IELTS Vocabulary 17: Weather

to be below freezing

below zero degrees Celsius

bitterly cold

very cold and unpleasant

a blanket of snow

a complete covering of snow

boiling hot

very hot (informal)

changeable

weather that often changes

a change in the weather

when weather conditions change

clear blue skies

a sky without clouds

to clear up

when clouds or rain disappear

to come out (the sun)

when the sun appears out of a cloudy sky

a cold spell

a short period of cold weather

to dress up warm

to wear warm clothes to protect yourself against wintry conditions

a drop of rain

a little bit of rain

a flash flood

a sudden and severe flood

freezing cold

very cold (informal)

to get caught in the rain

to be outside when it rains unexpectedly

to get drenched

to get very wet

heatstroke

a serious condition caused by being too long in hot weather

a heatwave

a period of very hot weather

heavy rain

intense rainfall

long-range forecast

the weather forecast for several days or weeks ahead

mild climate

a climate without extreme weather conditions

mild winter

a winter that isn't particularly cold

not a cloud in the sky

clear blue skies

to pour down

to rain heavily

to be rained off

to be cancelled or postponed due to poor weather

sunny spells

short periods of sunny weather

thick fog

a dense fog that makes visibility very poor

torrential rain

heavy rain

tropical storm

a storm typical of ones that you find in tropical climates

weather forecast

a TV/radio programme or section in a newspaper/magazine which predicts weather conditions