In the Longman Dictionary of Common Errors you read "When you ask for or give a description of someone or something, use what ... like (NOT how): 'What's your new teacher like?'
But I sometimes hear people say things like "How is your new teacher?" as a way of asking someone to describe someone or something.
To me, the response to that question could be "She's fine", not a description of the teacher's appearance or behavior, since I think of it as a question about someone's health or life condition, e.g. if they are well or happy.
What about "How's the weather?" and "What's the weather like?" ? Do you see any difference?
Is it that the former is used to ask a question about if the whether is good or bad in a specific situation, and the latter to ask about the general weather conditions in a place? So one can say "What's the weather usually like in Toronto?" and the answer would be "Dry and cold." (I'm not really sure about the weather conditions there, though!), and "How's the weather today?" followed by the response "It's sunny today".
Or do they have the same meaning?