It’s raining cats and dogs.

When it pours with rain we often say: “It’s raining cats and dogs!” But we don’t know why, and what this saying’s original meaning was.

In distant times, people thought that witches could turn themselves into cats and ride across the stormy skies on their broomsticks; cats were thought to be a big influence on weather.

The dog was the servant of the Norse storm god, Odin, and represented the wind. Cats and dogs from that time have meant the wind and the rain.

Do you know…?

that there is an old belief that a cuckoo is first seen each year in England on April 20? Perhaps because of its loud, strange call, or perhaps because of its lazy habit of laying eggs in the nests of other birds, the cuckoo is an object of contempt. The English word “cuckoo” also means “foolish”.

Weather Forecasts

Two men were traveling in a very wild part of America. They saw no modern houses and no traces of civilization for many days. What they saw were only a few huts made of wood or tents where Indians lived. One day they met an old Indian who was a hunter. He was very clever and knew everything about the forest and the animals living in it and many other things. He could also speak English quite well.

“Can you tell us what the weather will be like during the next few days?” one of the two travelers asked him.

“Oh, yes,” he answered. “Rain is coming, and wind. Then there will be snow for a day or two but then the sunshine will come again and the weather will be fine.”

“These old Indians seem to know more about nature than we with all our science,” said the man to his friend. Then he turned to the old Indian.

“Tell me,” he asked, “how do you know all that?”

The Indian answered “I heard it over the radio.”

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Read the weather forecasts and make up your own one.

Europe today

Showers with thunderstorms will develop during the morning from Scotland to northern England. Showers will shift slowly north. Scotland will have none. Hot and humid air will remain over central Europe where scattered thunder showers will develop during the day.

Slightly cooler air will flow into western France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Temperatures will drop to -5 °C. Spain will be sunny, but thunderstorms may occur in the north. Italy, Malta, and Greece will also be sunny. Thunderstorms will again dampen northern Turkey, but southern areas will stay sunny and hot.

Five-day forecast

A zone of low pressure over the Atlantic will push cooler air and scattered showers into the UK and western France. Temperatures will be above average for the season. Showers may form in the Benelux and Germany. Humid and warm condition, with scattered cooling afternoon thunder showers, will persist over central Europe. There may be severe thunderstorms in places. Greece will be dry and mainly sunny, but Cyprus will have showers.

24-Hour forecast

Here is the weather forecast for the next 24 hours. In the north of Ukraine there will be snow, with strong winds. In the morning there will be some fog, but the fog will clear, and in the south it will be a fine day with some sunshine. In the west it will be cold in the morning, but it will get warmer later. In the east the day will start fine, but then the weather will change. In the afternoon, it will get cooler...

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Read the text and discuss it in the class.