breezeThere is a breeze today. The leaves are moving a little.
calmIt is calm today. The flag is hanging straight down.
clearThe sky is clear this morning. I cannot find one cloud.
cloudyIt is cloudy today. Clouds are hiding the sun.
fogThere is fog this morning. I cannot see across the playground.
gustA gust of wind just blew my paper across the yard.
hazeThere is haze today. The far hills look pale and dull.
mistThere is mist this morning. It is like thin fog, and the air looks blurry.
overcastThe sky is overcast. It is gray from edge to edge.
partly cloudyIt is partly cloudy. Clouds cover about half of the sky.
sunnyIt is sunny today. The sun is shining and I can see my shadow.
windyIt is windy today. Hold on to your hat!
Show all 36 words (24 more)
Rain, snow and storms 12
drizzleThere is drizzle this morning. The drops are tiny and close together.
floodThe river is in flood. Water covers the low field by the bridge.
hailHail fell this afternoon. Little balls of ice bounced on the grass.
hurricaneA hurricane is out at sea. The forecast shows where it may go.
lightningI saw lightning. It lit up the whole sky for a moment.
rainThere is rain today. I can hear the drops on the roof.
showerWe had a shower at lunch. It rained hard and then it stopped.
sleetSleet is falling. The bits of ice bounce and click on the window.
snowThere is snow today. White flakes are landing on my sleeve.
thunderI heard thunder. It came a few seconds after the flash.
thunderstormA thunderstorm is coming, so we will have recess inside.
tornadoA tornado watch means a tornado could form. We know where our safe place is.
Measuring the weather 12
air pressureThe air pressure is falling. Low pressure often brings clouds, wind and rain.
anemometerThe anemometer is spinning fast. The wind is strong today.
barometerThe barometer went up overnight. The air pressure is higher today.
degreeIt is one degree warmer than it was yesterday.
forecastThe forecast says rain this afternoon, so we may have recess inside.
humidityThe humidity is high today. The air feels damp and sticky.
meteorologistI am the meteorologist today. Here is my weather report.
precipitationThere is no precipitation today: no rain, no snow and no hail.
rain gaugeI checked the rain gauge. There is a little water in the tube.
temperatureThe temperature is going up. It is warmer now than it was at breakfast.
thermometerI read the thermometer by the door. It shows how warm it is outside.
wind vaneThe wind vane points west, so the wind is coming from the west.
How this list was compiled: Own work: our own choice of 36 weather words, sorted into three sets of twelve, with a meaning and a sentence written for each. Each meaning was compared on 2026-09-30 with the glossary of the US National Weather Service, https://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word= plus the word (sunny, partly cloudy, cloudy and overcast by how much of the sky is covered; fog, mist and haze; drizzle, shower, hail and sleet; thunder, lightning, tornado and tornado watch, hurricane, flood; thermometer, rain gauge, anemometer, barometer, humidity, atmospheric pressure), and with the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q= plus the word) for breeze, windy, degree and temperature. Read the same day in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_vane (the pointer shows where the wind blows from), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mist (thinner than fog) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-pressure_area (low pressure and cloudy, windy, rainy weather). Licence: own work
How it works
This weather word wall has 36 words in three sets: the sky today, rain, snow and storms, and measuring the weather. Behind each word is a short meaning and a sentence a child can say in the morning weather report.
Read the full guide
Use the cards in the morning weather report
Hold up the cards from The sky today and let the weather helper choose the one that fits: sunny, partly cloudy or overcast? Turn it over, read the sentence aloud, then stand the card in the pocket chart beside the date.
Printing the weather cards
Three print links sit below the card. Print 12 labels gives the twelve words alone, 60 mm square, to cut out for a pocket chart or a ring. Print 12 cards adds a sheet of meanings for the backs. The other two sets wait under Show only.
Sleet and hail are both ice. Sleet is small frozen raindrops; hail is larger and falls from a thunderstorm.
Fog and mist are alike, but you can see farther through mist.
A wind vane points to where the wind comes from, so a west wind turns it to the west.
Questions and answers
What words go on a weather word wall?
The words a class says each morning: sunny, cloudy, windy, rain, snow, temperature, forecast. This list adds the tools, such as thermometer, rain gauge and wind vane, and storm words such as thunder, lightning and tornado.
What is the difference between partly cloudy and overcast?
In a partly cloudy sky, clouds cover about half. An overcast sky is covered from edge to edge. The glossary of the National Weather Service sorts the sky words by how many eighths of the sky the clouds cover.
Where do the weather meanings come from?
They are our own, in words a child can read, and each was compared with the glossary of the National Weather Service or a standard dictionary on 30 September 2026.