Talking About the Weather in English

Quick Answer: The core weather vocabulary in English is sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy, snowy, foggy, hot, warm, cool, cold and freezing. Ask What's the weather like? and answer with It's + adjective (It's windy) or It's + verb-ing for weather happening now (It's raining).

Key takeaways

• Many weather adjectives are noun + y: sun, sunny; cloud, cloudy; wind, windy; fog, foggy.
• English always needs it as the subject: It's raining, never Is raining.
• Use the present continuous for weather now (It's snowing) and going to for weather you can see coming (It's going to rain).
• The scale from hot to cold is boiling, hot, warm, mild, cool, chilly, cold, freezing.
• 0 degrees Celsius equals 32 degrees Fahrenheit; the US mostly uses Fahrenheit.
• Ask What's the weather like? or How's the weather? but never How is the weather like?

What are the basic weather adjectives?

Many weather adjectives are made by adding -y to a noun.

Noun	Adjective	Example
sun	sunny	It's sunny today.
cloud	cloudy	It's cloudy this morning.
rain	rainy	It's a rainy day.
wind	windy	It's very windy by the sea.
snow	snowy	It was snowy last week.
fog	foggy	It's foggy, so drive carefully.
storm	stormy	The sea is stormy tonight.
ice	icy	The roads are icy.

Temperature words

From hot to cold:

boiling (very hot, informal) - hot - warm - mild - cool - chilly - cold - freezing (very cold)

• "It's boiling today! Let's go to the beach."
• "It's a bit chilly. Take a jacket."
• "It's freezing outside."

To give the exact temperature: "It's 30 degrees" or "It's minus five." The UK and most of the world use Celsius; the US mostly uses Fahrenheit. 0 degrees Celsius is 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Weather verbs: it's raining

With verbs, use the present continuous to describe the weather now:

• "It's raining."
• "It's snowing."
• "It's drizzling." (light rain)
• "It's pouring." (very heavy rain)
• "It's hailing." (small balls of ice are falling)

Notice that English always needs it as the subject: "It's raining", not "Is raining". This is a common mistake for speakers of languages that drop the subject.

More detailed weather words

Word	Meaning
drizzle	very light rain
shower	a short period of rain
downpour	very heavy rain
thunderstorm	storm with thunder and lightning
thunder / lightning	the loud noise / the flash of light
breeze	a light, pleasant wind
gale	a very strong wind
heatwave	a period of unusually hot weather
humid	warm air with a lot of moisture, so it feels sticky
dry	no rain, low humidity
clear skies	no clouds
sunny spells (UK)	short periods of sun
frost	thin ice on the ground in cold weather
sleet	a mix of rain and snow

How do you understand a weather forecast?

Forecasts use their own phrases:

• "Sunny intervals in the morning, with scattered showers in the afternoon."
• "Highs of 22 degrees, lows of 14."
• "Chance of rain: 60 percent."
• "The rain will clear by the evening."
• "Temperatures will drop overnight."
• "Strong winds are expected along the coast."

Useful questions:

• "What's the weather like today?"
• "What's the forecast for the weekend?"
• "Is it going to rain tomorrow?"
• "Do I need an umbrella?"

To talk about the future weather, use will or going to: "It's going to rain. Look at those clouds!" See will vs going to.

Weather small talk

In many English-speaking countries, especially the UK, weather is the standard way to start a conversation with a neighbor, colleague or stranger. The goal is not to discuss meteorology. It is to be friendly.

Typical openers:

• "Lovely day, isn't it?"
• "Cold today, isn't it?"
• "Can you believe this rain?"
• "It's so hot today!"
• "Looks like it's going to rain."

Typical replies:

• "Yes, beautiful! I hope it lasts."
• "I know! It's freezing."
• "Tell me about it." (I completely agree)

The tag at the end ("isn't it?") invites the other person to agree. Learn how this works in question tags in English, and see more openers in how to make small talk in English.

Weather idioms

• under the weather - feeling a little sick
• a storm in a teacup (UK) - a big fuss about something small
• it never rains but it pours - bad things happen together
• come rain or shine - whatever happens
• raining cats and dogs - raining very heavily (a bit old-fashioned)

Common mistakes

Wrong	Right
Is raining.	It's raining.
Today is very sun.	It's very sunny today.
How is the weather like?	What's the weather like? or How's the weather?
The weather is 20 degrees.	It's 20 degrees.
It's raining tomorrow, I think.	I think it's going to rain tomorrow.

Quick quiz

Choose the right word.

1. It's ___ today. Take your sunglasses. (sun / sunny)
2. Look outside! It's ___. (snowing / snowy)
3. A very light rain is called ___. (drizzle / gale)
4. What's the weather ___? (like / how)
5. Nice day, ___ it? (is / isn't)

Answers: 1. sunny 2. snowing 3. drizzle 4. like 5. isn't

Weather words connect naturally with days, months and seasons. Learn them together, and practice describing your local weather every morning. For short daily lessons with audio, start the free LearnLingo course.

People Also Ask

How do you ask about the weather in English?

The most common question is What's the weather like? You can also ask What's the weather like in Istanbul today? or What's the forecast for tomorrow?

What is the difference between rain and rainy?

Rain is a noun or a verb: There's a lot of rain, It's raining. Rainy is an adjective: It's a rainy day. Many weather words follow this pattern, like sun and sunny or wind and windy.

Why do English speakers talk about the weather so much?

Weather is a safe, neutral topic that everyone shares, so it is a common way to start small talk, especially in the UK. Comments like Lovely day, isn't it? simply open a friendly conversation.

How do you say temperatures in English?

Say It's 25 degrees. In the US, temperatures are usually in Fahrenheit, so add Celsius or Fahrenheit if it is not clear. Below zero is minus five or five below zero.

Related Reading

• How to Make Small Talk in English
• Days, Months and Seasons in English
• Question Tags in English
• English for Travel: The Essential Guide