It was a dark and stormy night.

Meaning: The sentence describes a night with no light, strong wind, heavy rain, and thunder.

Choice of Words: Dark means the absence of light. Stormy means there is a lot of rain, wind, and thunder. Night is the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

Alternative Expressions

The weather was terrible that night.

Meaning: This means the weather outside was very bad. It was very cold or hot, and there was a lot of rain or snow.

Choice of Words: Weather means the state of the atmosphere, including temperature, humidity, and precipitation. Terrible means very bad or unpleasant. That night means the night that is being talked about. When you put them together, "The weather was terrible that night" means that the weather was very bad during the night that is being discussed.

It was a night to stay inside.

Meaning: This means the weather outside was so bad that it was better to stay inside than to go outside.

Choice of Words: Night means the time of day when it is dark outside and most people are sleeping. To stay means to remain in a place or condition. Inside means within a building or other enclosed area. When you put them together, "It was a night to stay inside" suggests that it was a night when it was better to stay indoors than to go outside.

Related Expressions