What's the Weather Like?
Weather, seasons & describing climate. Maya adjusts to Canadian winters and compares Toronto's four seasons with her hometown Taipei.
📖 Reading: A Canadian Winter
Maya is from Taiwan, where the weather is usually warm. Toronto is very different!
In winter, it is extremely cold. The temperature can be minus fifteen degrees. It often snows, and the streets are icy.
"My first winter in Canada was a shock!" says Maya. "It was so cold. It snowed every day in January!"
"Welcome to Canada!" laughs Leo. "But summer is beautiful here. It is sunny and warm. Sometimes it is hot!"
"I love autumn," says Maya. "The leaves are red and orange. It is cool but not cold."
"Spring is my favourite," says Leo. "It is rainy sometimes, but the flowers come back. Everything is fresh and green."
Today it is cloudy and windy. There is no sun. Maya looks out the window.
"I think it will snow tonight," she says.
"Then stay warm and make hot chocolate!" says Leo.
🔑 Vocabulary Box
Eight key words from this lesson.
| Word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| season | One of the four parts of the year: spring, summer, autumn, winter | n. — Summer is a beautiful season in Toronto. |
| temperature | How hot or cold something is, measured in degrees | n. — The temperature is minus fifteen. |
| icy | Covered in ice; very slippery | adj. — The streets are icy in winter. |
| leaf / leaves | The flat green part of a plant or tree | n. — The leaves are red and orange in autumn. |
| cloudy | Having many clouds in the sky; not sunny | adj. — Today it is cloudy. |
| foggy | Having thick low cloud that is difficult to see through | adj. — It is foggy in the morning. |
| degree | A unit for measuring temperature | n. — It is minus fifteen degrees. |
| shock | A big, unpleasant surprise | n. — Her first winter was a shock. |
📚 Key Verbs in This Lesson | |
to snow / to rain | It snows in January. / It is raining now. |
to be (weather) | It is cold / sunny / windy. / It is hot today. |
to look (out) | Maya looks out the window. |
to think | I think it will snow tonight. |
📚 Grammar Focus
Talking About Weather
📚 Talking About Weather | |
It is + adjective | It is sunny / cold / hot / windy / cloudy / foggy. |
It + weather verb | It snows. / It rains. / It is snowing. / It is raining. |
What's the weather like? | "It is cold and cloudy today." |
How's the weather? | "It's raining. Take an umbrella!" |
Seasons and Weather
📚 Seasons and Weather | |
Spring (Mar–May) | warm, rainy, fresh, windy |
Summer (Jun–Aug) | hot, sunny, humid, dry |
Autumn / Fall (Sep–Nov) | cool, cloudy, windy, rainy |
Winter (Dec–Feb) | cold, snowy, icy, freezing |
🎭 Dialogue: What's the Weather Like There?
Maya calls Jess in New York. They compare today's weather — cold and cloudy in Toronto, sunny in New York.
Hi Maya! How's the weather in Toronto today?
It's very cold and cloudy. I think it will snow tonight!
Oh wow! What's the temperature?
About minus five degrees. What about New York?
It's cold here too, but it's sunny. About two degrees.
That sounds better than here! Do you have snow?
Not today. What's your favourite season in Toronto?
Autumn! The leaves are so beautiful. Red, orange, yellow…
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
What is the weather like in Toronto in winter?
What is Maya's favourite season?
What is Leo's favourite season?
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
There is no sun and the sky is grey. → It is ___.
Water falls from the sky. → It is ___.
White, frozen water falls from the sky. → It is ___.
🎭 Now It's Your Turn — Role Play
Practice with a partner. Use the dialogue as a model.
- Student A: Call a friend who lives in a different city/country. Ask about the weather there.
- Student B: Describe the weather in detail. Ask about their weather too.
- Talk about your favourite season and typical weather in your region.