Vocabulary · Lesson 18

Weather & seasons

Move beyond a list of sky words. Describe a general condition with It’s rainy, focus on an event happening now with It’s raining, read a simple forecast with clear temperature units, and discuss seasons without assuming the same pattern everywhere.

45–55 min coreweather noun · adjective · eventcurrent conditions · forecast · temperature15–20 min optional listening and retrieval

NoticeCompare a day’s condition with an event happening now.

DiscoverChoose the word family and time viewpoint.

BuildRead temperature, probability, and forecast labels.

UseGive a fictional community weather bulletin.

Weather describes conditions over a short time, such as now, today, or this week. Climate describes patterns observed over many years. One cold day does not prove a cold climate, and a long-term climate pattern does not tell you the exact weather at this moment.

Two-minute retrieval

Three quick checks from earlier lessons

Use the camera time and the time expression. Say each complete sentence aloud.

1The live camera shows water falling now: It’s now.

2The fictional festival happens during the ordinary season: It opens winter.

3The current camera shows no falling snow: It now.

Meet the weather words

Store each picture with a useful grammar frame. Some labels are adjectives, while others are nouns.

sunny

cloudy

rainy

stormy

snowy

windy

foggy

a rainbow

lightning

hot

cold

Meet four common season names

Many calendars use four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. This is one useful model, not one universal weather schedule.

spring

summer

fall

winter

Notice the speaker’s viewpoint

A forecast and a live camera

The forecast calls Tuesday a rainy day. On the live camera, it isn’t raining at 8:00 a.m. At 8:15, water begins to fall, so now it’s raining.

Which word describes Tuesday as a broader kind of day?
Which form focuses on water falling at one specific moment?
Can a day be called rainy even when the rain stops for a short time?

Discovery check: description or event?

Use the whole context. A broader condition often uses an adjective; an event in progress uses be plus -ing.

1Showers start and stop throughout the fictional Tuesday: It’s a day.

2The camera shows water falling at 8:15: It’s at 8:15.

3The lodge report describes a white landscape after last night’s storm, with no flakes now: It’s at the lodge.

4The live camera shows flakes falling now: It’s now.

5The sky is covered with clouds, but no rain is falling: It’s , but it isn’t raining.

6The real subject is named, and bright light is coming from it now: The sun is now.

Get to the root: noun, adjective, or event

Weather words form families, but they do not all use the same pattern. Choose the grammar from the message, not from the picture alone.

weather idea	noun	adjective	event now
rain	a chance of rain	It’s rainy.	It’s raining.
snow	some snow	It’s snowy.	It’s snowing.
wind	The wind is strong.	It’s windy.	The wind is blowing.
sun	the sun	It’s sunny.	The sun is shining.
cloud	a cloud	It’s cloudy.	no ordinary “It’s clouding” pattern
fog	some fog	It’s foggy.	usually describe the condition

It in a weather sentence does not point to an object

In It’s cold and It’s raining, it is a required weather subject. It does not refer back to a thing. Do not normally drop it: say It’s windy, not only Is windy.

When a real subject is named, use that subject: The sun is shining, The wind is blowing, and The clouds are moving.

Do not add -ing to every weather noun

It’s raining and It’s snowing are common weather-event patterns. English does not build every event by attaching -ing to the picture label. Say The sun is shining, not It’s sunning; say It’s windy or The wind is blowing, not It’s winding.

Lightning and thunder are normally uncountable in basic weather use: There is some lightning and thunder. A rainbow and a storm are countable nouns.

Drill 1: choose the family member

1The forecast gives a probability: There is a 60 percent chance of .

2The report classifies the whole day: It will be a day.

3The camera shows water falling now: It’s now.

4The noun is the subject of the sentence: The is strong.

5The weather adjective follows it is: It’s very .

6The storm report uses the uncountable noun: There is some in the distance.

Ask for the information you need

information wanted	natural question	possible answer
broad current description	What’s the weather like?	It’s cool and cloudy.
same broad description	How’s the weather?	It’s warm and sunny.
one current event	Is it raining?	No, it isn’t.
a number and unit	What’s the temperature?	It’s 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
expected later conditions	What’s the forecast for Friday?	Cloudy, with a high of 68°F.

What’s X like? asks for a description. The word like does not mean enjoy in this question. Do not combine the two question frames as How is the weather like?

Drill 2: choose the question from the answer needed

1The caller wants a broad description of current conditions:

2The caller only needs to know whether water is falling now:

3The caller expects the answer “72 degrees Fahrenheit”:

4The caller needs expected conditions for a later day:

Read temperature and probability carefully

Always make the unit clear across countries

U.S. local forecasts commonly use Fahrenheit; most countries use Celsius. In an international conversation, include the unit: 72 degrees Fahrenheit or about 22 degrees Celsius. Do not assume that 35 degrees creates the same temperature picture for every listener.

Use singular after one and plural after other numbers: 1 degree, 72 degrees. High is the warmest temperature expected in the forecast period; low is the coolest.

A chance is not a promise

A 60 percent chance of rain is a probability estimate for a place and forecast period. It means rain is possible, not certain. It does not simply mean rain for 60 percent of the day. Forecast services may define and calculate the number in more detail.

Seasons depend on place and system

The four-season model does not produce the same month or weather picture everywhere.

Under the four-season model, January is winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
Places near the equator may have less seasonal temperature change. Some local calendars focus on wet and dry seasons instead.
A season name does not guarantee one condition. A winter day can be sunny, and a summer day can be rainy.

time frame	preposition pattern	example
season in general	in + season	The program opens in spring.
common U.S. alternative	in the + season	The program opens in the spring.
this, next, or last	no in	It opens next spring.

American English commonly uses fall for the season between summer and winter. Autumn is also understood and is especially common in British English.

Sound natural: short frames, clear message words

In relaxed speech, it is becomes one-syllable it’s. Keep the weather message prominent: It’s RAINing, It’s WINDy, and It’s SEVenty-two degrees.

Weather begins with a voiced th and sounds like WEATH-er in U.S. English. Whether often sounds the same but has a different spelling and meaning. What’s the weather like? links as What’s-the WEATHer-like?

Common U.S. pronunciations include TEM-pruh-cher for temperature, FAIR-en-height for Fahrenheit, and SEL-see-us for Celsius. Careful speech may keep more sounds in temperature.

Keep word-family differences audible: rain has one syllable, while RAIN-y and RAIN-ing have two. The noun wind in weather uses the short vowel in win.

Listen: which weather meaning do you hear?

Your teacher reads each fictional line once with natural U.S. rhythm and once more slowly. Listen for adjective or event form, forecast labels, probability, and place. Check your answer before discussing the line with your tutor.

Tutor-read listening check

1. What viewpoint does Clip 1 express?

2. What viewpoint does Clip 2 express?

3. What does Clip 3 report?

4. What does Clip 4 communicate?

5. Which season is January in the fictional Northern Hemisphere city?

6. Which season is January in the fictional Southern Hemisphere city?

Build meaning from a forecast card

Drill 3: match each label to what it tells you

Tap a forecast label, then tap its exact meaning.

Drill 4: build the current-weather question

A coordinator calls a partner at a fictional office in another city and wants a broad description now.

Drill 5: build the later-weather question

The coordinator has current conditions but needs expected conditions for Friday.

Notice and repair errors

Drill 6: repair the event form

The camera shows water falling at this exact moment: “It’s rain now.” Tap the word to replace.

Drill 7: ordinary season or next season?

The schedule names the following summer: “The fictional program starts in next summer.” Tap the extra word.

Oral transform: keep the weather idea, change the viewpoint

Say each complete response aloud before revealing it.

1 rain · probability in a forecast

There is a chance of rain.

2 rain · broad description of the day

It’s a rainy day.

3 rain · falling at this exact moment

It’s raining now.

4 broad current description · ask

What’s the weather like?

5 number and unit · ask

What’s the temperature?

6 expected Friday conditions · ask

What’s the forecast for Friday?

Read a fictional service forecast

Harbor City service desk, Tuesday at 8:00 a.m.

Current conditions: cloudy, 61°F / 16°C, with no rain now. Tuesday forecast: high 68°F / 20°C, low 55°F / 13°C, and a 40 percent chance of rain after 3:00 p.m. Wednesday forecast: rainy, with a high of 64°F / 18°C. Under the posted service plan, Wednesday’s community market moves indoors.

Read, then choose the exact card information

1. What are the current conditions at 8:00 a.m.?

2. What is Tuesday’s forecast high?

3. Which service moves indoors under the posted plan?

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

Weekend weather for the market

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

Community newsletter96 wordsAbout 1 min

Here is the weekend weather for the Green Park Market. Right now, it’s cloudy and cool, but it isn’t raining. The wind is strong, so it’s windy near the river.

Saturday: sunny and warm, with a high of 75°F (24°C). This is a great day for the market! Sunday: rainy in the morning, with a 70 percent chance of rain. It can be foggy near the river early in the day, too.

It’s fall, but the weekend isn’t cold. Bring an umbrella, not a coat! In winter, when it’s snowy, the market moves inside the library.

Find it

Tap the 6 weather adjectives that end in -y, like sunny. Skip nouns and -ing forms.

Check your understanding

1. What is the weather like right now?

2. Which day is better for the market?

3. What does a 70 percent chance of rain mean?

Crossword

Rain, snow, and seasons

Click a clue or a square, then type. Press Check when you finish.

Across

Down

Memory

Weather word families

Flip two cards. If they belong together, they stay. Find every pair in as few turns as you can.

Sort it

Broad condition or event now?

Tap a word, then tap the box it belongs in. Press Check when the tray is empty.

Use it safely and flexibly

You never need to disclose your real location, weather, climate, home conditions, clothing, health, mobility, work, travel, schedule, plans, finances, family, or access needs. Use the fictional forecast cards and service plans, invent details, or share personal information only when you freely choose. For real severe weather, follow official local alerts; this language lesson is not safety guidance.

Separate the times: Use one fictional card to state current conditions, one live event that is or is not happening now, and one later forecast.

Change the word family: Move from a noun phrase such as a chance of rain to a rainy day and then to It’s raining now.

Read the numbers responsibly: Give a current temperature, forecast high, forecast low, and chance of rain. Include Fahrenheit or Celsius every time.

Compare fictional places: Use supplied Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, wet-season, and dry-season cards. Report only what each card states; do not guess climate from a country name.

Final production: give a fictional community weather bulletin for 45–60 seconds. Include a broad current condition, one event happening or not happening now, a later forecast, a temperature with its unit, a rain probability interpreted as possible rather than certain, one place-specific season fact, the supplied service change, and one follow-up weather question.

Reflect

Say the system back

Complete this aloud: “Short-term conditions are ______; long-term patterns are ______. Rain is the noun, rainy is the ______, and raining focuses on an ______ in progress. A temperature needs a number and a ______.”

Then explain why January can be winter in one fictional city and summer in another, and why a 60 percent chance of rain is not a promise.

Final quiz: choose from the complete weather context

1. Which sentence uses the uncountable word weather correctly?

2. A live camera shows water falling right now. Which report fits?

3. Showers start and stop throughout Tuesday. Which broad description fits the whole day?

4. The caller needs the answer “72 degrees Fahrenheit.” Which question fits?

5. The card shows a 60 percent chance of rain. Which interpretation is defensible?

6. The schedule names the following winter: The fictional program starts ___.

7. The card uses the four-season model for a Southern Hemisphere city. Which season is January?

8. Which sentence uses lightning naturally in a basic weather report?

Return tomorrow before rereading the lesson. Complete the five-minute next-day retrieval, then revisit only the word family, time viewpoint, forecast label, unit, probability, or season frame that still feels slow.

Next-day retrieval

Choose the missing weather language before rereading

1The camera shows water falling at this exact moment: It’s at this exact moment.

2The forecast gives a probability: There is a chance of .

3The card uses the four-season model for a Southern Hemisphere city: January is .

Repair the next-season frame