“Nature and Weather”

Seasons List

List of spring words, summer words, winter words, and autumn words in English for ESL students.

Spring

List of Spring words in English.

Spring Words

• Holiday
• Rainbow
• Rain
• Butterfly
• Flowers
• Grass
• Ladybird (U.K)/ ladybug (U.S)
• Mushroom
• Nest
• Bird
• Bee

Spring Words | Image

Summer

Learn Summer words in English through Pictures.

Summer Words

• Beach
• Camping
• Bikini
• Drink
• Sunglasses
• Ice cream
• Park
• Swimming pool
• Garden
• Travel

Summer Words | Image

Autumn

Here is a list of  Autumn wordsin English.

Autumn Words

• Apple harvest
• Falling leaves
• Pumpkin
• Halloween
• Back to school
• Corns
• Acorn

Autumn Words | Image

Winter

Learn useful Winter words  in English.

Winter Words

• Boots
• Snow
• Log fire
• Snowman
• Socks
• Skiing
• Polar bear
• Jacket
• Scarf
• Beanie (U.K)
• Snowflake
• Sledge (U.K)/Sled (U.S)
• Mittens
• Hot drink
• Penguin

Winter Words | Seasons List Image

The Weather in English

In English, we usually use it is when we talk about the weather.
This is normally: It is + adjective OR It is + verb-ing

It is + adjective = A description of the weather

• It is sunny today.
• It’s hot and humid today.
• It’s a nice day today.

We can also say:
It is a + adjective + day (or morning/afternoon/night)

• It’s a fine day.
• It’s a windy afternoon.

It is + verb-ing = This type of weather is happening now.

• It’s drizzling outside.
• It’s snowing.
• Take an umbrella, it’s raining.

You can also use it is in different tenses

• It was cold yesterday.
• It will be cloudy tomorrow.

When you are learning vocabulary about the weather, it is important to remember that some of the words have a noun form, a verb form and/or an adjective form. For example:

• Rain: (noun) The game was cancelled because of the rain.
• Rain: (verb) I think it is going to rain later.
• Rainy: (adjective) It’s a rainy day.

It pays to learn the different forms of each word and when they are used.

Nouns and Adjectives
Many times when we are talking about the weather, we can add the letter Y to the end of a noun to make it an adjective.

• rain (noun) – rainy (adjective)
• sun (noun) – sunny (adjective)
• wind (noun) – windy (adjective)
• cloud (noun) – cloudy (adjective)
• fog (noun) – foggy (adjective)

Questions about the weather

People commonly ask about the weather by saying:

• What’s it like out(side)?
• How’s the weather?
• What’s the weather like?
• What’s the temperature?
• What’s the weather forecast?
• What’s the forecast for tomorrow?

Weather Vocabulary
(including extreme weather vocabulary)

sunny:  the sun shines clearly in the sky and there is lots of bright light.

(It is also common to say the sky is “clear” when there is bright sun and no clouds).

cloudy:  there are many clouds in the sky.

(We also can say the sky is overcast when it is very cloudy).

partly-cloudy:  when there is both sun and clouds in the sky.

rain:  when water falls from the clouds.

light rain:  when there is a small amount of rain.

We also call light rain drizzle or sprinkles:

• It’s drizzling outside.
• You don’t need an umbrella, it’s just sprinkling.

Heavy rain:  when there is a lot of rain.

It is also very common to say:

• There is a downpour. (A sudden heavy rain)
• It’s pouring down rain.
• It’s raining cats and dogs.

freezing rain / sleet:  when part of the rain is water and part of the rain is frozen (snow).

thunder storm:  a storm with thunder and lightning. Also called an electrical storm.

• lightning: the flash of light in the sky during a storm.
• thunder:  the loud noise in the sky that comes after lightning.
• We say lightening “strikes” and call the flash of light a lightning bolt.

fog:  small drops of water that float above the ground (and it can be difficult to see through this mist of water).

• foggy weather.
• We say thick fog.
• The fog was so thick I could barely see the other cars on the road.

windy:  when there is a lot of wind.

“strong / light”  collocate with the word wind in English:

strong winds: when the wind is blowing with a lot of force.

light winds (breezy):  when there is a light breeze.

frost:  a thin layer of ice that forms on surfaces (e.g., grass, ground, windows of a car) when the air is very cold.

• We say heavy / light frost.
• We say things are covered with frost (or covered with a layer of frost).
• A defroster melts frost off car windows by using warm air to melt the ice.