weather
wea·ther [weather weathers weathered weathering] noun, verb BrE [ˈweðə(r)] NAmE [ˈweðər]
noun uncountable
1. the condition of the atmosphere at a particular place and time, such as the temperature, and if there is wind, rain, sun, etc
•hot/cold/wet/fine/summer/windy, etc. weather
• Did you have good weather on your trip?
• I'm not going out in this weather!
•There's going to be a change in the weather.
•if the weather holds/breaks (= if the good weather continues/changes)
•The weather is very changeable at the moment.
•‘Are you going to the beach tomorrow?’ ‘It depends on the weather.’
•We'll have the party outside, weather permitting (= if it doesn't rain).
•a weather map/chart
•a weather report
•The tent protected us from the worst of the weather.
2. the weather (informal)a report of what the weather will be like, that is on the radio or television, or in the newspapers
•to listen to the weather
more at brass monkey weather at ↑brass, make heavy weather of sth at ↑heavy
Word Origin:
Old English weder, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch weer and German Wetter, probably also to the noun ↑wind 1.
Culture:
weather
The popular view of the British weather is that it rains all the time. This is not true and Britain gets no more rain in an average year than several other European countries. In some summers the country goes for weeks with nothing more than a shower. Perhaps the main characteristic of Britain’s weather is that it is hard to predict. This is probably why people regularly listen to weather forecasts on radio and television. However, the weather forecasters are sometimes wrong.
The British are not used to extremes. In summer the temperature rarely goes higher than 30°C (86° F). Heatwaves are greeted with newspaper headlines such as ‘Phew! What a scorcher!’ In winter the south and west are fairly mild. The east and north get much colder, with hard frosts and snow. A cold snap (= period of very cold weather) or heavy falls of snow can bring transport to a halt.
Samuel Johnson observed that ‘when two Englishmen meet their first talk is of the weather’, and this is still true. The weather is a safe, polite and impersonal topic of conversation. Most British people would agree that bright sunny weather, not too hot and with enough rain to water their gardens, is good. Bad weather usually means dull days with a lot of cloud and rain or, in winter, fog or snow. The British tend to expect the worst as far as the weather is concerned and it is part of national folklore that summer ↑bank holidays will be wet. It may be pouring with rain, teeming down, bucketing, or even just drizzling or spitting, but it will be wet.
The US is large enough to have several different climates, and so the weather varies between regions. In winter the temperature in ↑New York state is often −8° C (17° F) or lower; in the summer in ↑Arizona it is often above 40° C (104° F). Arizona gets less than an inch/2.5 centimetres of rain most months; the state of ↑Washington, DC can get 6 inches/15 centimetres. The Northeast and Midwest have cold winters with a lot of snow, and summers that are very hot and humid. The South has hot, humid summers but moderate winters. The Southwest, including Arizona and ↑New Mexico, is dry and warm in the winter and very hot in the summer. Some parts of the US suffer tornadoes (= strong circular winds) and hurricanes.
In autumn people put storm doors and windows on their houses, an extra layer of glass to keep out the cold wind. Cities in the snow belt have several snow days each winter, days when people do not go to school or work. But then snow ploughs clear the roads and life goes on, even when the weather is bad.
In the US it is considered boring to talk about the weather, but some phrases are often heard. In the summer people ask, ‘Is it hot enough for you?’ or say that the street is ‘hot enough to fry an egg’. When it rains they say ‘Nice day if you’re a duck’, or that they do not mind the rain because ‘the farmers need it’.
Many people in Britain and the US, as elsewhere, are worried about global warming due to emissions from vehicles and factories of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO 2) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and any climatic changes this may cause.
Collocations:
The weather
Good weather
be bathed in/bask in/be blessed with/enjoy bright/brilliant/glorious sunshine
the sun shines/warms sth/beats down (on sth)
the sunshine breaks/streams through sth
fluffy/wispy clouds drift across the sky
a gentle/light/stiff/cool/warm/sea breeze blows in/comes in off the sea
the snow crunches beneath/under sb's feet/boots
Bad weather
thick/dark/storm clouds form/gather/roll in/cover the sky/block out the sun
the sky darkens/turns black
a fine mist hangs in the air
a dense/heavy/thick fog rolls in
the rain falls/comes down (in buckets/sheets)/pours down
snow falls/comes down/covers sth
the wind blows/whistles/howls/picks up/whips through sth/sweeps across sth
strong/gale-force winds blow/gust (up to 80 mph)
a storm is approaching/is moving inland/hits/strikes/rages
thunder rolls/rumbles/sounds
(forked/sheet) lightning strikes/hits/flashes
a (blinding/snow) blizzard hits/strikes/blows/rages
a tornado touches down/hits/strikes/destroys sth/rips through sth
forecast/expect/predict rain/snow/a category-four hurricane
(NAmE) pour (down)/ (BrE) pour (down) with rain
get caught in/seek shelter from/escape the rain
be covered/shrouded in mist/a blanket of fog
be in for/brave/shelter from a/the storm
hear rolling/distant thunder
be battered/buffeted by strong winds
(BrE) be blowing a gale
battle against/brave the elements
The weather improves
the sun breaks through the clouds
the sky clears/brightens (up)/lightens (up)
the clouds part/clear
the rain stops/lets up/holds off
the wind dies down
the storm passes
the mist/fog lifts/clears
Example Bank:
•Atlantic weather systems
•Bad weather threatened.
•Deciding to brave the weather, he grabbed his umbrella and went out.
•He swims in the sea every day, whatever the weather.
•I checked the weather this morning.
•I sat outside as often as the weather allowed.
•I wanted to mend the roof before the cold weather set in.
•I've been enjoying this beautiful weather.
•If the weather holds out we could go swimming later.
•It was sunny until the weekend, but then the weather broke.
•Next day the weather turned cold.
•She packed all kinds of clothes to cope with the vagaries of the English weather.
•She packed to cope with the vagaries of New York's weather.
•Stormy weather prevented any play in today's tennis.
•The fine weather brings out butterflies.
•The lifeboat crews go out in all weather(s).
•The plane crashed into the sea in adverse weather conditions.
•The weather closed in and the climbers had to take shelter.
•The weather looks beautiful today.
•We hadn't bargained for such a dramatic change in the weather.
•We'll go just as soon as this weather lets up.
•We're having a barbecue next Saturday, weather permitting.
•We've had great weather all week.
•a spell of unseasonably warm weather.
•a spell of unseasonally wet weather.
•an increase in extreme weather events
•the effects of global warming on the world's weather patterns
•And now for the weather.
•I don't know whether we'll go— it depends on the weather.
•I'm not going out in this weather!
•The weather was awful.
•There's going to be a change in the weather.
•We'll have lunch outside, weather permitting.
•a weather map/chart/report
•if the weather holds/breaks
•wet/fine/summer/windy weather
Idioms: ↑in all weathers ▪ ↑keep a weather eye on somebody ▪ ↑under the weather
verb
1. intransitive, transitive to change, or make sth change, colour or shape because of the effect of the sun, rain or wind
•This brick weathers to a warm pinkish-brown colour.
•~ sth Her face was weathered by the sun.
2. transitive ~ sth to come safely through a difficult period or experience
•The company just managed to weather the recession.
•She refuses to resign, intending to weather the storm (= wait until the situation improves again).
Verb forms: 
Word Origin:
Old English weder, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch weer and German Wetter, probably also to the noun ↑wind 1.
Example Bank:
•Some of the stone has weathered badly.
•The company has managed to weather the storm.
•Their company had weathered the recession well.
•She refuses to resign, intending to weather the storm.
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