Unit 3 - Wild Weather

WEATHER AND NATURAL
DISASTERS

Unit 3

Weather

Blizzards

A server snowstorm with high winds

Sample sentence:
We didn’t get out for three days
after the blizzard was over.

Cloudy

(of the sky or weather) covered with or
characterized by clouds

Sample sentence:
I started up at the dark cloudy
skies trying to find the moon.

Damp

Moisture diffuse through the air or a solid substance
or condensed on a surface, typically with detrimental

or unpleasant effects.

Sample sentence:

It was a damp morning when I met my
friend.

Dry

Free moisture or liquid; not wet or
moist

Sample sentence:
If it’s dry tomorrow, I’ll cut the grass.

Foggy

An atmosphere in which visibility is reduced
because of a cloud of some substance

Sample sentence:

The atmosphere was thick with fog.

Hailstones

Hail is formed when drops of water freeze together in the cold
upper regions of thunderstorms clouds. Hailstones are formed by

layers of water attachino and freezing in a large cloud

Sample sentence:

We got to see hailstones for the first
time last night.

Heatwave

An extended period of hot weather relative to the
expected conditions of the area at the time of year,

which may be accompanied by humidity

Sample sentence:

The 2003 heatwave claimed tens of
thousands of lives.

Icy

Covered with or consisting of
ice

Sample sentence:

He fell into icy waters of the
Moscow river.

Rainy

Water that falls in drops from the clouds in the
sky. Weather in which there is a lot of rain

Sample sentence:

Since it’s rainy day, we decided to
hang out at my house.

Snowy

Abounding in or covered with snow

Sample sentence:

As I left the den, the sun slowly
crept over the snowy mountains.

Stormy

Describe weather conditionslike thunder, lightening,
dark clouds, wind and pelting rain

Sample sentence:

Soup is a good comfort in this
stormy weather.

Sunny

Shining with bright sunlight, like a beautiful sunny
Saturday at the beach

Sample sentence:

I hope it’ll sunny soon because
we’re having the party in the

garden.

Thunder and lightning

Thunder: a rain-bearing cloud that also produces lightning
Lightning: a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere

between clouds, the air or the ground

Sample sentence:

It has been 2 hours since thunder
and lightning started.

Warm

Warm weather means temperatures
around 25Celsius

Sample sentence:

I put my hands in my pockets to
keep them warm.

Wet

It is covered in water

Sample sentence:

Please be careful when you’re
walking because the floor is wet.

Windy

The wind is blowing a lot

Sample sentence:

It was a windy day and white
clouds were scudding across the

blue sky.

Natural Disasters

Avalanche

a mass of snow, ice, and rocks falling
rapidly down a mountainside.

Sample sentence:

"He was swept to his death by an
avalanche in 1988"

Drought

a prolonged period of abnormally low
rainfall, leading to a shortage of water.

Sample sentence:

"The cause of Europe's recent
droughts"

Earthquake

a sudden violent shaking of the ground, typically causing
great destruction, as a result of movements within the

earth's crust or volcanic action.

Sample sentence:

"The city was almost totally
destroyed by an earthquake"

Famine

extreme scarcity of food.

Sample sentence:

"Drought resulted in famine
throughout the region"

Floodan overflow of a large amount of water beyond

its normal limits, especially over what is normally

dry land.

Sample sentence:

”The villagers had been cut off by
floods and landslides"

Hurricane

a storm with a violent wind, in particular a
tropical cyclone in the Caribbean.

Sample sentence:

"A powerful hurricane hit the
Florida coast"

Landslide

a collapse of a mass of earth or rock from a
mountain or cliff.

Sample sentence:

"The road was blocked by a
landslide"

Tornado

a mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds
having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud and
advancing beneath a large storm system.

Sample sentence:

"They've issued a tornado warning
for this area"

Tsunami

a long, high sea wave caused by an earthquake
or other disturbance.

Sample sentence:

"The loss of human lives from this
latest tsunami is staggering"

Volcano

a mountain or hill, typically conical, having a crater or vent
through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapour, and gas

are or have been erupted from the earth's crust.

Sample sentence:

"Lava from the volcano was
flowing down the hillside"

Wildfire

a large, destructive fire that spreads quickly over
woodland or brush.

Sample sentence:

"In Northern California, a wildfire
has spread a haze of smoke over

200 miles"