too much.
    It was a warm evening, perfect for a walk.
  • mild – not very cold and not very hot, usually comfortable.
    Winters here are quite mild compared to the north.
  • arid – very dry and with almost no rain for a long time.
    Cacti can live in arid regions with very little water.
  • dry – with little or no rain.
    We have long, dry summers here.
  • wet – with a lot of rain and water everywhere.
    It’s too wet to sit in the park today.
  • humid – hot and with a lot of water in the air.
    The weather was so humid that my clothes felt sticky.
  • damp – slightly wet in an uncomfortable way (outside or inside a building).
    The room felt damp after all the rain.
  • muggy – warm and very humid, so the air feels heavy.
    It was muggy all evening, even after the sun went down.

4. Weather phenomena & natural disasters

  • thunderstorm – a storm with heavy rain, thunder, and lightning.
    A loud thunderstorm woke me up in the night.
  • blizzard – a very strong snowstorm with a lot of wind.
    During the blizzard, it was impossible to drive.
  • heatwave – several days or weeks of unusually hot weather.
    People stayed indoors during the summer heatwave.
  • shower – a short period of light or moderate rain.
    There will be a few showers later this afternoon.
  • hail – small balls of ice that fall from the sky.
    The storm brought heavy hail that damaged some cars.
  • tornado – a dangerous, spinning column of air that touches the ground.
    The tornado destroyed several houses in a few minutes.
  • hurricane – a very strong storm with violent winds, usually over the sea.
    The city prepared for the hurricane by closing schools.
  • drought – a long time with almost no rain, so the land becomes very dry.
    The drought lasted for months and crops were lost.
  • earthquake – a sudden shaking of the ground that can damage buildings.
    The earthquake was short but very strong.
  • wildfire – a large fire that spreads quickly through forests or grassland.
    The wildfire moved fast because of the strong wind.
  • tsunami – a very big ocean wave, often after an earthquake under the sea.
    The tsunami reached the coast and caused serious damage.
  • flood – when water covers land that is normally dry.
    After days of heavy rain, the river rose and there was a flood.
Natural disasters
Danger • emergency vocabulary
Exercises:
1
2
3
4

The weather & natural disasters

Choose the correct option to complete each sentence below.
1
The weather app says it will be this afternoon – some clouds, but you will still see the sun often.
Correct: partly sunny = there are clouds, but the sun is visible for much of the time.
2
Tomorrow will be – not a blue sky, but not completely grey either.
Correct: partly cloudy = there are some clouds in the sky, but not enough to cover it completely.
3
Take your umbrella – it’s going to be all day.
Correct: A rainy day = it rains a lot during the day.
4
It never rained heavily, but there was light rain in the air for hours – it was a cold, morning.
Correct: A drizzly day = there is continuous very light rain (drizzle).
5
It isn’t heavy rain – just a light that makes the ground wet.
Correct: drizzle = very light rain, like a fine spray of water.
6
Hold on to your hat – it’s really today.
Correct: A windy day = there is a lot of wind.
7
There were black clouds, very strong wind, heavy rain and flashes of lightning – the weather was all evening.
Correct: stormy weather = very bad weather with strong wind and heavy rain.
8
The streets are white and it’s still snowing – it’s a really day.
Correct: A snowy day = there is a lot of snow on the ground and/or falling from the sky.
9
There is a very thick cloud close to the ground; you can hardly see anything – it’s extremely this morning.
Correct: A foggy day = there is thick fog and visibility is very poor.
10
Flights were cancelled because of thick – the pilots couldn’t see the runway.
Correct: fog = a thick cloud close to the ground that makes it hard to see.
11
It was a cool, morning; you could see a light cloud in the air but still walk easily.
Correct: A misty morning = there is light mist in the air, but not thick fog.
12
Early in the morning, a thin white lay over the fields like a very light cloud on the ground.
Correct: mist = a light, thin form of fog close to the ground.
13
It was hot and – the air wasn’t clean, and the distant hills looked pale and unclear.
Correct: A hazy day = the air is not clear because of heat, smoke or pollution.
14
The sky was completely grey with clouds and there was no sun at all – it was totally all day.
Correct: An overcast sky = it is completely covered with cloud.
15
At night there were no clouds; the sky was completely and full of stars.
Correct: A clear sky = no clouds, so you can see the sun, moon or stars easily.
16
The air was hot and heavy, the sky was dark and we could hear thunder in the distance, but it hadn’t started raining yet – the weather felt very .
Correct: thundery = there is thunder (and maybe lightning) in the air, and it feels like a storm is coming.

The weather & natural disasters

Match the sentences with the weather words
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Sentences

Words

The weather & natural disasters

The weather & natural disasters