Good weather

be bathed in/bask in/be blessed with/enjoy bright/brilliant/glorious sunshine

(lit.)The castle was bathed in moonlight.
We sat basking in the warm sunshine.
the sun shines/warms sth/beats down (on sth)
The sun beat down on the desert sand (=shine with great heat)
the sunshine breaks/streams through sth
The sun broke through at last in the afternoon.(=appeared from behind
clouds)
Sunlight streamed through the windows.
fluffy/wispy clouds drift across the sky
Fluffy clouds=looking as if it is soft and light
Wispy clouds = consisting of small, thin pieces; not thick
Clouds drifted across the sky.
a gentle/light/stiff/cool/warm/sea breeze blows in/comes in off the sea
a stiff breeze/wind = one that blows strongly
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
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
be blowing a gale
It was blowing a gale = there was a strong wind
battle against/brave the elements

The weather improves

the
the
the
the
the

sun breaks through the clouds

sky clears/brightens (up)/lightens (up)
clouds part/clear
rain stops/lets up/holds off
wind dies down

the storm passes

the mist/fog lifts/clears

Clouds

By midday, heavy/thick clouds had spread across the sky.

The weather was overcast, with heavy low clouds.
A heavy bank/mass of cloud was creeping across the sky. (=a large block
of cloud)
The moon was shining through a thin layer of cloud.
The plane flew through occasional wisps of cloud.(=long thin pieces)
Long narrow bands of cloud stretched across the valley.(= a long narrow
area)
In the morning, a blanket of cloud still covered the country.(= a thick layer)
A thin veil of cloud hid the moon. (= a thin layer)
The sky had darkened and clouds had gathered/formed.
For days thick cloud had covered the whole sky.
At last the rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared/lifted.
(=disappeared)
Suddenly the clouds that covered the moon parted. (=move away from
each other)
A narrow band of cloud has been moving/rolling across the country.
A few clouds drifted/floated across the top of the mountains.(=moved
slowly)
A wind was blowing and soft clouds were scudding/racing across the sky.
(=moved quickly)
Heavy grey clouds hung low in the sky.
The cloud cover should disappear by the afternoon.

Fog

The fog finally lifted (= disappeared)

Dense/thick fog is affecting roads in the north and visibility is poor
Patches of fog will clear by mid-morning.(= fog that forms in some
places but not in others)
The town was covered in a thick blanket of fog.(=a large area of fog)
The mountains were covered in fog.
(lit.) The streets of London were shrouded in fog.
Day after day the fog came down.
(lit.) The fog was descending quickly on the valley.
The fog rolled in from the ocean.( =it arrived from the mountains, the
sea etc)
As we approached the coast, we ran into a dense bank of fog. (=a large
mass of fog)

Mist

A fine/light mist began to settle on the water.

Outside, a thick/heavy mist obscured everything.
(lit.)The tops of the mountains were shrouded in mist.
The river was covered in mist.

The mist came down like a curtain. (=came to a place)

A mist began to roll in of the sea.(=move along to a place)
The mountains suddenly appeared as the mist lifted/cleared.(=went away)
The boat disappeared into the swirling mist.(=moving in circles)
A mist drifted over the marsh.(=moved slightly)
I could see the mist rising from the river.(=comes up from something like
water)
Mist obscured/hided the ships in the harbor.( =covers something so that
you cannot see it)
He passed me on the trail and disappeared/vanished into the mist.
(=stop being seen because of the mist)
Suddenly my commanding officer appeared out of/emerged from the
mist.
Here and there trees loomed out of the mist.( =start being seen in a way
that is not clear, because the mist still covers it slightly)
We looked up, through the veil/curtain of mist, at the waterfall.

Wind

High winds are making driving conditions difficult. (=strong)

He was buffeted by the gale force winds. (=very strong)
Winds tomorrow will be light/gentle. (=not strong)
There was a cold/chill wind this afternoon.
She shivered in the icy/biting/bitter wind. (=very cold)
A gust of wind blew my hat off.
A gusty/blustery wind was sending light flurries of rain against the window.
(=not blowing steadily)
The weather was hot, without a breath of wind.
The wall gives some protection from the prevailing wind. (= the most
frequent wind in an area)
The wind is getting/picking up (= starting to blow strongly).
The wind has dropped (= stopped blowing strongly).
The wind died down by the noon.
The trees were swaying in the wind.
Severe/strong/fierce gales disrupted road and rail travel throughout
Britain.(=very strong winds)

Rain

The rain became more heavy.

A light rain began to fall.
A fine rain was coming down as the game started.(=very gentle)
I woke to the sound of torrential/pouring rain. (=very heavy)
They struggled to walk against driving rain.( =heavy rain that is falling fast
or being blown along)
the icy wind and freezing rain (=extremely cold rain)
The rain was still falling steadily.
If the rain starts coming down, we can always go inside.
They went into a cafe and waited for the rain to stop.
The rain should ease of in a minute.(=it starts to rain less)

The rain was pouring down and I was quickly soaked.(=a lot of rain comes
down)
The rain was now pelting down.(=comes down fast)
Isabel listened to the rain beating down. (=it falls or hits something with a
lot of force)
Rain pattered on the roof. (=drops of rain hit something and make a sound)
Did you get caught in the rain? (=be outside when it starts raining)
When we went outside it was pouring with rain.
We ate indoors because it looked like rain. (=rain appears likely because
there are dark clouds in the sky)
Outbreaks of rain will spread across northern parts. (=short periods of rain
used in weather forecasts)
a heavy shower of rain accompanied by lightning (=a short period of rain)
He drove home slowly, through sheets of rain.(=large moving masses of
heavy rain)
A sudden downpour sent us running for shelter.(= a short period of very
heavy rain that starts suddenly)
More heavy showers are forecast for tonight.(= a short period of rain that
can be heavy or light)
A light drizzle was falling as I left the house.(= light rain with very small
drops of water)

Snow

Outside in the dark, snow was falling silently.

The snow was beginning to settle. (=stay on the ground)
The snow had drifted up against the hedge.(=is blown into deep piles)
The ground was covered with snow.
Snow soon blanketed the frozen ground.
The snow has melted and the ground is bare once more.
France has been expecting heavy snow all week.
I had watched the tracks Id made disappear under fresh snow.
The powdery snow flies up as I walk through it.
He cleared the wet snow from the car windscreen.
A light snow had begun to fall.
We walked home through driving snow.(=falling fast)
It was difficult to see in the swirling snow.
Within an hour, Bucharest was buried under a blanket/carpet of snow.
A few flakes of snow started to fall.
The day was cold, with a few flurries of snow. (=when a small amount of
snow blows around in the wind)
We had our first fall of snow in mid-November. (=an occasion when it
snows)
Sheep became buried in six-foot drifts of snow. (=snow blown into a pile
by the wind)
The snow turned to sleet and then rain.(= a mixture of snow and rain)
I made my way through the dirty slush.(= snow on the road that has
partly melted and is very wet)
We got caught in a blizzard on our way to school.(= a storm with a lot of
snow and a strong wind)

Sun

The sun beats/blazed down on us as we work. (=shines with a lot of

light and heat)
The rain stopped and the sun came out. (=appears when cloud moves
away)
As the sun rises/comes up, the birds take flight.
It is a good place to sit and watch the sun set/go down.
The sun sank lower and the breeze grew cool. (=gradually disappears at
the end of the day)