in the rain , heavy rain / lot of rain / a pelting rain / a downpour / a torrent
rain falls = comes down from the sky ;
it’s raining ; it’s raining hard / heavily (= raining a lot) it’s pouring , it’s pouring with rain , it’s drizzling, a drizzling rain = a drizzle;
wet / rainy (adj.) , to get wet = to get caught in the rain, to be soaking wet / wet through = very wet , to be all wet = very wet (wet - wetter - wettest) , to be (get) drenched / soaked (adj.), to be (get) soaked to the skin = completely soaked, damp (adj.) (Note: Use damp to say that something is wet especially in an unpleasant way), moist (adjsoggy (adj.) when the air feels wet = humid, damp ;
humid shower , heavy showers torrent ;
a raging torrent, torrential rain = very heavy rain, the rainy season / the Monsoon (n. sing.) - thaw (n. sing.)
Wet weather
This wet weather scale gets stronger from left to right.
DAMP → DRIZZLE → POUR DOWN / DOWNPOUR → TORRENTIAL RAIN → FLOOD
Snow
snow, snowfall, falling snow, heavy snow, deep snow, fresh snow, light snow, wet snow, melting snow;
snowstorm, blizzard, frost;
snowflake, snowdrift / snowbank, ice, icicle;
Wind
wind, breeze, strong wind, high wind, light wind, cold wind, warm wind, a gust of wind;
climate, temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, three inches of snow.
Read and translate the text .
The naughtiest thing in the world is theweather. It's like a capricious woman who always does the opposite to what you ask her.
When you want to go for a picnic in the open air you ask the skies toremain clear and the day tobe fine. Nervously you switch on the radio and listen to theweather forecast. You tremble with joy to hear that it'llstay warm anddry withbright sunshine, andmoderate breeze. Your imagination draws ahot summer afternoon and yourself saying:'Nice weather we are having today!' You take a lot of food and no warm clothes, go to the countryside but... do not get anythingsunny.
You get itcloudy andcool withintermittent drizzle which ends with athundery shower. The sky is soheavily cast with clouds, the downpours follow one another with such frequency, therumbling of thunder andHashes of lightning are so frightening that you've got no illusions left. You throw away the food and go back hungry and angry. And when you are already approaching your homesoaked to the skin it suddenlybrightens up. Oh, Goodness!
Each summer every student survives through the best time of his or her life — an examination session. Then many students plead: 'Please, weather, staycloudy, chilly or evencold with brisk northerly wind andnun torrents leavingpoolsandpeddles everywhere, especially on the playground. And I'll be a good student'. The radio promises:'Patchy light drizzle withshowery outbreaks of rain.' But the "patch" is never in the right place. Instead the skies sendheatand excellent weather for asun tan. Everyone knows that sun tan never helps at exams.
And it is always like this. When you go skiing and want to have frosty weather with a lot ofsnow, it startsthawing and your skis sink in theslush. Instead of asnowfall andhoarfrost on the trees you get excellentsleet. The weather does not feel any pangs of remorse.
When you go in the car to the country, enjoyingnice weatherand a beautiful view of arainbow in the blue sky, you pay no attention to somehaze on the horizon. Some time later athin mist in the distance turns into athick fog and you spend a lovely two hours instead of one at the steering wheel.
When you plant some much-cared-for flowers in the garden, either aground frostora hail storm kills them. Diggingmuddy flowerbeds one feels exasperated:'What beastly weather we've had this week! And it keeps nasty! Wretched!'
To tell the truth, sometimes the weather is ashamed andturns for the better. But not always. More often it sticks to its own pattern and aftera short warm spell turns bad again. Why is it always like this? Maybe, because the weather likes surprises and wants to bring in adventures to our life, breaking the boring routine with marvellous happenings?
1. Do you agree that the weather is like a capricious woman? Prove your point.
2. Say what weather you like best of all and why.
3. Do you listen to the weather forecasts? Do you trust them? Have you heard the weather forecast for today? Was it right?
4. Look at the pictures and say what the weather Is like in them.