Weather Crossword Puzzle (free printable)
A free weather crossword with thirteen words and clues for grades 2 to 5: thunder, lightning, tornado, hurricane, forecast, climate and more, with numbered squares and an answer key.
To save a PDF, choose Print, then “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheets print.
All 13 words are in the crossword (13 × 17 squares).
About this set
Thirteen weather words with a clue that explains each in a sentence: the loud rumble that follows a flash in the sky, a spinning funnel of wind that reaches the ground, a huge storm that forms over warm ocean water, a long time with very little rain. The words come from the whole range of a weather unit: what the sky does (thunder, lightning, hail, fog, breeze, rainbow), the big storms (tornado, hurricane), how we measure and predict (thermometer, forecast, meteorologist) and the long view (drought, climate). Students who have done the unit can solve most from memory, and the answer key lists each answer by its number.
Grades: 2nd to 5th grade. Best in: September, March, April.
The words and clues
- Thunder :
- The loud rumble you hear after a flash in the sky
- Lightning :
- A bright flash of electricity in a storm cloud
- Tornado :
- A spinning funnel of wind that reaches from a cloud to the ground
- Hurricane :
- A huge storm with strong winds that forms over warm ocean water
- Rainbow :
- A curve of many colors that appears when sun shines through rain
- Thermometer :
- A tool that tells you how hot or cold it is
- Forecast :
- A prediction of what the weather will be tomorrow
- Fog :
- A cloud that touches the ground and makes it hard to see
- Hail :
- Balls of ice that fall from a storm cloud
- Breeze :
- A gentle, light wind
- Drought :
- A long time with very little rain
- Climate :
- The usual weather of a place over many years
- Meteorologist :
- A scientist who studies the weather and makes predictions about it
How to use it: five ideas
- Unit review: use the crossword as a closing task for a weather unit, and have students explain the one clue they found hardest.
- Word bank for grade 2: leave it on and have partners read the clues aloud.
- Sort the answers: students sort answers into weather you can see, weather you can hear and tools that measure weather.
- Write a clue: students write a clue for “Blizzard” or “Rain” in their own words, trade with a neighbor and solve each other’s.
- New layout: press Make another before each print so neighbors cannot copy the squares from each other.
Related
Questions
Are the clues accurate?
Yes. A tornado is a spinning funnel of wind that reaches the ground, a hurricane forms over warm ocean water, and climate is the usual weather of a place over many years. If you change a clue, check the fact first.
Can I change the clues for my grade?
Yes. Every word and clue is in the box on this page. Edit any line and the crossword rebuilds with new numbers.
Can I change the words and clues?
Yes. Each of the 13 lines is a word, a colon and its clue. Edit any of them, and the crossword is rebuilt with new numbers.
How do I save it as a PDF?
Press Print and choose “Save as PDF” as the printer. The puzzle is page one and the answer key is page two.
How do I get a different layout?
Press “Make another”. The same words and clues are placed in a new arrangement, so each table can have its own puzzle.
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