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Weather word bank

Words to describe sunshine, cold, rain, wind, storms, fog and snow, from gentle to wild, for setting the scene.

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About this word bank

Weather is one of the quickest ways to set the mood of a story. A balmy evening feels safe; lashing rain and a howling gale tell the reader something is about to go wrong.

The words in each group run from gentle to wild, so your child can make the weather match (or slowly build to) the action.

In each group the words run from gentle to wild.

The words

  • Sunshine and heat

    From a pleasant day to a heatwave.

    1. warm
    2. bright
    3. sunny
    4. cloudless
    5. balmy
    6. glorious
    7. sultry
    8. baking
    9. sweltering
    10. scorching
    11. blistering

    It was a balmy evening, and the smell of cut grass drifted through the open window.

    By noon the sun was scorching, and the tarmac shimmered like water.

  • Cold and frost

    From a fresh morning to bone-numbing cold.

    1. cool
    2. chilly
    3. nippy
    4. crisp
    5. frosty
    6. raw
    7. wintry
    8. icy
    9. bitter
    10. freezing
    11. arctic

    It was a crisp morning, and every blade of grass was dusted with frost.

    A bitter wind sliced through Tom's thin coat as he waited at the bus stop.

  • Rain

    From a light sprinkle to a flood.

    1. damp
    2. drizzle
    3. spitting
    4. showery
    5. pattering
    6. steady
    7. pouring
    8. pelting
    9. lashing
    10. drenching
    11. torrential
    12. deluge

    A fine drizzle hung in the air, so light that Zara barely noticed she was soaked.

    Torrential rain hammered on the tent until the ground beneath them turned to mud.

  • Wind

    From a soft breath of air to a storm that shakes buildings.

    1. breath of wind
    2. breeze
    3. draught
    4. gust
    5. blustery
    6. whistling
    7. buffeting
    8. howling
    9. roaring
    10. gale
    11. hurricane

    A gentle breeze lifted the corner of the map and teased it from Ben's fingers.

    All night the gale howled around the cottage, rattling every window in its frame.

  • Clouds and storms

    For a sky that warns of trouble.

    1. overcast
    2. grey
    3. leaden
    4. brooding
    5. menacing
    6. thundery
    7. rumbling
    8. crackling
    9. forked lightning
    10. raging
    11. tempestuous

    Leaden clouds pressed down on the hills, and the birds fell silent.

    Forked lightning split the sky, and for one second the whole valley was as bright as day.

  • Fog and mist

    For mystery: things half seen.

    1. hazy
    2. misty
    3. murky
    4. foggy
    5. swirling
    6. drifting
    7. veiled
    8. shrouded
    9. smothering
    10. thick
    11. impenetrable

    The harbour was shrouded in fog, and the boats were only grey shapes rocking in the gloom.

  • Snow and ice

    From the first flakes to a whiteout.

    1. flurry
    2. flakes
    3. powdery
    4. sleet
    5. slush
    6. glistening
    7. crunching
    8. icicles
    9. snowdrift
    10. blizzard
    11. whiteout

    The first flurry of snow drifted past the classroom window, and nobody heard a word the teacher said.

    By morning the blizzard had buried the car under a snowdrift as tall as Dad.

How to use this word bank without overdoing it

  • Use the weather to match or change the mood. Calm weather for a calm scene, wild weather when the danger arrives.
  • Build it slowly. Start with drizzle and a breeze; by the climax it can be torrential rain and a gale.
  • One or two weather details are enough. A paragraph that lists the sun, the clouds, the wind and the rain slows the story down.
  • Bring in the senses: how the rain sounds on a roof, how the cold feels on fingers, how a storm smells.

Practice: Weather that changes the mood

  1. Write two sentences describing a park on a warm, sunny afternoon.
  2. Now write two sentences about the same park as a storm arrives, using words from the clouds, wind and rain groups.
  3. Underline the words that make the second version feel threatening.

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Learn the meanings: Weather & nature

Not sure what a word means? The 11+ vocabulary pages explain words like these, with examples and a quick quiz.

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Questions parents ask

What are good words to describe weather for kids?

For rain: drizzle, pelting, lashing, torrential. For wind: breeze, gust, blustery, howling, gale. For heat: balmy, sweltering, scorching. For cold: crisp, frosty, bitter, icy. For storms: leaden, brooding, thundery, forked lightning.

Why is weather useful in 11+ creative writing?

It sets the scene and the mood in a sentence or two. Examiners like openings that place the reader somewhere, and weather (along with sounds and light) is a quick way to do it.

Is it a cliché to start a story with the weather?

"It was a dark and stormy night" is a cliché, but a precise, unusual detail is not: "The rain had been falling for three days, and the river was creeping up the garden." Tie the weather to something happening.