WORD FOCUS: WEATHER fair / bright / nice / lovely / glorious sunny / fine / good weather : used to describe weather or a day when there is a lot of sunshine / there isn't a cloud in the sky / the sky is completely clear be blessed with / enjoy bright / brilliant / glorious sunshine wet / rainy / damp weather : used to describe weather or a day when there is a lot of rain
. cfr.
unsettled : if the weather is unsettled, it keeps changing and it often rains drizzle : light rain which consists of very small drops of water; it's drizzling: it is raining a little, with very small drops of rain snowy weather : used to describe weather or a day when there is a lot of snow sleet (nevischio): a mixture of snow and rain slush (neve sciolta, fanghiglia): a mixture of partly melted snow and ice hail / hailstones : frozen drops of rain, that fall as drops of ice frost (gelo, brina): white powder that covers the ground when it is cold windy weather : used to describe a day or weather when there is a lot of wind hurricane (in the Atlantic Ocean) / typhoon (in the Pacific Ocean): a violent storm with extremely strong winds cloudy weather : used to describe weather or a day when there are a lot of clouds in the sky overcast / dull (nuvoloso, coperto): if the sky is overcast, it is very cloudy and dark, and it is likely to rain
It will be a cold night, and there may be fog patches .
boiling / scorching / sizzling (= bollente - sizzling summer temperatures) / blazing ( = rovente; cocente , infuocato) / burning / baking / broiling (= torrido – broiling summer / afternoon etc.; anche broiling hot) / sweltering (day / heat = very hot and humid = opprimente, torrido, afoso, soffocante ) / muggy afoso balmy (mite): pleasantly warm, with a gentle wind blowing (air, evening, weather) arctic / wintry cold : extremely cold, usually with a lot of ice and snow crisp (frizzante, tonificante) if the air is crisp, it feels cold but pleasantly fresh and clear cool : a little cold, in a way that is pleasant cold snap / cold spell : a period of unusually cold weather - brusco calo di temperatura; breve ondata di freddo flood alluvione; inondazione; allagamento slippery scivoloso defrost sbrinare melt sciogliere, sciogliersi shovel spalare la neve phrases, collocations etc. a period of unusually hot weather temperatures will drop to / temperatures will rise to
The weather turned bitterly cold.
The weather forecast said it would be fine all day.
The weather map shows an area of high pressure coming in from the Atlantic.
The climbers reached the top, in spite of bad weather conditions. changes in weather patterns caused by global warming
I'm playing golf this afternoon - weather permitting the weather [= the weather forecast but informal]: a description on radio or television, in newspapers etc of what the weather will be like in the near future:
I always watch the weather after the news. in all weathers: in all types of weather, even when it is very hot or cold:
There are homeless people sleeping on the streets in all weathers.

the sun shines / warms something/beats down (on something) / breaks through the clouds the sunshine breaks / streams through something fluffy (= soffice; leggero; vaporoso) / wispy (sottili) clouds drift across the sky || (thick / dark / storm) clouds form/gather/ cover the sky / block out the sun / part / clear the sky darkens/turns black / clears / brightens (up) / lightens (up) a fine mist hangs in the air a dense / heavy / thick fog rolls in / comes in / comes down / lifts / disappears / clears up / rolls away / melts away the rain falls / comes down (in buckets/sheets) / pours down / stops / lets up / holds off the snow crunches beneath/under somebody's feet/boots snow falls / comes down / covers something a light breeze blows the wind blows /whistles / howls / whips through something / sweeps across something / dies down strong / gale-force winds blow | gust (= raffica; up to 80 mph) a storm is approaching / is moving inland / hits / strikes / rages / passes thunder rolls (= rimbombare) / rumbles / sounds
(forked (= a zigzag) / sheet (= lampo diffuso; bagliore di fulmini) lightning strikes / hits / flashes a (snow) blizzard hits / strikes / blows / rages a tornado touches down / hits / strikes / destroys something / rips through (= devastare, distruggere) something forecast / expect / predict rain / snow / a category-four hurricane get caught in / seek shelter from / escape the rain be covered / shrouded in mist / a blanket of fog be in for (W e're in for a storm
, è in arrivo un temporale; arriva la tempesta) / brave (= affrontare, sfidare)
/ shelter from a / the storm hear rolling / distant thunder be battered / buffeted (= colpito, battuto) by strong winds
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QUIZ http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/2009/06/090623_fm_202_quiz.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/quizzes/quiznet/2012/05/120511_flash_quiz_2_weather.shtml