What's the weather like?

Sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy, foggy...Everyday, we look out of the window and check what the weather is like. In this season, spring, weather changes constantly, and we can go from beautiful sunny and warm days to horrible rainy ones. Here, in southern Spain, we're very lucky, because we have many sunny days a week, but, in other places, they're not so lucky. For example, if I mention London weather, what comes first to your mind? Let me guess: cold, rainy, cloudy and foggy, right? Some of the things people say about London weather is true, but some others are just either exaggeration or things from the past, like the smog in the 19th century . It is true they don't have many sunny days a year there, and most of them are cloudy. However, it doesn't really rain everyday and, in any case, London rain tends to be more like a drizzle; pouring rain is not that common. As for temperatures, it is cold and humed in autumn and winter, but, in late spring and summer, on the contrary, temperatures are actually mild, and having clear skies becomes not so rare. What's really true is the importance British people give to the weather, and how this is a recurrent conversation topic among people. It looks like it cleared up today, doesn't it? It's raining again tomorrow, apparently. Did you see the mist by the Thames this morning? These are just examples of daily conversations Britons might have. If you'd like to know more about this "British obsession" to the weather, take a look at this article from the Daily Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/8077958/Britains-obsession-with-the-weather-60-per-cent-admit-its-a-social-prop.html

Do you enjoy talking about the weather, too? In that case, you might be interested in learning some more vocabulary on that topic:

http://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/weather/

Do you usually check the weather forecast everyday? The weather forecast is that part of the news bulletin, usually at the end, in which we're told the weather predicitions for the upcoming days. Being a weather forecaster is not an easy job, since many people get angry at them when they fail and ruin our holidays! Now, I'd like you to listen to these weather reports and do the exercises below each one of them:

http://www.englishclub.com/speaking/weather-report.htm

Would you like to see some unusual weather reports? Check out these videos:

Quite surprising, don't you think? Prince Charles made quite a good weatherman, in my opinion!

Luckily, none of these weather reports included any cases of extreme phenomena. As you well know, sometimes, nature reveals all its force, and we can have very rough weather. Blizzards, tornadoes, floods or hurricanes are good examples of extreme weather phenomena. We've all heard about famous devastating hurricanes, like Katrina or Carter, that have caused destruction in several countries close to the North Atlantic Ocean. But, do you know how hurricanes form? And why do they take place only in this specific area in the world?

Take a look at this:

http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/natural_disasters/hurricanes/framesource_flash.html

Some recent studies have stated that, lately, we've been having much more extreme weather than in the past years, and that all that's been caused by climate change. Do you remember we've talked about this in class lately? Some of you could watch the documentary I played in class some days ago: Un Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore. In this documentary, we get a really broad view of how climate change and global warming are caused, and what they're causing. If you haven't watched it yet, I strongly recommend it.

Here's a movie trailer:

And here's a funny explanation of the phenomenon of global warming, also included in "An Inconvenient Truth":

One of the clearest examples of climate change and global warming and in our planet now can be seen in the Arctic. The changes in the area are been used by ecologists to prove the real effects of global warming: how it is really changing our planet, and how it could be too late if we don't act now. One of the most famous ecologist organizations in Greenpeace and, for them, protecting the Arctic is a big prority right now.

Take a look at this website if you'd like to know what's actually happening in the Arctic:

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/arctic-impacts/

That's all about the weather. I hope you found this post interesting and useful!

Good luck in your exams next week and see you in class!