3/5.

Időjárás
Hungary is in the temperate zone and has a continental climate. This means that the weather
is quite easily predictable and there are big differences between the weather in the four
seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Occupying a relatively flat area in the
Carpathian Basin, Hungary is protected from the extremes of weather by the mountain ranges
encompassing her from almost all sides. Her climate is influenced by both moderate maritime
and mild Mediterranean air currents. Temperatures above 30°C (degree) may occur in July
and August but generally do not last long. January and February are the coldest months, but
even then average temperature doesn’t fall below minus 5°C.
Hungary’ location is in Eastern Central Europe.

Weather: my favourite season is spring. After the long cold, wet and foggy days it is warm
again. Nature also awakens from its sleep and the trees and bushes are full of blossom. It
smells of flowers everywhere. The nicest spring flowers are snowdrops, violets, tulips,
primroses, daffodils, hyacinths and lily of the valley. This is also the time for fruit trees to
come out in buds and bloom. I like nature so I try to make the best of the fine weather. May is
just the right month for taking walks or going on trips to the surrounding hills. On a sunny
day in spring I can’t really settle down to anything except lying in the sun and enjoying the
first warm sunshine of the year. The weather in spring is quite capricious, especially in April.
There can be heavy rainstorms lasting for a few hours or scattered showers lasting even for a
couple of days.
It was extremely hot summer last term. There was a heat wave in July. The sun was burning
for days and end. There was scarcely a breath of air. The heat was increasing and it was
getting hotter and hotter. It was sweltering heat and I remember that the people walking in the
streets had to find shelter in the shade of big trees to avoid getting sunstroke. I got as browns
as berries although I hate lying in the sun. In summer a hot spell is followed by quick showers
that sweep through the fields. Before a shower the sun hides behind the clouds which look
dark and heavy against the summer sky. When the sky is completely overcast you know that
the rain is not far off. Then suddenly lightning and thunder begin. Lightning is quite
dangerous and it may strike big trees or even houses. If it is a passing shower then right after
it a rainbow appears in the sky, which turns blue again and the sunshine is hotter than ever.
Sometimes it pours down with rain (to rain cats and dogs) and it won’t stop. You can easily
get soaked to the skin. There is even hail in summer which causes a lot of damage to the
crops. Wheat is harvested in the middle of summer and there are lots of fruits that are ripened
by the hot sun during the summer days. There are cherries, raspberries, gooseberries, red-
currants, sour cherries etc. In summer it is enough to put on a light dress with a low-cut neck
or a T-shirt with shorts or breeches and a pair of low shoes or sandals. On the beach women
wear a bathing suit or a bikini and perhaps a straw hat. Men wear swimming trunks.
The beginning of autumn is called an Indian summer if the weather is still warm. Usually it is
just like summer. We say that autumn is a rich season because the trees are full of fruits like
apples, pears, plums, nuts, almonds, mulberries etc. and most of the vegetables are harvested
at the beginning of the autumn too. In Hungary the grape harvest, that is vintage, is a great
feast. Friends and relatives come together to pick the grapes from the vines, to press them,
pour the grape juice into wine-casks and let it ferment for a while for it to be decanted later.
The rainiest season is definitely autumn. The best strategy for protecting yourself from the
rain is to carry an umbrella or a mackintosh with you all the time. In autumn, people put on a
mackintosh or some other kind of waterproofs. It is important that you should wear water-
resistant shoes or wellingtons as well because you can catch a cold easily if you step in the
puddles and get your feet wet. All kinds of precipitation may occur during the autumn months
from drizzle and rain through mist, fog, hoar frost and sleet to snow. In autumn the leaves of
trees slowly become coloured, you can see yellowish, brownish and reddish ones. In October
the weather is very changeable; one day it is as if it were summer the next is just like in
winter. In November there is often frost.
When winter is here, the temperature falls below zero. Then smooth snow falls down from
big, grey clouds. There are blizzards and stormy winds shake the trees and windows and it’s
very pleasant to sit by the fire inside while the wind is blowing outside. There are usually hard
frosts in January. I often feel cold in such weather. I shiver with cold when I go to work in the
morning. My eyes are watering from the cold. In winter you must be careful not to catch cold.
You must wear warm clothes and dress in layers. In cold weather people wear fur hats or
thick, knitted hats and gloves, warm scarves and polo-necked sweaters, cotton stockings or
trousers, winter boots and thick fur-lined overcoats. Winter weather often paralyses traffic on
the roads. They are slippery, because of the ice covering them and there are a lot of accidents.
You must not drive at a high speed. Fog also delays traffic. Planes cannot land at the airport
because of poor visibility. It’s better to cancel driving when there is dense fog hanging over
the roads. If the snow sets in, the roads are deep in snow. They may be blocked by snowdrifts.
Hard snowstorms sometimes stop all the traffic and many cars get stuck in the snowdrifts.
England has a maritime climate, which means that the weather is very wet and rainy there. It
is usually very changeable and it is difficult to forecast with certainty even for a day. It is
damp and not too cold all times of the year. It rarely snows and if it does, it melts when it
reaches the ground. Summers are cool and damp too. Possibly because it is so unpredictable,
English people are always prepared to discuss the weather.

Spring weather Summer weather

slight breeze (enyhe szellő) to sweat (izzadni)
it begins to melt/thaw (olvadni kezd) to rain cats and dogs (heves esőzés)
there are avalanches in the mountains  to get soaked to the skin (bőrig ázni)
(lavinák a hegyekben)
to be struck by lightning (villámcsapás)

Autumn weather Winter weather

it is wretched/rotten (szomorú, nyomorult idő) to have subzero temperature (nulla alatti)
to have chilly weather (hideg idő) there is a blizzard (hóvihar)
to drizzle, rain, (szitál az eső) a snowflake (hópehely)
It is misty, foggy (ködös)
humid, wet, damp (nedves)
to reach gale-force wind (viharos erejű szél)