As a cold front sweeps across most of Europe, I thought it would be the perfect time to think about winter weather vocabulary. So here’s an article about how the approach of winter has affected Britain. Why not listen to the article as you read through? Icy Winter Weather grips Britain Message to Students: You could try using this vocab in your lessons and see if your teacher knows what you are talking about. “ People who began their commute to work today by scraping a windscreen in the icy dawn won’t need telling that frost, ice and the threat of the first heavy snow of winter has arrived. If the gloomiest predictions of the forecasters come true, tonight will see the start of the earliest significant snowfall since 1993. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for ice and snow already affecting north-east Scotland covering the entire eastern side of Britain by Saturday. There is the possibility of 2.5cm of snow on lower ground and 10cm or more on hills. As the week goes on, snow could fall across the Midlands, and coastal areas could have bitterly cold rain and sleet. The cold north-easterly wind means daytime temperatures across much of Scotland and north-east England will struggle to rise above freezing, which is well below the seasonal average. Meteorologists expect the present cold snap to last for at least a week. Met office spokesman, Edward Carroll said: “The cold weather is clearly on its way this week and the public are advised to stay up to date with the forecast to make sure that they have the latest information regarding the coming weather.” He warned motorists to prepare for icy conditions. “Drivers are reminded that they should carry out simple vehicle checks before they set out, carry a severe weather emergency kit in their vehicles, monitor the traffic and weather conditions, and plan their journeys.” Matt Taylor, a weather forecaster for the BBC, said: “We’ve had snow earlier than this, but to have as much as this across a large part of the country, we have to go back to about 1993.” Vocabulary Front – the forward edge of an advancing mass of air (meteorological term) Dawn – the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise Gloomy (gloomiest predictions) – dark, depressing or pessimistic Bitter (bitterly cold) – particularly harsh, unpleaseant or painful Sleet – a form of precipitation, consisting of ice pellets, often mixed with rain or snow Snap – sudden movement Severe – very great; intense (of something bad or undesirable)
10 New Year’s Resolutions for Learning English
It is hard to believe but we have almost reached the end of
