Hot weather can feel different for everyone. Some people enjoy the warmth and sunshine, while others find it too much. We often use special comparisons to explain how hot it feels. These comparisons are called metaphors. A metaphor helps us picture an idea by saying something is something else. It makes the meaning stronger and more interesting.
For example, instead of saying “It is very hot today,” someone might say “The sun is a fireball in the sky.” This makes the heat feel even more real. In this article, you will learn many metaphors that describe hot weather. These will help you talk about summer days, heatwaves, or just a warm afternoon in a more fun and clear way.
Metaphors for Hot Weather
1. The sun is a fireball
Meaning: The sun is very hot and bright.
Example: The sun is a fireball today—we need lots of water.
Put Differently: It felt like a burning ball was hanging over the park. / Walking outside was like facing a fireball.
2. The heat is a blanket
Meaning: The hot air feels like it’s wrapped around you.
Example: The heat is a blanket covering the whole city.
Put Differently: The warm air wrapped around us like a heavy blanket. / It was hard to move under that heat.
3. The sky is an oven
Meaning: The air is so hot it feels like baking.
Example: The sky is an oven this afternoon.
Put Differently: It felt like standing in an oven outside. / The day baked us like cookies.
4. The sidewalk is lava
Meaning: The ground is extremely hot.
Example: Don’t touch the sidewalk—it’s lava!
Put Differently: The pavement burned through my shoes. / It felt like lava under my feet.
5. The sun is a spotlight
Meaning: The sunlight feels focused and strong.
Example: I feel like I’m under a spotlight when I walk outside.
Put Differently: The sun was shining only on me. / It felt like being on stage under lights.
6. The air is soup
Meaning: The air is thick and hot.
Example: The air is soup—it’s hard to breathe.
Put Differently: Breathing felt like sipping warm soup. / The air was heavy and sticky.
7. The sun is a laser
Meaning: The sun’s heat is sharp and strong.
Example: The sun is a laser cutting through the sky.
Put Differently: It felt like laser beams were touching my skin. / It burned straight through the shade.
8. The car is an oven
Meaning: The car gets extremely hot inside.
Example: My car turned into an oven by noon.
Put Differently: I opened the door and felt the heat hit me. / It was roasting inside the car.
9. The breeze is a hairdryer
Meaning: Even the wind feels hot.
Example: The breeze is a hairdryer blowing in my face.
Put Differently: The wind didn’t cool me down—it warmed me up. / It was like a hairdryer outside.
10. The day is a furnace
Meaning: The day is extremely hot.
Example: Today feels like a furnace.
Put Differently: The sun turned the street into a furnace. / Everything outside was cooking.
11. The sun is a spotlight on high
Meaning: Sunlight is directly above and very strong.
Example: The sun is a spotlight on high today.
Put Differently: I felt like a stage actor under lights. / It followed me everywhere.
12. The heat is glue
Meaning: The hot air makes everything sticky.
Example: This heat feels like glue on my skin.
Put Differently: My clothes stuck to me like glue. / The hot air made everything sticky.
13. The sun is a bully
Meaning: The sun feels harsh and punishing.
Example: The sun is a bully today—it won’t leave us alone.
Put Differently: The sun was being mean. / It felt like it wanted to fight us.
14. The air is a sauna
Meaning: The outside feels like a steam room.
Example: It’s like a sauna out here.
Put Differently: I felt like I was in a steam room. / The heat hugged me like steam.
15. The sun is a spotlight without shade
Meaning: There’s no escape from the heat.
Example: The sun is a spotlight without shade.
Put Differently: There was nowhere to hide. / It lit up everything.
16. The street is a skillet
Meaning: The ground is burning hot.
Example: The street turned into a skillet.
Put Differently: I could’ve fried eggs on the sidewalk. / It felt like cooking on metal.
17. The sky is on fire
Meaning: The sun is making everything very hot.
Example: The sky is on fire this afternoon.
Put Differently: Everything looked and felt hot. / The sun made the sky burn.
18. The heat is a wall
Meaning: The hot air hits hard.
Example: I walked outside and hit a wall of heat.
Put Differently: It felt like walking into something solid. / The heat stopped me in my tracks.
19. The sun is angry
Meaning: The sun is very strong and hot.
Example: The sun is angry today.
Put Differently: It felt like the sun was mad. / It was too bright and hot.
20. The yard is a desert
Meaning: It’s dry and very hot outside.
Example: My backyard feels like a desert.
Put Differently: The grass was turning brown. / No water and too much sun.
21. The air is fire
Meaning: The air feels burning hot.
Example: It feels like fire outside.
Put Differently: My skin burned from the air. / It was like standing near flames.
22. The sky is a heat lamp
Meaning: The sun shines down constant heat.
Example: The sky is a big heat lamp.
Put Differently: The warmth never went away. / It was like a lamp over food.
23. The heat is syrup
Meaning: The air feels thick and slow.
Example: The heat moves like syrup.
Put Differently: It was hard to move fast. / Everything felt slow and sticky.
24. The sun is a giant torch
Meaning: The sun is burning bright and hot.
Example: The sun is a giant torch above us.
Put Differently: It was like fire in the sky. / It felt like being in front of a flame.
25. The day is a barbecue
Meaning: Everything is getting cooked by the sun.
Example: Today is a full barbecue.
Put Differently: We were being roasted outside. / The heat was cooking us.
26. The lawn is toast
Meaning: The grass is dry and burned.
Example: The lawn looks like toast.
Put Differently: It was brown and crispy. / No green left on the grass.
27. The sun is a spotlight on the world
Meaning: The sunlight touches every place.
Example: The sun is a spotlight on the world.
Put Differently: There was no escape. / It was bright all around.
28. The day is a microwave
Meaning: The heat is strong and steady.
Example: The whole day feels like a microwave.
Put Differently: We were cooking slowly. / The heat just kept going.
29. The air is boiling
Meaning: It feels extremely hot everywhere.
Example: The air feels like it’s boiling.
Put Differently: I felt bubbles on my skin. / It was way too hot.
30. The sky is glowing
Meaning: The sunlight is strong and makes everything shine.
Example: The sky is glowing today.
Put Differently: The whole town looked shiny. / Everything reflected the light.
31. The sun is a spotlight at noon
Meaning: The heat is strongest in the middle of the day.
Example: At noon, the sun is a spotlight.
Put Differently: We couldn’t stand outside long. / The sun was too strong then.
32. The car seats are griddles
Meaning: Car seats are extremely hot.
Example: My seat is like a griddle!
Put Differently: It felt like sitting on hot metal. / I had to jump right up.
33. The breeze is warm soup
Meaning: Even the wind is hot and not refreshing.
Example: The breeze feels like soup.
Put Differently: I didn’t feel cooler with wind. / It felt just as hot with air moving.
34. The sun is an open flame
Meaning: The sunlight feels very direct and hot.
Example: The sun is like an open flame above.
Put Differently: I felt like I was being burned. / It gave no break.
35. The sky is buzzing with heat
Meaning: You can feel and almost hear the heat.
Example: The sky is buzzing from all the heat.
Put Differently: It felt like the air was making a sound. / Everything seemed alive with heat.
36. The day is melting
Meaning: It’s so hot that things feel like they are melting.
Example: The whole day is melting.
Put Differently: My popsicle couldn’t last a minute. / Everything turned soft.
37. The sun is boiling water
Meaning: The sun feels hot enough to make water boil.
Example: It’s like the sun is boiling water on the roof.
Put Differently: The puddles steamed up. / I thought water would bubble.
38. The sidewalk is cooking eggs
Meaning: The pavement is very hot.
Example: It’s hot enough to cook eggs on the sidewalk.
Put Differently: I joked about making breakfast outside. / The ground sizzled.
39. The park is a desert island
Meaning: The area is dry, hot, and empty.
Example: The park turned into a desert island.
Put Differently: Not a single person or shade was there. / It felt empty and hot.
40. The air is thick with sun
Meaning: The sunlight is everywhere in the air.
Example: The air is thick with sun today.
Put Differently: It felt like sunlight was part of the air. / It was everywhere around me.
“Rewrite the Sentence” Activity: Metaphors for Hot Weather
Below are 10 sentences that describe hot weather. These do not use metaphors. Your job is to rewrite them using one of the metaphors for hot weather. Make your sentence sound natural and real.
Sentences to Rewrite
- The sun was very strong at noon.
- My shirt stuck to my skin because of the heat.
- The car was very hot when we got inside.
- The wind didn’t cool us down at all.
- The sidewalk felt very hot on my feet.
- We felt sweaty the moment we stepped outside.
- There was no shade at the park.
- The heat made it hard to play soccer.
- The backyard was hot and dry.
- My popsicle melted in seconds.
Answer Key
- The sun was a spotlight at noon.
- The heat was like glue on my skin.
- The car turned into an oven.
- The breeze felt like a hairdryer.
- The sidewalk was lava under my feet.
- The heat was a wall when we stepped out.
- The sun was a spotlight without shade at the park.
- The day felt like a furnace on the soccer field.
- The yard was a desert.
- The day was melting , my popsicle didn’t last.
Conclusion
Hot days can feel different depending on where you are and what you’re doing. Metaphors help us explain those feelings in a fun and easy way. When we say “the sidewalk is lava” or “the air is soup,” it helps others imagine how hot it really is.
Using these kinds of phrases can make our writing and talking more interesting. Try to use some of these the next time you feel the heat. It makes your ideas clearer and more fun to share.
