You’re no doubt familiar with common weather words like “snow” and “rain,” but do you know how to describe the movement/actions of these natural phenomena? Today, I’d like to share some of the movement/action verbs (and phrasal verbs) associated with different weather conditions. In Part 1 of this series, we’ll look at verbs for rain and snow.

Rain

“Rain” itself can be used as a verb, but here are a few other verbs that express the movement of rain:

• I love the sound of rain falling on the roof. (“Fall” is a very general word for the downward movement of rain and gives no indication of amount or intensity.)
• It was a cold, lousy day and drizzling by evening. (The noun “drizzle” refers to “light rain falling in very fine drops,” so the verb simply means “rain lightly.” You can also use the verb “sprinkle” to describe light rain.)
• The rain was pouring down in torrents and visibility was poor. (When rain “pours (down),” it falls heavily. You can use “pour” by itself or with “down” as a phrasal verb.)
• Heavy rain has washed away large chunks of the highway. (If rain or floods “wash away” something, they destroy it and carry it away. This is another phrasal verb.)
• The drizzle looked unlikely to clear up. (“Clear up” is a phrasal verb that means rain stops and the sky becomes brighter.)
• See also verbs such as puddle/pool, drip, pelt, and shower.

Snow

“Snow” can also be used as a verb, but here are a few other verbs that express the movement of snow:

• The wind has picked up a bit, and there is a light snow falling. (“Fall” is a very general word for the downward movement of snow and gives no indication of amount or intensity.)
• The snowflakes drifted lazily from the clouds, covering the ground in a blanket of white powder. (When snow “drifts,” it is carried/blown, usually gently, by the wind and accumulates in piles called “snowdrifts.”)
• Heavy snow has piled up across Europe. (“Pile up” is a phrasal verb that means “accumulate” in piles. “Accumulate” can be used in more formal situations.)
• The sudden storm snowed us in. (We can use “snow in” when heavy snowfall blocks someone or something in place. The people who are stuck in this situation are “snowed in,” as in “We were snowed in for several days with very little food.”)
• The snow usually melts by mid-April. (When snow or ice become water, they “melt.”)
• See also verbs such as swirl, dust, float, and dump.