Weather and Seasons in English
Do more with this exercise
Learn 30 words for the weather, the temperature and the seasons. Read each word and its example, then do the exercises. Use the past to tell a story (it was sunny) and the present continuous for now (it's raining).
What is the weather like?
sunny
Yesterday was sunny, so we went to the park.
cloudy
It was cloudy in the morning, but it was sunny in the afternoon.
rainy
Saturday was a rainy day, so we stayed at home.
windywith a lot of wind
It was very windy on the beach, so we didn't swim.
snowy
We had a snowy Christmas last year.
foggy
It was very foggy in the morning, so the bus was late.
stormy
The night was dark and stormy.
Weather words
rainwater that falls from the sky
We didn't go out because of the rain.
snowwhite, cold and soft; it falls in winter
The children played in the snow all morning.
windair that moves fast
The wind was cold, so I wore my coat.
stormvery bad weather with wind and rain
There was a big storm last night.
fogthick cloud near the ground
There was fog on the road this morning.
rainbow
We saw a rainbow after the rain.
skythe space above us
The sky was blue and there was a lot of sun.
Hot and cold
hota very high temperature
It was very hot in July, so we swam every day.
warmnot hot and not cold, nice
The sea was warm, so we swam for an hour.
coola little cold, but nice
The evenings are cool in autumn.
colda low temperature
It was cold and I was wearing my big coat.
freezingvery, very cold
It was freezing on the mountain, but we had warm coats.
temperaturehow hot or cold it is
The temperature was 30 degrees at noon.
degrees
It was 25 degrees yesterday afternoon.
The seasons
seasonone of the four parts of the year
Spring is the best season in my town.
spring
Last spring, it rained a lot in my city.
summerthe hot season
Last summer, we went to the beach every weekend.
autumn
In autumn, the days are shorter than in summer.
winterthe cold season
It was very cold last winter, and it snowed a lot.
Talking about the weather
What's the weather like?a question about the weather
What's the weather like in your city today?
weather forecasta report about the weather for the next days
I always watch the weather forecast before the weekend.
It's raining.rain is falling now
It's raining, so we're staying at home.
It was snowing.snow was falling at that time in the past
It was snowing when we left the house.
Practice exercises
Match the Weather
Match each word with its picture or meaning.
Choose a word on the left, then its match on the right.
Choose the Correct Word
Choose the correct word for each sentence.
9.It's 35 degrees outside. It's very ___.
10.It's 2 degrees and I'm wearing a big coat. It's ___ today.
11.I can't see the sun. The sky is ___.
12.There was a big ___ last night, with a lot of wind and rain.
13.What's the weather ___ in Madrid today?
14.Look! ___
15.Which word means very, very cold?
Fill in the Blank
Type the missing word.
How to talk about the weather in English
People talk about the weather all the time in English, because it is an easy and friendly subject. To ask, say What's the weather like? To answer, use it and an adjective: It's sunny, it's cold, it's windy.
You can make many weather adjectives from a noun: sun becomes sunny, rain becomes rainy, cloud becomes cloudy, wind becomes windy. Use them with the verb to be: It was cloudy in the morning.
For the temperature, learn a scale: warm, hot, cool, cold and freezing. Say the number with degrees: It was 25 degrees yesterday afternoon.
Weather is also good for telling stories in the past. Use the past simple for the facts (It rained all day) and the past continuous for the scene (It was snowing when we left the house). There are four seasons: spring, summer, autumn (fall in American English) and winter. Use in with a season: in winter, in the summer.
Frequently asked questions
How do I ask about the weather?
Say What's the weather like? or How's the weather? Answer with It's and an adjective: It's sunny. It's cold and windy. For the past, say It was cloudy yesterday.
Why do we say it in It's raining?
English sentences need a subject, so for the weather we use it: It's raining, it's cold, it's snowing. It does not mean a thing. It is only the subject.
What is the difference between rain and rainy?
Rain is a noun: We didn't go out because of the rain. Rainy is an adjective: It was a rainy day. It is the same with sun and sunny, cloud and cloudy, wind and windy.
Is it autumn or fall?
Both are correct. Autumn is more common in British English, and fall is more common in American English.
What is the difference between It was raining and It rained?
It was raining describes the weather at one moment in a story: It was raining when we left. It rained is a complete event: It rained all day yesterday. In a story, use It was raining to set the scene.
Answer key
1. sunny
Answer: ☀️
Sunny weather has a lot of sun.
2. cloudy
Answer: ☁️
Cloudy weather has a lot of clouds.
3. rainy
Answer: 🌧️
Rainy weather has a lot of rain.
4. snowy
Answer: ❄️
Snowy weather has snow.
5. stormy
Answer: very bad weather with wind, rain and thunder
Stormy weather has wind, rain and thunder.
6. foggy
Answer: 🌫️
Foggy weather has thick cloud near the ground.
7. rainbow
Answer: 🌈
A rainbow has many colours. We see it when there is sun and rain.
8. autumn
Answer: 🍂
Autumn is the season with red and yellow leaves.
9. It's 35 degrees outside. It's very ___.
Answer: hot
35 degrees is a high temperature, so it is hot.
10. It's 2 degrees and I'm wearing a big coat. It's ___ today.
Answer: cold
2 degrees is a low temperature, so it is cold.
11. I can't see the sun. The sky is ___.
Answer: cloudy
We can't see the sun when there are clouds, so the sky is cloudy.
12. There was a big ___ last night, with a lot of wind and rain.
Answer: storm
A storm is very bad weather with wind and rain.
13. What's the weather ___ in Madrid today?
Answer: like
The question is What's the weather like? We use like to ask about the weather.
14. Look! ___
Answer: It's raining.
Look! means now, so we use the present continuous: It's raining.
15. Which word means very, very cold?
Answer: freezing
Freezing means very, very cold.
16. Yesterday was a ___ day, so we stayed at home.
Answer: rainy
The picture shows rain, so the adjective is rainy.
17. The sun was out and the sky was blue. It was a ___ day.
Answer: sunny
A day with a lot of sun is a sunny day.
18. When I woke up, it ___ snowing outside.
Answer: was
For an action in progress in the past, we use was or were + -ing: It was snowing. With it, we use was.
19. The leaves are red and yellow. The season is ___.
Answer: autumn
Autumn is the British word and fall is the American word. Both are correct.
20. After the rain, we saw a beautiful ___ in the sky.
Answer: rainbow
A rainbow is the picture of many colours in the sky.
21. Today it's 30 ___ and sunny.
Answer: degrees
We measure the temperature in degrees. 30 is plural, so degrees has an s.
22. Today is ___ than yesterday. Yesterday it was 5 degrees and today it's 15.
Answer: warmer
Warm is a short adjective, so we add -er: warmer than.
23. Last ___, it was very cold, and it snowed a lot.
Answer: winter
Winter is the cold season, with snow in many countries.