Long Island Weather and Seasons

Weather in New York and Long Island is always a topic of conversation. Long Islanders must make changes based on the seasons we have in New York state.  We have winter, spring, fall, and summer seasons. These seasons are based on the temperature and weather conditions.  In the winter we often have snow! Recently we had a blizzard called Nemo. It is usually cold during the winter time and we must wear coats, gloves, and hats to keep warm.  In the spring the temperature begins to rise and it usually rains.  If the rain is heavy we might say it is raining cats and dogs. Plants bloom during the spring time because there is water and sunshine.  Next comes summer, when it is usually very warm and there is lots of sun. In the summer people spend alot of time outside because the weather is very nice.  The next season is fall, in the fall the temperature goes down and the weather is cooler.  Fall is sometimes called Autunm. During the fall the leaves on the trees and other plants turn yellow, brown, and even red in color.  Long Island recently had a hurricane hit in this past fall.  Hurricane Sandy effected many people on Long Island and ruined many people's homes.  It has been very hard for families to move back into their houses and some are still displaced.  Have you had any experiences with weather like Hurricane Sandy?

Vocabulary Terms:

Conversation: (Noun) Talking socially with others.

Seasons: (Noun)  A time of year that is known for weather temperature and conditions.

Temperature: (Noun) The measure of how warm or cold something tested with a thermometer.

Blizzard: (Noun) A storm with heavy snow and strong winds that covers a large area. (See picture  on upper right)

Raining Cats and Dogs: Phrase used to describe rain. It's usually used when it is raining hard or heavily.

Sunshine: (Noun) Brightness or light that comes from the sun. (See picture to the right)

Hurricane: (Noun) A tropical storm with heavy winds that can cause water levels to rise.

Displaced: (Adjective) Lacking a home or out of an original place.


Vocabulary Activity:
Please fill in the blanks with the vocabulary term or word that has the correct meaning.

1. Plants need water and ____________  or light for them to grow strong.

2. Summer is my favorite of all the ________________ because it is the time of year that the temperature is warmer.

3. I had a nice ________________ with my teacher after school, we talked about our favorite candy.

4. It is snowing so heavily I think we will have a __________________.

5. The rain is so loud on our house tonight my Mom says it's ______________________.

6. My family and I were __________________ after the hurricane and stayed at a friend's house.

7. We should use a thermometer to find out the ____________________ outside today.

8. This tropical storm was very strong and turned into a ____________________ that destroyed many people's homes.

Grammar Point:
An article is a kind of adjective which is always used with and gives some information about a noun. There are only two articles a and the, but they are used very often and are important. The word a (which becomes an when the next word begins with a vowel) is called the indefinite article because the noun it goes with is  general. The word the is known as the definite article and indicates a specific thing. Whenever you see an article, you will find a noun with it. 

Grammar Activity:
Find the articles that are used in the passage above and the sentences and circle them!