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It’s a Scorcher! Hot Weather Vocabulary and Phrases

Phew – a heatwave is currently blazing across the UK! We’re experiencing a sizzling week as the air pressure rises and hot air blasts over from the continent. There is a balmy Mediterranean vibe with temperatures soaring and the UK has now hit its highest ever temperature with 40.2C recorded at Heathrow in London this week. As the mercury tips the scale, join us for some language fun – we’re diving into a cool pool of hot weather vocabulary!

 

The UK’s obsession with the weather

As you might have gathered, in the UK we are quite obsessed with the weather! This is because it can be so changeable. One moment the sun can be shining brightly and it can be toasty warm, the next moment the clouds could arrive and it could start to rain.

The variety in the UK weather means it is always interesting, if sometimes annoying – and rarely predictable. When we go out, we never know whether (or should that be weather?) we should take our umbrella, sun cream or big coat!

There are varying degrees of heat, which can all be expressed by different phrases, from mildly warm to blisteringly hot. It will be no surprise to discover there is a huge amount of English vocabulary available for discussing the weather.

If you can memorise some interesting weather-related expressions you will fit right into British culture – and start to sound like a native.

Here is a list of hot weather vocabulary with useful words to describe a variety of warm and hot temperatures:

 

Mild – normal pleasant temperature, a little warm

Sunny – the sun is bright, but it might not be hot

Warm – pleasant, slightly hot

Balmy – hot and humid  (don’t get this word confused with ‘barmy’, which means mad/crazy or foolish)

Sultry – hot and humid

Tropical – very hot and humid

Hot – a hot day

Very hot / boiling / scorching / sweltering / blazing / baking – it is probably too hot

Hot weather vocabulary

Colloquial phrases to describe a very hot day

It’s scorching hot It’s baking
It’s a scorcher It’s roasting
It’s boiling (very common) It’s sweltering
It’s a sizzler (less common, humorous) It’s tropical

It’s so hot you could fry an egg on the pavement!

To describe a room that is too hot

It’s like a sauna in here!

It’s like an oven in here!

It’s suffocating in here!

It’s stifling in here!

A hot day with moisture in the air

It’s very humid It’s sticky
It’s close It’s a tropical heat
It’s muggy It’s stifling
It’s stuffy It’s an oppressive heat
It’s clammy It’s suffocating

To explain that you are feeling very hot

I’m burning up I’m boiling
I’m sweltering I’m roasting

It’s so hot, I think I’m going to faint / pass out!

It’s too hot to work / sleep

More hot weather vocabulary

Heat wave – a series of hot days

To catch the sun / to catch some rays – to go outside and enjoy the sunshine

Sunglasses / shades – dark glasses to protect the eyes from the sun

Sun screen / sun lotion / sun tan lotion – lotion to protect the skin from the sun’s UV rays and avoid sunburn

Sunbathe – to lie in the sun deliberately (usually with the aim of getting a tan)

Sun tan / tanned skin / a tan – skin that is golden brown from the sun

 

Sunburn – skin that is damaged and red from the sun

To be as red as a lobster – to be sunburned

Heat stroke – serious medical condition caused by becoming too hot

Thermometer – a device that measures the temperature

Air conditioner / air conditioning – a device that cools the air inside a building or car

Fan –  device that blows the air to make it feel cool (fans can be handheld or electric)

What do you think about the hot weather?

Do you have any tips for enjoying the hot weather or do you prefer to stay in the cool?

What are your favourite hot weather expressions?

Can you think of any more useful hot weather vocabulary or phrases?

What is your favourite hot weather expression?

Let us know your thoughts on hot weather in the comments box!

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