# How to Talk About the Weather in English: Vocabulary, Typhoon Terms and Everyday Dialogues

> Learn weather vocabulary in English: sunny, overcast, rain, heat, cold and typhoon words with examples, forecast terms, °C to °F, idioms, dialogues and a quiz.

- URL: https://ambitious-learner.com/en/resources/weather-english-vocabulary-phrases-dialogues
- Author: Ambitious Learner Editorial Team（Ambitious Learner Ambitious Learner）
- Published: 2026-10-20
- Last updated: 2026-10-20
- Category: Learning English

## Key points in 30 seconds

Weather English in one place: basic patterns for asking about the weather; words and example sentences for sun, cloud, fog, rain, wind, heat and cold; typhoons and Taiwan's official CWA heavy rain tiers in English; forecast terms; weather idioms; three small-talk dialogues; common mistakes; and a quiz.

- **Weather**: weather is an uncountable noun: say The weather is nice today., not a good weather.
- **Asking about the weather**: What's the weather like today? is the most common question; for future weather, ask What's the forecast for tomorrow?
- **Sunny / overcast / rain**: sunny = bright with sunshine, cloudy = lots of cloud, overcast = the whole sky is grey; for rain right now use the continuous: It's raining., not It rains now.
- **Typhoon**: typhoon (western North Pacific), hurricane (North Atlantic and others); the general term is tropical cyclone. Coming ashore = make landfall.
- **Heavy rain tiers**: Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA): 大雨 Heavy Rain, 豪雨 Extremely Heavy Rain, 大豪雨 Torrential Rain, 超大豪雨 Extremely Torrential Rain.

## How Do You Talk About the Weather in English? The Essentials

**The basics: a bright day is sunny, a grey day is overcast, rain falling right now is “It's raining.”, and the big storms Taiwan gets in summer and autumn are typhoons.** To ask “How's the weather today?”, the most common pattern is **What's the weather like today?**

Weather is one of the easiest small-talk topics to start with. Whether you bump into a foreign colleague in the office lift, warm up with your teacher at a language school in the Philippines, or chat with co-workers on a working holiday in Australia, a simple “It's so hot today!” or “Looks like it's going to rain” makes a natural opener.

This guide puts weather English in one place: patterns for asking about the weather, words for sun, rain, heat and cold, typhoons and heavy rain, reading an English weather forecast, plus common idioms, small-talk dialogues and a short quiz. Bookmark it and practise one sentence every time the weather changes.

## Weather Vocabulary at a Glance

Start with these everyday expressions, then read on for more detailed vocabulary, example sentences and dialogues.

| Weather | Common English | Sentence you can use |
| --- | --- | --- |
| sunny weather | sunny | It's sunny today. |
| some clouds | cloudy | It's cloudy outside. |
| grey, fully covered sky | overcast | It's overcast today. |
| rain | rain / raining | It's raining now. |
| light rain | drizzle / drizzling | It's drizzling. |
| very heavy rain | pouring | It's pouring outside. |
| windy weather | windy | It's windy today. |
| fog | foggy | It's foggy this morning. |
| hot weather | hot | It's really hot today. |
| cold weather | cold | It's cold outside. |
| hot and humid | muggy | It's hot and muggy. |
| typhoon | typhoon | A typhoon is approaching. |
| weather forecast | weather forecast | Check the weather forecast. |

**Quick tip:** sunny, cloudy and cold are adjectives; rain can be a noun or a verb. For rain falling right now, say **It's raining.**; to say it often rains during a certain period, you can say **It's rainy this time of year.**

## Basic Patterns for Asking and Talking About the Weather

Learn how to ask and how to answer first; then the vocabulary has somewhere to go.

| English pattern | What it means | When to use it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **What's the weather like today?** | Asks what today's weather is like | The most common, safest way to ask |
| **How's the weather in Cebu?** | Asks what the weather is like in Cebu | Asking about the weather somewhere else |
| **What's the forecast for tomorrow?** | Asks what tomorrow's forecast says | Asking about future weather |
| **Is it going to rain this afternoon?** | Asks whether it will rain this afternoon | Checking before you go out |
| **What's the temperature outside?** | Asks how warm or cold it is outside | Asking about the temperature |
| **Lovely day, isn't it?** | Says the weather is lovely and invites agreement | A small-talk opener; the tag question invites the other person to reply |
| **It's so hot today, isn't it?** | Says it's very hot and invites agreement | Same as above, as an icebreaker |

The most common answer structures are **It's + adjective** or **It's + verb -ing** (for weather that is happening right now):

- It's sunny. (The sun is out.)
- It's raining. (Rain is falling right now. Don't say *It rains now*.)
- It's going to rain. (Rain is coming soon.)
- It looks like rain. (The sky suggests rain is on the way.)
- It's supposed to be cold tomorrow. (You've heard or read that tomorrow will be cold.)

## Sunny, Overcast and Foggy: Words for the Sky

| English | Meaning | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| sunny | bright, with sunshine | It's sunny and warm today. |
| clear | with no clouds (often used for the sky or at night) | The sky is clear tonight. You can see the stars. |
| bright | full of light | It's a bright morning. |
| partly cloudy | some clouds, with some sun | Tomorrow will be partly cloudy. |
| cloudy | with a lot of cloud | It's been cloudy all week. |
| overcast | grey; the whole sky is covered by cloud | It's overcast, but it's not raining yet. |
| gloomy / grey (gray) | dark and grey | What a gloomy day. |
| foggy | with fog (thicker) | Drive slowly. It's really foggy on the mountain road. |
| misty | with light fog (mist) | It was misty early in the morning. |
| hazy | not clear, with poor visibility (often linked to air pollution) | The city looks hazy today. |
| smoggy | with smog | It's too smoggy to go jogging. |

> 💡 **sunny vs. clear: what's the difference?** sunny stresses sunshine, so you don't say sunny at night; clear stresses that there are no clouds, so it works both day and night.

## Ways to Talk About Rain: From Drizzle to Downpour

English uses different words for rain depending on how heavy it is and how long it lasts.

| English | Meaning | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| drizzle | very light rain (noun / verb) | It's only drizzling. You don't need an umbrella. |
| shower | a short spell of rain (usually comes quickly and doesn't last long) | There may be a few showers this afternoon. |
| light rain / heavy rain | a little rain / a lot of rain | Heavy rain is expected tonight. |
| downpour | very heavy rain that starts suddenly | We got caught in a downpour on the way home. |
| pouring (rain) | raining very heavily | It's pouring outside! |
| thunderstorm | a storm with thunder and lightning | Afternoon thunderstorms are common in Taiwan in summer. |
| thunder / lightning | the sound / the flash of light in a storm | Did you hear the thunder? I saw lightning over the mountains. |
| hail | small balls of ice that fall like rain | It hailed for ten minutes. |
| rainy season | the time of year with the most rain | The rainy season in the Philippines usually starts around June. |
| Mei-Yu / Meiyu season; plum rain season | Taiwan's early-summer rainy season | Taiwan's Mei-Yu season usually occurs in May and June. |
| soaked / drenched | completely wet | I forgot my umbrella and got soaked. |
| rainbow | the arc of colours you see after rain | Look, there's a rainbow after the rain! |

**What is the Mei-Yu season called in English?** The bilingual glossary of Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA) uses **Mei-Yu**; you will also see Meiyu or the more literal plum rain. When you explain it to someone who doesn't know East Asian weather, add *the early-summer rainy season in Taiwan*, so you're not just giving them a name they won't understand.

Useful sentences:

- Take an umbrella just in case. (A friendly reminder before someone goes out.)
- The rain has stopped.
- It's clearing up. (The clouds are breaking and the weather is getting better.)
- It rained on and off all day. (*on and off* = stopping and starting.)

## Talking About Wind: From a Light Breeze to Strong Gusts

| English | Meaning | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| breeze | a light, gentle wind | There's a nice sea breeze in the evening. |
| breezy | with a light wind | It's a little breezy by the beach. |
| windy | with a lot of wind (how strong depends on the context) | It's too windy to ride a scooter. |
| gust (of wind) | a sudden, strong rush of wind | A strong gust blew my umbrella inside out. |
| gale | a very strong wind | Gale-force winds are expected along the coast. |
| blow | (of the wind) to move | The wind is blowing hard tonight. |
| northeast monsoon | the seasonal wind from the northeast | The northeast monsoon will bring cooler weather to northern Taiwan. |

## Hot, Cold and Temperature: From “It's So Hot” to “I'm Freezing”

### How hot is it?

| English | Meaning | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| warm | pleasantly hot | It's warm enough to wear a T-shirt. |
| hot | with a high temperature | It's really hot today. |
| boiling / scorching | extremely hot (casual exaggeration) | It's boiling out there! |
| a scorcher | a very hot day (common in British and Australian English) | Tomorrow's going to be a scorcher. |
| humid | with a lot of moisture in the air | Taiwan's summers are hot and humid. |
| muggy / sticky | hot, damp and uncomfortable | It's so muggy. My shirt is sticking to my back. |
| stuffy | (indoors) airless, with poor ventilation | It's stuffy in here. Can we open a window? |
| heatwave | a period of unusually hot weather | Europe is going through a heatwave. |
| heatstroke | illness caused by too much heat | Drink plenty of water to avoid heatstroke. |

### How cold is it?

| English | Meaning | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| mild | neither too hot nor too cold | We had a mild winter this year. |
| cool | pleasantly cold | It's nice and cool in the evening. |
| chilly | a bit cold | It's a bit chilly. Bring a jacket. |
| cold | with a low temperature | It's getting cold. |
| freezing | extremely cold (casual exaggeration) | I'm freezing! |
| cold snap / cold wave | a short spell of sudden cold weather / a cold wave | A cold snap is coming this weekend. |
| cold air mass | a large mass of cold air | A strong cold air mass will bring temperatures down to 10°C. |
| frost | a thin layer of ice on surfaces | There was frost on the car this morning. |
| snow | snow (noun); to snow (verb) | It snowed on Hehuan Mountain last night. |
| sleet | in British English usually rain mixed with snow; in American English usually ice pellets | The forecast says there may be sleet tonight. |

### Saying temperatures: Celsius, Fahrenheit and “feels like”

- 30°C is read as **thirty degrees Celsius**; in conversation people often just say *It's thirty degrees today.*
- Five degrees below zero: **minus five (degrees)** or **five below (zero)**.
- The US mainly uses Fahrenheit. Conversion formula: °F = °C × 9/5 + 32
   - 0°C = 32°F (the freezing point of water)
   - 30°C = 86°F
   - 20°C = 68°F
- Highest / lowest temperature: **the high / the low**, e.g. *Today's high is 33 and the low is 26.*
- “Feels like” temperature: **It feels like 38 degrees.** Weather apps often show this as **Feels like 38°**. The **heat index** combines air temperature and relative humidity to show how hot it feels; **wind chill** is how much colder the wind makes it feel in cold weather. Different apps may calculate “feels like” in different ways, so don't assume it always means the heat index.
- Temperature changes: *Temperatures will drop / rise this weekend.* (go down / go up)

## Typhoons, Heavy Rain and Natural Disasters in English

Taiwan gets typhoons every summer and autumn, and these are some of the words that come up most often in English news.

### Typhoon, hurricane, cyclone: what's the difference?

**Tropical cyclone is the general term; typhoon and hurricane are the names used in certain ocean regions for tropical cyclones that reach the relevant strength.** Don't decide which word to use based only on the country, and remember that not every tropical depression is called a typhoon.

- **typhoon**: used in the western North Pacific, including the seas around Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan.
- **hurricane**: used in the North Atlantic, the eastern North Pacific and the central North Pacific.
- **tropical cyclone**: common in official information for the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific (including the Australian region); in everyday speech it's often shortened to **cyclone**.

**cyclone on its own can also mean any cyclonic low-pressure system, not necessarily a tropical cyclone.** Intensity categories, wind-speed averaging periods and warning systems also differ from place to place, so you can't treat different agencies' categories as equivalent.

### Typhoon vocabulary

| English | Meaning | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| tropical storm / tropical depression | a tropical storm / a tropical low-pressure system | The tropical depression may strengthen into a typhoon. |
| the eye (of the typhoon) | the centre of a typhoon | The eye passed over Hualien at noon. |
| make landfall | (of a typhoon) to reach land | The typhoon is expected to make landfall tonight. |
| maximum sustained winds | the highest sustained wind speed (typhoon reports often describe the winds near the centre) | It has maximum sustained winds of 144 kph. |
| sea typhoon warning / land typhoon warning | Taiwan's typhoon warning for sea areas / for land areas (shortened to sea warning / land warning when the context is clear) | The CWA has issued a sea warning for the typhoon. |
| typhoon day off | a day off work or school because of a typhoon (in Taiwan: 颱風假) | Do we get a typhoon day off tomorrow? |
| work and classes are canceled | offices and schools are closed (in Taiwan: 停班停課) | Work and classes are canceled in Taipei tomorrow. |
| stock up on | to buy a supply of something in advance | Let's stock up on instant noodles and water. |

Taiwan's national weather agency is the **Central Weather Administration (CWA)**. Practice sentence: *The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has issued a typhoon warning.* The dialogues and example sentences in this article are for language learning only; they are not live weather information or official announcements about work and school closures.

> 💡 **Reading typhoon news? Look beyond the name and category.** Also check the maximum sustained winds, gusts, track and expected impacts, and follow the official warnings where you are for real safety decisions. This article does not convert other regions' Category 1–5 or super typhoon labels directly into Taiwan's own three typhoon intensity levels.

### Heavy rain and other hazards

| English | Meaning | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| torrential rain | very heavy rain (general term); in Taiwan's official tiers it corresponds to 大豪雨 | Torrential rain caused flooding in low-lying areas. |
| flood / flash flood | water covering normally dry land / a sudden, fast-rising flood | The street flooded after the storm. |
| landslide / mudslide / debris flow | earth and rock sliding down a slope / a flow of mud / a flow of mud, rocks and debris | The mountain road is closed because of a landslide. |
| power outage / blackout | a loss of electricity | Thousands of homes had power outages. |
| evacuate | to leave a dangerous area | Residents near the river were told to evacuate. |
| drought | a long period without enough rain | Farmers are worried about the drought. |
| bushfire / wildfire | a fire in the bush (Australians usually say bushfire) / an uncontrolled fire in nature | Bushfires are a serious risk in Australian summers. |

### Taiwan's official English names for heavy rain tiers

In everyday conversation, *heavy rain* and *torrential rain* are just descriptive phrases. In advisories from Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA), however, each tier has a clear rainfall threshold. The table below is based on the CWA's heavy rain advisories in Chinese and English:

| Taiwan tier (Chinese) | CWA official English | Rainfall threshold (any one condition) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 大雨 (heavy rain) | Heavy Rain | 80 mm or more in 24 hours, or 40 mm or more in 1 hour |
| 豪雨 (very heavy rain) | Extremely Heavy Rain | 200 mm or more in 24 hours, or 100 mm or more in 3 hours |
| 大豪雨 (torrential rain) | Torrential Rain | 350 mm or more in 24 hours, or 200 mm or more in 3 hours |
| 超大豪雨 (extremely torrential rain) | Extremely Torrential Rain | 500 mm or more in 24 hours |

**Key point:** in Taiwan's official tiers, extremely heavy rain is 豪雨, not 超大豪雨; other countries and media may not use the same tiers. For the areas under alert and the latest thresholds, check the [CWA heavy rain advisory](https://www.cwa.gov.tw/V8/C/P/Warning/W26.html).

## Reading an English Weather Forecast: Common App and News Terms

When you live abroad, an English weather app is what you check every day before you go out. Learn these terms and you won't dress for the wrong weather.

| Forecast term | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **chance of rain: 70%** | a 70% probability of rain |
| **scattered showers** | showers in some areas |
| **isolated thunderstorms** | thunderstorms in only a few places |
| **clearing later** | becoming clear later |
| **mostly sunny / mostly cloudy** | sunny for most of the time / cloudy for most of the time |
| **high 31° / low 24°** | highest temperature 31 degrees / lowest 24 degrees |
| **humidity: 85%** | humidity of 85% |
| **UV index: very high** | UV index level: very high (8–10); extreme is the highest level (11 or above) |
| **air quality index (AQI)** | a measure of how clean or polluted the air is |
| **weather advisory / weather warning** | weather-related advisories / warnings; the exact names and severity depend on the issuing agency, so don't compare them by wording alone |

**Forecast tip:** chance of rain is the probability of rain at the forecast location during the forecast period. It isn't the share of the day it will rain, and it isn't the amount of rain. very high is the correct English for Taiwan's equivalent UV level; see the [CWA UV index guide](https://www.cwa.gov.tw/V8/C/W/OBS_UVI.html).

Now read a forecast aloud in news-style English (this is a mock forecast, not live information):

> *Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy with scattered showers in the afternoon. Highs around 28 degrees, lows around 22. There's a 60 percent chance of rain, so don't forget your umbrella.*

## Weather Idioms and Expressions in English

Below are idioms, expressions and related words built on weather imagery. Some describe health, mood, work or relationships, and some still describe the weather itself; how often they're used and how they sound depends on the region and the situation.

| Expression | Meaning | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| under the weather | feeling a little unwell | I'm feeling a bit under the weather today. |
| rain or shine | whatever the weather; no matter what | The market is open every Sunday, rain or shine. |
| take a rain check | to turn down an invitation politely but suggest another time | Can I take a rain check on dinner? I have to work late. |
| a breeze | something very easy | The test was a breeze. |
| brainstorm | to come up with ideas as a group (related word, not a weather term) | Let's brainstorm some ideas for the campaign. |
| weather the storm | to get through a difficult time | The company managed to weather the storm. |
| the calm before the storm | a quiet period before something busy or difficult | The office is quiet now, but it's the calm before the storm. |
| every cloud has a silver lining | something good can come out of something bad | I missed the flight, but every cloud has a silver lining. I met my best friend at the airport. |
| steal someone's thunder | to take attention away from someone else's moment | She announced her promotion at my farewell party and stole my thunder. |
| on cloud nine | extremely happy | He's been on cloud nine since he got the job. |
| snowed under | extremely busy; buried in work | I'm snowed under with emails this week. |
| break the ice | to start a conversation and ease the tension | Talking about the weather is an easy way to break the ice. |
| a fair-weather friend | a friend who's only around when things are going well | When I lost my job, I found out who my fair-weather friends were. |
| it never rains but it pours | bad things tend to happen all at once (common in British English) | First my phone broke, then I lost my wallet. It never rains but it pours. |
| raining cats and dogs | raining very heavily | It's raining cats and dogs out there. |

> 💡 **Is raining cats and dogs still OK to use?** Yes. People will understand it, but it's quite vivid and sometimes a little humorous. For something simple and direct, say *It's pouring.*; in British and Australian speech you'll also hear *It's bucketing down.* You don't need to call every heavy rain raining cats and dogs.

## Weather Small-Talk Dialogues

### Dialogue 1: Small talk in the office lift

> **A:** Morning! Crazy weather, huh?
> **B:** I know! It was sunny when I left home, and then it suddenly started pouring.
> **A:** Typical Taipei. Did you get caught in it?
> **B:** Yeah, I'm a bit soaked. I should've checked the forecast.
> **A:** Apparently it's going to rain on and off all week.
> **B:** Great. I'll keep an umbrella at my desk, then.

### Dialogue 2: A typhoon is coming. Will we get tomorrow off?

> **A:** Have you heard? The CWA just issued a land warning.
> **B:** Really? Do you think we'll get a typhoon day off tomorrow?
> **A:** Let's check the city government's official announcement.
> **B:** Either way, I'm going to stock up on food and water after work.
> **A:** Good idea. And charge your power bank in case there's a power outage.

**Usage note:** typhoon day off is a casual way to explain not having to go to work or school because of a typhoon; it isn't an official holiday name everywhere. When explaining it to a foreign colleague, you can also say *Work and classes have been canceled because of the typhoon.* Whether you actually need to go in still depends on official announcements and the rules that apply to you.

### Dialogue 3: A warm-up chat with your teacher while studying abroad

> **Teacher:** How was your weekend? Did you go to the beach?
> **Student:** I wanted to, but it was cloudy and a little windy, so I stayed in.
> **Teacher:** That's a shame. It's usually sunny this time of year.
> **Student:** Is it going to be nice next weekend?
> **Teacher:** The forecast says mostly sunny with a high of 32. Perfect beach weather!
> **Student:** Great! If the weather stays good, I'll go this time.

**How to practise:** swap Taipei for the city you live in and 32 for today's forecast high, then act it out again using your own situation. If there are thunderstorm, typhoon or marine warnings, don't push ahead with a trip just because you want to say rain or shine.

> 💬 **Understand weather English but run out of things to say?** Start by practising this pattern: ask about the weather → say how you feel → follow up with a question. If you'd like someone to role-play with you and help you fine-tune your wording and responses, take a look at the [Ambitious Learner one-to-one Life English course](https://ambitious-learner.com/programs/life-english), or [add AL on LINE to ask about a level check and a trial lesson](https://lin.ee/R3GZRrW).

## Weather in Study-Abroad and Working-Holiday Destinations: Know Before You Go

### The Philippines: dry season and rainy season

The Philippines has a tropical maritime climate. In its nationwide overview, the Philippine weather agency PAGASA describes the **rainy season / wet season as roughly June to November, and the dry season as roughly December to May**. The dry season can be further divided into the cooler cool dry season (December to February) and the hotter hot dry season (March to May).

**This is a national overview, not a calendar that applies to every city.** Terrain, monsoons and altitude all affect how rainfall is distributed, so Cebu and Baguio can't simply share the same rain or clothing advice. Baguio sits at a higher altitude and is usually cooler than low-lying cities, so don't assume “short sleeves all year round”. Before you go, check the recent forecast for your destination and pack rain gear; for Baguio, a light jacket is a good idea too.

For example, you could ask: *Is Baguio cooler than Cebu?* or *Should I bring a jacket?* For climate background, see [PAGASA: Climate of the Philippines](https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/information/climate-philippines). The months don't mean that every day will be sunny or rainy.

### Australia: seasons opposite to Taiwan's

Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere. Using the commonly used meteorological seasons, **summer is December to February** and **winter is June to August**, the opposite of Taiwan. But Australia is huge, and the tropical north is often described in terms of wet and dry seasons, so you can't treat every city as having the same weather. Some expressions you'll often hear in Australia:

- **It's a scorcher today.** (It's very hot today.)
- **Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide.** Australia's sun-protection slogan: wear sun-protective clothing, put on sunscreen, wear a hat, seek shade and wear sunglasses. The classic Slip, Slop, Slap covers only the first three, so it isn't the full current five-step reminder.
- **bushfire season**: the high-risk period varies by region, so check local fire warnings and workplace safety guidance before working outdoors.
- The tropical north has a **wet season** and a **dry season**, and you may also experience a **cyclone**.

For background on seasons and cyclones, see the Bureau of Meteorology's [guide to the seasons](https://www.bom.gov.au/news-and-media/solstices-equinoxes-and-the-seasons) and its [introduction to tropical cyclones](https://www.bom.gov.au/resources/learn-and-explore/tropical-cyclone-knowledge-centre/what-is-a-tropical-cyclone); for the sun-safety slogan, see [Cancer Council Australia](https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/causes-and-prevention/sun-safety/preventing-skin-cancer). To take weather English into work and daily life, you can also read [how to prepare your English for an Australian working holiday](https://ambitious-learner.com/resources/australia-working-holiday-english-guide).

## Common Mistakes in Weather English

- ❌ *It's a good weather today.* → ✅ *It's good weather today.* / *The weather is nice today.*
   - weather is an **uncountable noun**, so it can't take a.
- ❌ *It rains now.* → ✅ *It's raining now.*
   - Use the continuous tense for weather that is happening right now.
- ❌ Mixing up *weather* and *whether* → weather is the state of the sky and air; whether means “if”. The two words sound the same.
   - *I don't know whether the weather will be nice tomorrow.*
- **Don't confuse wet and humid:** *We've had wet weather all week.* (it's been rainy all week) is correct English. To stress that the air is damp, say *It's very humid.*; if it's hot, damp and stuffy, say *It's muggy.*
   - wet weather usually means rainy weather; it isn't a mistake.
- ❌ *Today is very sun.* → ✅ *It's very sunny today.*
   - sun is a noun; to describe the weather, use the adjective sunny. Likewise rain → rainy, cloud → cloudy, wind → windy.

## Weather English Quiz

Now that you have read the vocabulary, idioms and dialogues, try the 5 questions below. Choose an answer to see the explanation.

## Ready to Actually Talk About the Weather in English?

Once you understand the words, the next step is to use them in your own life. Try saying three sentences: today's weather, how you feel about it, and what you're doing next.

If you'd like someone to help you turn those sentences into conversations, take a look at the [Ambitious Learner one-to-one Life English course](https://ambitious-learner.com/programs/life-english), where you practise everyday, travel or life-abroad situations based on your level and goals. If you're planning to study in the Philippines or go on a working holiday in Australia, you can also tell an advisor which communication situations worry you most.

> [Add AL on LINE to ask about a level check and a trial lesson](https://lin.ee/R3GZRrW)

Further reading:

- [How to Prepare Your English for an Australian Working Holiday](https://ambitious-learner.com/resources/australia-working-holiday-english-guide)
- [Travel the World: A Practical Guide to Learning Travel English](https://ambitious-learner.com/resources/travel-english-practical-guide)
- [News English: Australia's possible wettest El Niño year on record](https://ambitious-learner.com/resources/news-english-australia-wettest-el-nino-2026)
- [One-to-one Life English course: practise everyday situations](https://ambitious-learner.com/programs/life-english)

## Sources and Scope of Fact-Checking

Weather terms and climate background checked on 20 October 2026 (2026-10-20). This article is English-learning material; its example sentences and dialogues are not live forecasts or disaster guidance.

- [Central Weather Administration (Taiwan): bilingual glossary](https://www.cwa.gov.tw/V8/C/K/bilingual_glossary.html): terms such as Mei-Yu, tropical cyclone, tropical depression and extremely heavy rain.
- [Central Weather Administration (Taiwan): heavy rain advisory (Chinese)](https://www.cwa.gov.tw/V8/C/P/Warning/W26.html) and the [English Heavy Rain Advisory](https://www.cwa.gov.tw/V8/E/P/Warning/W26.html): rainfall tier names and thresholds.
- [Central Weather Administration (Taiwan): UV index levels (Chinese)](https://www.cwa.gov.tw/V8/C/W/OBS_UVI.html) and the [English UV Index page](https://www.cwa.gov.tw/V8/E/W/OBS_UVI.html): the very high and extreme levels.
- [PAGASA: Climate of the Philippines](https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/information/climate-philippines): overview of the Philippines' dry and rainy seasons and regional climate differences.
- [Bureau of Meteorology (Australia): What is a tropical cyclone?](https://www.bom.gov.au/resources/learn-and-explore/tropical-cyclone-knowledge-centre/what-is-a-tropical-cyclone): regional names for tropical cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes.
- [Bureau of Meteorology (Australia): Solstices, equinoxes and the seasons](https://www.bom.gov.au/news-and-media/solstices-equinoxes-and-the-seasons): the seasons commonly used in Australia.
- [Cancer Council Australia: Preventing skin cancer](https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/causes-and-prevention/sun-safety/preventing-skin-cancer): the Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide sun-safety slogan.

## FAQ

### What's the most natural way to say the weather is nice in English?

“It's a beautiful day.”, “The weather is lovely today.” and “What a nice day!” all sound natural. Just don't say “a good weather”.

### How do you say 颱風假 (a day off for a typhoon) in English?

You can say “a typhoon day off”, but for someone who doesn't know Taiwan's system, it's clearer to say “We have a day off because of the typhoon.” For 停班停課 (work and classes canceled), say “Work and classes have been canceled because of the typhoon.” On its own, “typhoon day” may just mean a day when a typhoon hits, not necessarily a day off.

### Why do people from other countries talk about the weather so much?

The weather is usually something both people can see, and it isn't personal, so it's often used to break the ice. That doesn't mean everyone loves talking about it. Use a tag question such as “It's hot today, isn't it?” to invite a reply, then follow up with “Do you prefer hot or cold weather?” In a disaster situation, focus on concern and safety, and avoid careless jokes.

### How can I practise weather English so it sticks?

Start with one sentence a day: check an English weather app in the morning and say the weather, the temperature and one plan for the day, for example “It's cloudy and about 25 degrees, so I'll bring a light jacket.” The next day, without looking at the article, try to recall it and make new sentences by swapping words, then look for chances to use them in real conversations.

### Is a grey day cloudy or overcast?

cloudy means there is a lot of cloud in the sky; overcast stresses that the sky is completely covered by cloud and looks gloomy. To describe a sky that is grey all over, overcast is usually the better word.

### Rainy or raining: which one should I use?

raining is used in the continuous tense: “It's raining.” means rain is falling right now. rainy is an adjective: “It's a rainy day.” means it's a day with rain, and “the rainy season” is the time of year with the most rain.

### How do you say it's really hot or really cold in English?

Usually “It's so hot.” or “It's really cold.” For a more casual, exaggerated version, say “It's boiling out there!” or “I'm freezing!” These two are exaggerations about how you feel; it isn't literally boiling or freezing.