| 1. General terms |
| 1.1. Good weather |
| an t-sìde mhath | |
| sìde sheasach | |
| là aiseach | a beautiful day. |
| 1.2. Bad weather |
| droch shìd’ | |
| mosach | wild. |
| duathal | terrible (more extreme than ‘mosach’ [q.v.]). |
| curs | terrible (more extreme than ‘mosach’ [q.v.]). |
| sìde iarghalta | troubled weather. |
| 1.3. Temperature |
| sìd’ chas | sharp, cold, dry weather in winter. Crisp and anticyclonic. NE and N’ly winds. |
| crannadh | sharp, cold, dry weather in winter. Crisp and anticyclonic. NE and N’ly winds. |
| sìde throm | sultry, hot. |
| sìde chadalach | sultry, hot. |
| sìde chlos (clos fhéin) | (close) sultry, hot. |
| teth | |
| blath | |
| 1.4. Dryness, wetness |
| sìde thioram | |
| sìde fhliuch | |
| bog | damp. |
| 2. The sky and the weather |
| 2.1. A clear sky by day |
| speur glan | |
| 2.2. A clear night sky |
| oidhche bhriagha | |
| oidhche lurach | |
| speur glan | |
| 2.3. A red sky |
| speur dearg | Ma tha e ri ’fhaicinn tha fiughair ri gaoth an eara-dheas gun dàil. Speur dearg anns a’ mhadainn trath anns an Earrach bha fiughair ri an-shìd gun dàil. |
| 2.4. An overcast sky |
| salach | |
| speur salach | |
| samh (m) ( sev) | [pron.] haze. |
| samhar | hazey. |
| 2.5. Unusual appearance of the moon or the sun |
| buaile (f) | fiughair ri uisge. The larger the halo is, the sooner rain can be expected. |
| a’ ghrian ’na trì | the sun appearing as 3 low in sky. |
| clip air a’ ghréin | eclipse of the sun. |
| casan o’n ghréin | big sunbeams in morning. Forecast high wind within 24 hours. Also known as “gaithean na gréineadh” (Tiree genitive). |
| gaithean na gréineadh | [See casan o’n ghréin] |
| 2.6. The northern lights |
| fir chlis | |
| 2.7. Stars |
| runnag (f), runnagan (pl) | |
| an Crann | the Plough. |
| an Griaglachan | the Pleiades. |
| runnag a’ dol air imrich | shooting star. |
| Bhéanas | Venus. |
| Breac a’ Mhuilinn | Milky Way. |
| (Stars twinkling – frost.) | |
| 3. Clouds |
| 3.1. Light cloud |
| neòil shoilleir | |
| neòil aotrom | |
| 3.2. Cirrus cloud |
| neòil àrd | |
| urball each | mares tails. (Fiughair ri gaoth.) |
| 3.3. Thick cloud |
| neòil thairneanach | cumulonimbus |
| neòil duathal | grey and heavily overcast. |
| 3.4. Rainbow |
| bogha-froiseadh | (Tiree gen. with -adh at end.) |
| badag chruaidh | small section of rainbow suspended in sky. Includes all rainbow colours. Generally seen in showery weather. |
| 4. Wind |
| 4.1. Dead calm |
| fiath (noun) | fiath nan ian. |
| fiathail (adj) | |
| ciùin | also can mean the smir of drizzle. |
| 4.2. Light breeze |
| oiteag (f) | could also be a whirlwind as experienced at springtime and harvest-time. |
| 4.3. Fresh breeze |
| brios | breeze. |
| 4.4. Gusts |
| gaoth ’na deannaichean | |
| oiteag | a gust. |
| 4.5. Wind of variable direction |
| very seldom | |
| 4.6. Strong wind |
| gaoth làidir | |
| 4.7. Gale |
| geal (f) | |
| 4.8. Hurricane |
| stoirm (f) | |
| 4.9. Rising wind |
| a’ ghaoth a’ buannachd | |
| 4.10. Dying wind |
| a’ ghaoth a’ toirt dheth | |
| a’ ghaoth a’ sìleadh | |
| 4.11. Winds associated with particular seasons of the year |
| gaoth-earraich | an eara-dheas (SE). |
| a’ ghaoth ann am foghair | an ear-thuath (NE). |
| Trì gaothan a’s fuaire: |
| gaoth roimh tholl | coldest. (“Roimh” used in Tiree instead of “troimh”.) |
| gaoth fo sheòl | 2nd coldest. |
| gaoth aiteamh | 3rd coldest. |
| 5. Tides |
| làin | |
| 5.1. Flowing |
| làn a’ buannachd | |
| làn a’ tighinn a-staigh | |
| 5.2. Ebbing |
| lan a’ toirt dheth | [sic] |
| 5.3. High tide |
| muir làn | |
| 5.4. Low tide |
| muir tràigh | |
| 5.5. Spring tide |
| traigh reothairt | low spring tide. |
| làn reothairt | high spring tide. |
| 5.6. Neap tide |
| contraigh | |
| 5.7. Turn of the tide |
| tionndadh a’ làin | |
| 6. Weather and the sea |
| 6.1. A calm sea |
| cuan lom | |
| 6.2. A light swell |
| “swell” beag | |
| 6.3. A heavy swell |
| “swell” trom | |
| 6.4. A choppy sea |
| fairge chas | |
| 6.5. A stormy sea |
| fairge churs | |
| 6.6. Large waves |
| tonnan móra | |
| 6.7. Breakers |
| bristichean (aon bhristeadh) | |
| 6.8. Surf |
| stoth | |
| 6.9. Spindrift |
| cath a’ chuain | |
| rùid (f), rùidean (pl) | a wave, but not breaking. |
| 7. Rain |
| 7.1. Drizzle |
| smugalach-uisge | |
| 7.2. Light shower |
| fras aotrom | |
| 7.3. Heavy shower |
| fras throm | |
| steall-uisge | |
| 7.4. Prolonged rain |
| fìor uisge | |
| 7.5. Driving rain |
| uisge sgaoil | |
| 7.6. Getting soaked |
| bog-fliuch | |
| sgios de dh’uisge | drizzle. |
| 8. Mist |
| 8.1. Light mist |
| ceòban | |
| 8.2. Heavy mist |
| ceò | |
| 8.3. Sea mist |
| ceò-mara | |
| 8.4. Other terms associated with mist |
| [ceò-earraich] | Chan fhacas riamh ceò-earraich gun chathadh as a dhéidh. |
| ceò-ar | misty. |
| 9. Thunder and lightning |
| 9.1. Thunder |
| tairneanach cruaidh | loud thunder. |
| torman (f) | distant thunder. |
| 9.2. Lightning |
| tein’-adhair | lightning. (Pronounced “tin-adair” in Tiree.) |
| fear gorm | fork lightning between cloud and ground. |
| tin’-adhair bàn | sheet lightning between clouds. |
| 10. Snow and hail |
| 10.1. Snowflakes |
| clàdan (m), clàdain (pl) | large snowflakes in spring and winter, not too cold. Would cover a penny. |
| [small snowflakes] | (No word in Tiree for small snowflakes.) |
| 10.2. Sleet |
| fliuchana-shneachda | |
| 10.3. Different types of snow |
| sneachd fliuch | wet snow. |
| 10.4. Driving snow |
| cathadh-shneachda | |
| 10.5. Heavy fall |
| sneachda trom | |
| 10.6. Snowdrifts |
| bòta-sneachda, botaichean-sneachda (pl) | |
| 10.7. A few flakes floating in the wind |
| 10.8. Snowman and rolled ball of snow |
| bodach-sneachda | |
| muc-shneachda | |
| muc-bhàn | |
| 10.9. Hailstones |
| clach-mheallan | |
| 11. Frost |
| 11.1. Hoarfrost |
| liath-reothadh | |
| 11.2. Hard frost |
| reothadh cruaidh | |
| 11.3. Ice |
| deigheanach (f) | ice. (‘deitheanach’ – Tiree pronunciation.) |
| “Cha robh reothadh an loin làin riamh buan.” | |
| 11.4. Thaw |
| aiteamh (f) | |
| 12. Signs foretelling weather. |
| 12.1. Foretelling good weather |
| [foretelling good weather 1] | A’ ghaoth a’ leantail na Gréineadh. (clockwise direction) (‘Gréineadh’ – Tiree gen. for ‘Grian’.) |
| [foretelling good weather 2] | Spreidh a’ dol suas na beanntan. |
| [foretelling good weather 3] | Deep red sky at night. |
| 12.2. Foretelling bad weather |
| [foretelling bad weather 1] | An cuan a bhi mosach. Influence of a gale on the sea-state hours before it actually comes. |
| [foretelling bad weather 2] | When no surf at all on beach – like a loch. |
| [foretelling bad weather 3] | When “curachdagan” (lapwings) gather in large flocks. |
| [foretelling bad weather 4] | Fìor chomharradh na h-an-shìd’ – eòin na mara tighinn gu tìr. |
| [foretelling bad weather 5] | A’ ghorra-chritheach (heron) a’ dol gu’n cladach ’san fheasgar. |
| [foretelling bad weather 6] | Ducks (esp. mallard) making for sheltered spots such as boggy places and pools. |
| [foretelling bad weather 7] | The larger the ‘buaile’ round the moon the closer rain is. |
| [foretelling bad weather 8] | Badag chruaidh. |
| 13. General sayings or proverbs connected with the weather |
| [general sayings or proverbs 1] | Fiath an fhaoillich agus gaol siùrsaich. |
| [general sayings or proverbs 2] | B’fhèarr leam ruag is creach a thighinn do’n tìr na madainn mhin an fhaoillich. |
| [general sayings or proverbs 3] | Gheibheadh tu geamhradh math nan robh earrach geal grianach ann agus foghar breac riabhach ’na dhéidh. |
| [general sayings or proverbs 4] | Faileas (reflection) sam bi anns a’ loch bhiodh sin ’na chomharradh droch-shìd’. |
| [general sayings or proverbs 5] | Beanntan a’ sealltainn (Tiree instead of ‘a’ coimhead’) na’s fhaisge ort na tha iad ann da rireadh. |
| [general sayings or proverbs 6] | [crossed out] |
| [general sayings or proverbs 7] | Gaoth-a-tuath fuachd is feannadh / Gaoth-an-iar iasg is bainne / Gaoth-a-deas teas is toradh / Gaoth-an-ear tart is crannadh. |
| [general sayings or proverbs 8] | Ma chailleas tu ghaoth, iar an deas i. |
| [general sayings or proverbs 9] | Speur dearg anns a’ mhadainn trath anns an earrach, bha fiughair ri an-shìd’ gun dàil, agus gaoth an eara-dheas. |
| [general sayings or proverbs 10] | An oiteag luaineach feadh nam bruach tha gluasad barr an fheòir. |
