Weather & Nature

Word combinations for describing weather, seasons, and natural phenomena

Introduction

The British love talking about weather — and they use very specific word combinations to do it. It's "heavy rain" not "strong rain", "bright sunshine" not "big sunshine". Getting these collocations right is key to natural weather conversations.

This chapter covers the essential weather and nature collocations that native speakers use daily, from describing temperature and precipitation to discussing seasons and landscapes.

Themes

All Collocations in This Chapter (28)

• heavy rain Rain that falls in large amounts with great intensity
• bright sunshine Strong, vivid sunlight with no clouds obscuring it
• thick fog Dense fog that severely reduces visibility
• strong wind Wind blowing with considerable force
• light breeze A gentle, mild wind
• bitter cold Extremely harsh, biting cold that is deeply unpleasant
• scorching heat Extremely intense, burning heat from hot weather
• torrential rain Extremely heavy rainfall that comes down in a powerful, unrelenting stream
• clear sky A sky with no clouds, typically bright and blue
• dense forest A forest with trees and vegetation growing closely together
• calm sea A sea with little or no waves, smooth and peaceful
• rough sea A sea with large, turbulent waves that makes sailing difficult and dangerous
• fresh air Clean, cool air, especially outdoors away from enclosed spaces
• natural disaster A catastrophic event caused by natural forces such as earthquakes, floods, or...
• climate change Long-term shifts in global temperatures and weather patterns, largely due to ...
• global warming The gradual increase in Earth's average temperature due to greenhouse gas emi...
• gentle breeze A soft, mild wind that is pleasant and barely noticeable
• thunder and lightning The loud sound and bright flashes that occur during an electrical storm
• pitch dark Completely dark with no light at all
• blazing sun An extremely hot, fierce sun
• mild weather Weather that is warm and pleasant, not too hot or cold
• gale force wind Extremely strong wind, typically above 63 km/h on the Beaufort scale
• overcast sky A sky completely covered with grey clouds
• crisp morning A cold, fresh, clear morning — typically in autumn or winter
• biting wind A very cold wind that cuts through clothing and feels painful on the skin
• driving rain Heavy rain blown at an angle by strong wind
• scattered showers Brief periods of rain occurring in some areas but not others
• Indian summer A period of warm, dry weather occurring in autumn after the first cold spell