Here in London we say "caning it" but up north they prefer "chucking it down".

We're talking about the most common words people have for heavy rain following a survey for the Met Office.

The poll of 2,000 people found wide disparities between how people across the UK describe the weather.

The research, conducted by Vital, found over half of people in the Black Country reported they use "bucketing" for when it's pouring down whereas six in 10 people in Leeds and Newcastle would say "chucking it down".

When it comes to temperature, two-fifths of people living in London describe temperatures of 15C (59F) in January as cold, but three-quarters of those in East Anglia, Wales and the South West think this is warm.

The Met Office is now considering whether introducing regional dialect will increase the public's understanding of weather forecasts.

It has launched a project called #3wordweather, asking people to tweet a description of the weather where they are at that moment in three words.

The information gathered from this will be used to compare regional phrases used across the UK to see if there are more comprehensible ways to express the forecast.

Derrick Ryall, head of the public weather service at the Met Office, said: "The range of slang for rain alone demonstrates the breadth and diversity of the English language and the varying terminology used across different parts of the UK."

By the way, the chances the rain will be 'caning it' in London today are pretty slim but a lot of people will need to wrap up warm if they think 15C is chilly.

Any early showers will die out to leave a largely dry day across the region with some good sunny spells. But the maximum temperature will be 7C.

Have you ever heard anyone say it's caning it? (I haven't) And who are these big babies who think 15C is cold? Share your thoughts on these points, along with your preferred weather terms, in the comments below.