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. |