Maturita Card 41: Weather and Climate
z What is the difference between weather and weather include floods, when there is too much
climate? water / a blizzard, which means a very large amount
Weather is the specific temperature / humidity / of snow / a heatwave when there is a long period
condition of the atmosphere at a particular time of high temperatures / a drought when there is no
and place. Climate is the typical weather conditions rain for a long time. This can cause problems such as
for a geographical area over long periods of time / dead crops / dry soil / health problems / bush fires.
long-term weather patterns in a particular area. Other types of natural disasters include tornados /
hurricanes / tropical storms / typhoons which
z What is the weather like today? happen near the sea and coastal areas.
It’s cold and rainy / damp and windy / pouring rain.
There is some light drizzle / heavy rain / hail and z Do you think humans have affected the weather
freezing rain. It’s warm / hot / dry / sunny / humid. patterns and caused extreme weather?
The sun is shining. There is not a cloud in the sky. Global warming / climate change is on the rise /
There is a thunderstorm with thunder and lightning. a change in the earth’s average temperature caused
Today it’s foggy / misty / cloudy / snowing and icy by the increase in greenhouse gases. This has
outside. The weather is changing. caused the ice caps to melt / sea levels to rise /
flooding / heatwaves / droughts. I believe that
z How does the weather change throughout humans have affected global warming because we
the year? have destroyed rain forests / released poisonous
In the autumn, the weather starts to get cooler / gases into the atmosphere. / I don’t believe
the sun is lower in the sky / the sun is weaker / that humans alone have caused these changes.
it might be misty, rainy or cold. In the winter, The earth is naturally getting warmer. I think that
temperatures can drop and it’s usually below it is natural but humans need to be careful not to
freezing / it can be rainy / there might be snow. In increase the problem.
the spring, it starts getting warmer / the weather can
change suddenly. It might be rainy / windy / cloudy. z What is your favourite / least favourite type of
Summer can be hot and humid. The sun sets much weather?
later in the day. There are a lot of thunderstorms. I like watching the dramatic thunderstorms which
clear the air and make it fresh. I love autumn /
z How would you describe the climate the low sun / the colourful leaves on the trees /
of the Czech Republic? the misty mornings. Winter is my favourite season.
The Czech Republic has a typical continental I love the crisp, cold, clear days. I don’t like winter
European / moderate climate / has warm dry because the days are short / it is cold and grey.
summers and fairly cold winters. January is I don’t like it when it’s hot and sunny; I prefer
the coldest month with temperatures far below zero, cooler weather. I don’t like autumn because
and there is the possibility of heavy snowfall. In summer is over and it’s nearly winter. I like spring
summer temperatures average 20–25 degrees but it best because winter is over / the days can be
can sometimes be 30 degrees or more. windy / fresh and sunny.
z Can you describe different types of climate? z Do you pay attention to the weather / check
The distance from the sun and the amount of the forecast?
moisture in the air affects the climate. The area I always check the weather forecast on my phone /
close to the equator gets the most sun and is on TV / in the newspaper before I go out. I like to
called the tropical zone. The North Pole / Arctic and be prepared / to wear the right clothes. I only check
the South Pole / Antarctica have the least amount the weather before I go on holiday so I know what
of sun / are always cold / are called the polar to pack in my suitcase. I never check the weather
zones. Desert zones like the Sahara are very hot in because it changes so often anyway.
the day and very cold at night. In the mountains, the
weather can change quickly; for example, one side of z What is the weather like where you come
the mountain may be cold and windy while the other from? (USA)
may be sheltered and dry. I used to live in Los Angeles, California, and it was
sunny almost every day of the year. We didn’t
z What is extreme weather and what problems really have any seasons or changes in our weather
can it cause? patterns – although it got cooler in the winter,
Extreme weather is when there is a weather event the sun still shone. We only had about three weeks
that is different from normal. Examples of extreme of heavy rain in January or February.
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