precipitation [prI9sIpI5teiF[n]降水：暴雨、雪、冻雪或冰雹降落到地表的任何形式的水One exception may be across the eastern Great Lakes as a low pressure system north of the region pushes cold Canadian air over the lakes toproduce some precipitation（.NBC）
puff [pQf]一阵（风、烟等）
Once there was a landmark，designed to last forever，twin towers so talltheir summits sometimes disappeared into a puff of clouds（.NBC）
shower [5Fau[]阵雨
In Sydney，Australia，you can expect some showers late this evening，butthere will be a high of 27（.VOA）
sleet [slI：t]冻雨，雨夹雪
The system is expected to encounter colder air Wednesday night over northeast Georgia，Upstate South Carolina and western North Carolinaproducing a wintry mix of rain，freezing rain，sleet and snow（.Channel）The Weatherslush [slQF]雪水、半融雪The storm wound down in the southern part of the region by Fridaymorning，leaving behind rain and slush in many areas（.CNN）
snow [sn[U]雪By midmorning Tuesday，more than7inches of snow had fallen on parts of western Indiana，and wind up to 25mph created whiteout conditions insome areas，the National Weather Service said（.CNN）
snowfall [5sn[UfC：l]降雪、降雪量The weather hit after an unseasonably warm winter in which snowfall was 30percent to 50percent below normal in Indiana.Through mid-March，Indianapolis had used only about two-thirds of its 4.6millionsnow-removal budget，officials said（.FOX NEWS）
snowstorm [5sn[UstC：m]暴风雪
Snowstorms cover northern Europe，causing several deaths and cuttingpower to tens of thousands of homes（.BBC）
stagnation [stAg5neiF[n]停滞Also，there are air stagnation concerns in the Northwest with the high pressure not allowing the air to cycle much resulting some pollutants tobuild up，especially in th morning（.The Weather Channel）
steam [stI：m]蒸汽、水蒸气Huge columns of dense white steam and muddy ash spewed above Ambae Island to reach the greatest height seen since the Mt.Manarovolcano began erupting Nov.27（.AP）
stifling [5staiflIN]令人窒息的、气闷的Hundreds of people crammed into one of the country‘s busiest airports in stifling heat waiting for the runway to be repaired and flights to resume.（Reuters）
storm [stC：m]暴风雨、暴风雪The storm that dumped over 2feet of snow in the Plains and nearly a foot of snow in Illinois has weakened and moved eastward.Some light snow may dust parts of the Ohio Valley and Appalachians overnight.In the West，heavy snow warnings remain posted for southwest Utah and the mountains in the state south of I-80.A few locations could see 12to 18inches byWednesday（.The Weather Channel）
stuffy [5stQfI]不通气的、憋气的
Barefoot，I walk outside，across the tall grass，the wind carrying on it thescent of the ocean，refreshing after the stuffy heat of the church（.NBC）
sultry [sQltrI]闷热的It was during one of those all-too-common sultry August days in Northeast Georgia that I had my first conversation this season withRiverside Military football coach Doug Dixon（.Gainesville Times ）
sweltering [5swelt[rIN]酷热的The eight were held in the sweltering province of Khuzestan in Iran’s oil-rich southwest after they were seized on the Iranian side of the Shatt al-Arab waterway，or Arvand River，along the Iran-Iraq border while delivering apatrol boat to Iraq‘s new river police（.AP）
taper off [5teip[]逐渐变细、逐渐停止The heaviest snow will begin to taper off Wednesday night，although snow showers will linger through Thursday.Behind this system，expect another shot of cool Canadian air to keep high temperatures below averageinto early next week（.The Weather Channel）
temperature [5temp[rItF[r]温度Bitterly cold air poured southward across the nation’s midsection Wednesday，dropping temperatures to record lows from Montana to Illinois.（NBC）
thermometer [W[5mCmIt[r]温度计、体温计Equipped with a camera and thermometers，Minerva was meant to hop around Itokawa asteroid and send data such as surface temperatures andimages back via Hayabusa，the Kyodo news agency reported（.Reuters）
thunderstorm [5WQnd[9stC：m]雷雨、雷暴雨Southern Florida received scattered showers and thunderstorms with afew pockets of heavy rain，but little lightning（.CNN）
torrent [5tCr[nt]急流，洪流
At least 11people are dead and 26are missing after mountain torrentsflooded parts of central China，forcing the evacuation of up to 60，000people，local officials and state media said Wednesday（.USA TODAY）
tornado [tC：5neid[U]龙卷风Most destructive tornado in Iowa in the 20th century.It struck Charles City in north-central Iowa，reducing the town to rubble and causing 30million damage and 13deaths.Path of storm 65miles long.It moved intoCharles City just in time for rush hour at about 5：00p.m（.FOX NEWS）
tsunami [tsU：5nB：mI]海啸The ruins of an ancient temple built by a long-vanished kingdom in southern India are being excavated by archaeologists who said Wednesday the Hindu sanctum may have been destroyed centuries ago by a tsunami.（FOX NEWS）
typhoon [tai5fU：n]台风Japan was struck by a record 10typhoons and tropical storms last year，leaving nearly 220people dead or missing -the largest casualty toll in twodecades（.CNN）
wet [wet]湿的Though warm，wet and fertile，the island produces barely enough to feed itself.Child malnutrition is among the worst in Africa and yields of the staple crop，rice，are lower than in Mali，a country on the edge of the Saharadesert（.Reuters）
whirlwind [5w[：l9wInd]旋风
Like a whirlwind，his barbarian army of mounted archers smashed intothe borderlands of the Roman Empire，plunging the continent into chaos.The Guardian）