English: Weather & Seasons

Level: A2. The weather is the world’s easiest small talk, and English has a simple set of patterns for it. Learn how to ask what it’s like, how to describe sun, rain and temperature, and the names of the seasons, and you can chat about the weather anywhere.

By the end of this page you can…

…ask and answer ‘What’s the weather like?’, describe common weather with adjectives and -ing verbs, name the four seasons, and understand a basic forecast.

Asking about the weather

The standard question is What’s the weather like? (‘like’ here means ‘how is it’, not the verb ‘to like’). You can also ask How’s the weather? or, about tomorrow, What’s the weather going to be like?

To answer, start with It’s. In English the weather almost always takes an empty it — there is no real subject, but the sentence still needs one.

• What’s the weather like? — It’s sunny.
• How’s the weather in London? — It’s cold and grey.

Describing the weather: adjective or -ing verb

There are two patterns, and choosing the right one is the key A2 skill here.

Use It’s + adjective for a general state: It’s sunny. It’s cloudy. It’s hot. It’s cold. It’s windy. It’s foggy.

Use It’s + verb-ing for something falling from the sky right now: It’s raining. It’s snowing. You will also hear the noun forms: There’s a lot of rain / snow / wind today.

Temperature

To give the temperature, say It’s plus the number and degrees: It’s twenty degrees. For how it feels, use hot, warm, cool, cold and freezing (very cold) or boiling (very hot — informal).

• It’s thirty degrees. It’s really hot today.
• It’s minus five. It’s freezing!

Most of the world measures in degrees Celsius (°C); the United States uses degrees Fahrenheit (°F). Say which if it is not obvious.

The four seasons

The year has four seasons. Note the British/American difference in one of them:

Reading a forecast

A weather forecast tells you what is coming. Useful words: chance of rain (it might rain), high/low (the top and bottom temperature), shower (a short burst of rain), and clear (no clouds).

• Tomorrow: sunny in the morning, a chance of rain in the afternoon, high of 18.
• A cold, clear night with a low of 2 degrees.

A short conversation

Ana: It’s a lovely day today, isn’t it? Ben: Yes, it’s really warm. What’s the weather like at the weekend? Ana: The forecast says sunny on Saturday, but there’s a chance of rain on Sunday. Ben: Oh well. I love autumn — not too hot, not too cold. Ana: Me too. Bring a jacket though; the evenings are getting cold.

Example sentences

Press play and repeat each line. These cover every common way to talk about the weather.

1. What's the weather like today?
   The standard question about the weather.
   'like' means 'how is it' here.
2. It's sunny.
   A clear, bright day — adjective form.
3. It's cloudy and grey.
   The sky is full of clouds.
4. It's raining.
   Rain is falling right now — -ing verb.
5. It's snowing.
   Snow is falling right now.
6. It's very windy today.
   Strong wind is blowing.
7. It's foggy this morning.
   Hard to see because of fog.
8. It's hot and humid.
   Warm and damp air.
9. It's cold. Bring a coat.
   A low temperature; take a warm jacket.
10. It's freezing outside!
    Freezing means very cold.
11. It's thirty degrees.
    Giving the temperature.
12. It's minus five this morning.
    A temperature below zero.
13. There's a chance of rain this afternoon.
    It might rain later.
14. The forecast says sunny tomorrow.
    Talking about future weather.
15. I love spring. The flowers come out.
    Talking about a season.
16. In summer the days are long.
    A fact about summer.
17. The leaves fall in autumn.
    Autumn is 'fall' in American English.
18. It often snows in winter here.
    A habit — present simple.
19. What's the weather going to be like at the weekend?
    Asking about the future.
20. It's a lovely day, isn't it?
    A friendly weather opener for small talk.

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Practice

Weather and seasons practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 Complete the question: What's the weather ____ today? (one word)

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Hint: it means 'how is it', not the verb 'to like'

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like — 'What's the weather like?' is the fixed question; 'like' means 'how is it'.

2 Rain is falling right now. Which is correct?

Is raining. It's raining. The weather rains. It rainy.

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It's raining. — Use the empty 'it' and the -ing verb for something happening now: It's raining.

3 Use the adjective: The sky is full of clouds, so it's ____. (one word)

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Hint: cloud + -y

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cloudy — For a visible state in the sky, use the adjective: it's cloudy.

4 Which word means 'very cold'?

boiling freezing humid mild

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freezing — Freezing means very cold; boiling means very hot.

5 Put the words in order to give the temperature.

degreesIt'stwenty

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Show answer

It's twenty degrees — Give the temperature with 'It's' + number + degrees.

6 Match each season to its typical weather.

• spring Match for spring — choose — cold, short dayscooler, falling leavesmild, flowerswarm, long days
• summer Match for summer — choose — cold, short dayscooler, falling leavesmild, flowerswarm, long days
• autumn Match for autumn — choose — cold, short dayscooler, falling leavesmild, flowerswarm, long days
• winter Match for winter — choose — cold, short dayscooler, falling leavesmild, flowerswarm, long days

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• spring → mild, flowers
• summer → warm, long days
• autumn → cooler, falling leaves
• winter → cold, short days

Each season has its own typical weather in the northern half of the world.

How to say it

A few weather words sound different from how they look — copy the audio.

• weather rhymes with feather: say WEH-ther, with a soft th, not wether or weeder.
• degrees has the stress on the second part: di-GREEZ.
• autumn is AW-tum — the final n is silent.
• humid starts with a breathy h: HYOO-mid.

Quiz

Check yourself

Weather and seasons quiz

8 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/8 0 answered

1. 1What is the standard question about the weather?

   A How you weather? B What's the weather like? C Weather is what? D Do you weather?
   Show answer

   What's the weather like? — 'What's the weather like?' is the fixed, natural question.

2. 2Choose the correct sentence.

   A Is raining now. B The weather rains now. C It's raining now. D It rains it now.
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   It's raining now. — Weather needs the empty 'it' as subject: It's raining.

3. 3The sky is full of clouds. It's…

   A sunny B cloudy C freezing D windy
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   cloudy — A sky full of clouds is cloudy; use the adjective for a visible state.

4. 4Which season comes between summer and winter?

   A spring B autumn / fall C noon D the weekend
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   autumn / fall — Autumn (American English: fall) is between summer and winter.

5. 5'It's minus five.' means the temperature is…

   A very hot B below zero C exactly comfortable D unknown
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   below zero — 'Minus five' is five degrees below zero — very cold.

6. 6What does 'a chance of rain' mean?

   A it will definitely rain B it never rains here C it might rain D the rain has stopped
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   it might rain — 'A chance of rain' means it is possible, not certain.

7. 7Which word means 'very hot' (informal)?

   A freezing B cool C boiling D mild
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   boiling — 'Boiling' is an informal way to say very hot; 'freezing' is very cold.

8. 8'Autumn' and 'fall' are…

   A two different seasons B the same season in different Englishes C months, not seasons D types of rain
   Show answer

   the same season in different Englishes — British English says autumn; American English says fall — the same season.

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