Objective Proficiency p 24. Weather Expressions. Extra Gapped sentences

Think of ONE word only that can be used appropriately in all three sentences of each exercise.
1
a. Another storm is __________ down on northern California.
b.  Scotland is ________ the brunt of the bad weather, with schools in many parts closed and winds of up to 100mph expected.
c. International workers were __________ up well in the aftermath of the fourth typhoon to hit the Philippines in a month 
2
a. The floods caused ________ throughout the area. 
b. Winter storms continued to wreak _______ on drivers. 
c. Strong winds played __________ with her golf game.
3. 
a. Severe flooding can cause  ___________ of cholera if the water becomes contaminated. 
b. Make sure you carry your umbrellas with you as there will be _________of rain throughout the day.
c. Research confirms that droughts fuel conflict __________ in Somalia.
4.
a. Tonight there will be __________ clouds with temperatures ranging from 19C-30C.
b. While it should be mostly sunny and warm today, expect _______ showers and mild temperatures over the weekend.
c. Many African families are ___________ around the world due to climate change.
5.
a. Low clouds and _________ rain are forecast for tomorrow. 
b. Mozambique's drought is _________, with some areas enjoying good rainfall or able to use old Portuguese colonial-era irrigation schemes to boost production.  
c.  Looks like we'll start with some __________ fog mainly east this morning. It shouldn't be as thick or as widespread as yesterday though.

 

KEY

1. bearing 
bear down on somebody/something to move quickly towards somebody/something in a determined or threatening way. E.g. a storm bearing down on the island. The car gathered speed and bore down on him, so he jumped into the ditch. I could see a police car bearing down on us.

bear, take, etc. the brunt of something to receive the main force of something unpleasant. E.g. Schools will bear the brunt of cuts in government spending.  The oldest parts of the town bore the brunt of the missile attacks.  Ordinary citizens will bear the brunt of higher taxes.

bear up (against/under something) to remain as cheerful as possible during a difficult time. E.g. He's bearing up well under the strain of losing his job.‘How are you?’ ‘Bearing up.’ A true native of Miami, Florida, she is considered by her peers to be highly unlikely to adjust to the brutal Northeastern weather, but is noted for bearing up well under the adverse conditions of the Boston area. 



2. havoc
havoc a situation in which there is a lot of damage, destruction or confusion. E.g. Continuing strikes are beginning to play havoc with the national economy. These insects can wreak havoc on crops.  

wreak something (on somebody) (formal) to do great damage or harm to somebody/ something. Inflict, cause  (a large amount of damage or harm). E.g. Their policies would wreak havoc on the economy. Storms wreaked havoc on both coasts of the United States. Torrential rainstorms wreaked havoc yesterday.

 play havoc with something to cause a great deal of damage, distress, or confusion (to). Disrupt. E.g. Stormy conditions played havoc with the fishing.  Shift work plays havoc with the body clock.



3. outbreaks

outbreak: the sudden start of something unpleasant, especially violence or a disease. E.g. the outbreak of war. An outbreak of typhoid. Outbreaks of rain are expected in the afternoon. An outbreak of food poisoning led to the deaths of five people. 



4. scattered 
scattered /ˈskætəd/ spread far apart over a wide area or over a long period of time. E.g. a few scattered settlements. Sunshine with scattered showers. Her family are scattered around the world.


From meteorology terms, broken clouds are clouds which cover between 6/10 and 9/10 of the sky while scattered clouds is a sky condition when between 1/10 and 5/10 of clouds are covered.

overcast: /ˌəʊvəˈkɑːst/ covered with clouds; dull. E.g.  an overcast sky/ day. Today it will be dull and overcast.

What's the difference between  scattered and isolated showers?
From a technical perspective--and in "weather talk"--isolated and scattered showers do indeed have different meanings.
The term "isolated" refers to showers that are few and far between, and the National Weather Service (NWS) defines "isolated" as displaying between 10% to 20% coverage.  In other words, when the forecast calls for "isolated" showers, only 10% to 20% of the forecast area will receive measurable rainfall within the forecast period -- most neighbourhoods stay dry.
"Scattered" refers to the range of 30% to 50% coverage.  So, even with "scattered" showers, half or less of the neighbourhoods are expected to "get wet."  For 60% and above, the terms most frequently used are "likely" and "numerous."  At 90% to 100% coverage, we often simply say something like "expect showers."



5. patchy
patchy existing or happening in some places and not others. E.g. patchy fog. The grass was dry and patchy. Patchy rain/cloud/fog