Weather Passages for Kids: Topics, Vocabulary and Ideas
A weather passage is a short text that explains something about the weather, such as how rain forms or why fog appears. This page covers what a good weather passage includes, key weather words, and the science behind clouds and rain. It also has weather experiments you can run in class.
Weather passage ideas for the classroom
A good weather passage has a clear topic, a handful of key words and enough detail for students to explain it in their own words. Many also work well with a simple diagram, which students can sketch from the text: for example, arrows going up from the ground to a cloud and down as rain.
Topics that suit a weather passage include types of weather, wind, clouds, rain and snow, storms and the water cycle. Students read for the main idea, find the key words and then answer questions using evidence from the text.
Types of weather
These are eight common types of weather, with a plain sentence and something you might see for each.
| Type | What it means | What you might see |
|---|---|---|
| Sunny | The sun is shining and the sky is mostly clear. | Blue sky, bright light, short shadows at midday |
| Cloudy | Clouds cover much of the sky. | A gray or white sky |
| Rainy | Water falls from the clouds. | Raindrops, puddles, wet ground |
| Windy | Air is moving fast. | Leaves and branches moving, flags flapping |
| Stormy | Strong wind, heavy rain or thunder. | Dark clouds, lightning, loud thunder |
| Snowy | Frozen water falls as snow. | White flakes, snow on the ground |
| Foggy | A cloud sits close to the ground. | Hazy air, things hard to see far away |
| Hot or cold | The air temperature is high or low. | People in light or heavy clothes |
Weather words
Weather words give students the vocabulary to talk and write about what they see. This weather vocabulary list has twenty words in three groups.
Sky and air
- sunny: bright with sunshine
- cloudy: covered with clouds
- clear: with no or few clouds
- humid: damp, with a lot of water vapor in the air
- temperature: how hot or cold something is
- forecast: a prediction about coming weather
- atmosphere: the layer of air around Earth
Water
- rain: drops of water that fall from clouds
- drizzle: very light rain
- snow: frozen water that falls as flakes
- hail: balls of ice that fall from the sky
- fog: a cloud near the ground
- frost: a thin layer of ice crystals on cold surfaces
- dew: tiny drops of water on cool surfaces
Wind and storms
- wind: moving air
- breeze: a gentle wind
- gust: a sudden burst of wind
- thunder: the loud sound that comes with lightning
- lightning: a flash of light in the sky during a storm
- storm: weather with strong wind, heavy rain or snow, or thunder
Students can sort the words into the three groups on cards, or add a word to a class word wall each time one turns up in a passage. Students can also say each new word in a sentence out loud.
Weather vs climate
Weather and climate are about the same thing, the air around us, but over different lengths of time. Weather is what is happening in the air today or this week. Climate is the usual weather in a place over many years.
An example pair: It is windy and cold today is about weather. Many deserts have a dry climate is about climate. When students see weather vs climate in a passage, they can ask whether the sentence is about one day or about a long pattern. Words like today, this week and right now point to weather. Words like usually, most years and over time point to climate.
How do clouds form
How do clouds form? The explanation is short:
- The sun warms the ground and the air near it.
- Warm air rises.
- As the air rises, it cools. Water vapor, which is water as an invisible gas, cools too and turns into tiny droplets of liquid water.
- Many tiny droplets together make a cloud.
How does rain form
How does rain form? Inside a cloud, the tiny droplets bump into each other and join together. The drops grow bigger and heavier. When they are too heavy to stay in the air, they fall as rain. When the air is cold enough, the water falls as snow instead.
Rain is one part of the water cycle. In evaporation, the sun warms water in oceans and lakes and it rises as water vapor. In condensation, the vapor cools and forms clouds. In precipitation, water falls as rain or snow. In collection, the water gathers in rivers, lakes and oceans, and the cycle starts again.
Weather patterns
Studying weather patterns means watching the weather over time and writing it down. A daily weather chart helps. An example chart for three days follows.
| Day | Sky | Wind | Temperature feel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Cloudy | Light breeze | Cool |
| Tuesday | Sunny | Calm | Warm |
| Wednesday | Rainy | Windy | Cool |
After a week or two, students look for patterns. Are there more sunny days or cloudy ones? What kind of sky comes before a rainy day? A passage on this topic gives them words to explain what they find.
Weather experiments
For each of these weather experiments, use the same routine: students say what they think will happen, run the test, and write down what they saw. A guess that turns out wrong still gives the class something to explain.
Adults should supervise water and plastic bags, and children should not look directly at the sun.
Water cycle in a bag
Put a little water in a clear zip bag, seal it and tape it to a sunny window. Over time, drops form on the inside of the bag and run back down. This is water cycle in a bag: the water warms and rises as vapor, then cools on the bag and turns back into drops. Water cycle activities like this one give students a model they can see.
Make a rain gauge from a clear jar
Use a clear plastic jar with straight sides. Tape a ruler to the outside or mark lines on it. Set it outdoors in an open spot, away from trees and roofs. After it rains, students read the water level. Rain activities like this one turn rain into a measurement. Students can compare the level after two different rainy days and say which day brought more rain.
Wind direction streamer from paper
Tape a strip of paper or ribbon to a stick and hold it up outdoors. The streamer blows the way the wind is blowing. Students can watch how it changes on different days.
How to use a weather passage
Before students read, point out the features a science text often has: a title, headings, bold words and labels on any diagram. They show what the text is about before a single sentence is read.
- Read once for the main idea. What is this passage about?
- Read again with a pencil. Underline key words and circle new ones.
- Answer the questions with evidence. Point to the sentence that proves each answer.
Our post on reading comprehension strategies has more ways to read for meaning, and the post on teaching ideas for teachers has low-prep ideas for any unit.
Practice material
These printable packs each have ten passages. The weather topic is in the title of each, and the details are on each product page.
- Weather patterns passages: 64 pages with ten meteorology passages on climate, clouds, wind and storms, for grades 3 to 5.
- Water cycle passages: 63 pages with ten earth science passages on evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection, for grades 3 to 5.
- Rain passages: ten passages on precipitation, the water cycle and storm science, for grades 2 to 6.
- Fog passages: 65 pages on atmospheric condensation, sea fog, valley fog and weather safety, for grades 2 to 6.
- Sandstorms passages: ten passages on haboobs, dust storms and desert winds across 64 pages, for grades 2 to 8.
- Tornado alley passages: ten passages across 63 pages with text dependent questions, for grades 3 to 8.
The severe weather packs, tornado and sandstorm, are listed for older readers as well as younger ones. Choose by the grade range on each page.
Frequently asked questions
What grade learns about weather?
Schools differ, so check your curriculum. For reference, our weather packs are listed from grade 2 up to grade 8, with the exact range on each page.
Is weather the same as climate?
No. Weather is what the air is doing today or this week. Climate is the usual weather in a place over many years.
How can I make weather reading easier for younger readers?
Read the passage aloud first, and go over the key words before students read alone. A picture or a quick sketch of the idea, such as arrows for the water cycle, helps students hold on to the order of events.
Can I connect a passage to an experiment?
Yes. After reading about the water cycle, try the water cycle in a bag. After reading about rain, set out a rain gauge. Students can compare what they saw with what the passage said, and note anything that surprised them.
Related resources
- Weather Worksheets, Weather Patterns Reading Passages, Questions and Answer Key
- Water Cycle Worksheets, Reading Passages with Questions and Answer Key (PDF)
- Rain Reading Comprehension Passages, Water Cycle Science Worksheets 2nd 6th
- Tornado Worksheets: Reading Comprehension Passages with Answer Keys, Grades 3-8
- Sandstorms Reading Comprehension Passages, Desert Weather Worksheets 2nd 8th
- Mysteries of the Mist, Fog Reading Comprehension Passages and Questions 2-6
