Weather vocabulary in French, covering common terms and expressions for describing the weather, seasons, and natural phenomena.

Building a solid foundation in French weather vocabulary is essential for everyday conversations, travel, and understanding forecasts. This guide covers common terms for describing weather conditions, talking about seasons, and discussing natural phenomena in French.

Basic Weather Terms

Understanding these fundamental weather words will help you describe most common weather situations in French.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
le soleil	—	the sun	—	Le soleil brille.	The sun is shining.
la pluie	—	the rain	—	La pluie tombe.	The rain is falling.
la neige	—	the snow	—	La neige couvre le sol.	The snow covers the ground.
le vent	—	the wind	—	Le vent souffle fort.	The wind blows strongly.
le nuage	les nuages	the cloud	the clouds	Le ciel est plein de nuages.	The sky is full of clouds.
l’orage (m.)	—	the storm	—	L’orage arrive.	The storm is coming.
la température	—	the temperature	—	La température est basse.	The temperature is low.
l'humidité (f.)	—	the humidity	—	L’humidité est élevée.	The humidity is high.
le brouillard	—	the fog	—	Il y a du brouillard ce matin.	There is fog this morning.
la brise	—	the breeze	—	Une brise légère souffle.	A light breeze is blowing.

Weather Conditions

These phrases describe different weather conditions, helping you talk about what the weather is like.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
il fait beau	—	the weather is nice	—	Il fait beau aujourd’hui.	The weather is nice today.
il fait mauvais	—	the weather is bad	—	Il fait mauvais dehors.	The weather is bad outside.
il fait chaud	—	it is hot	—	Il fait chaud en été.	It is hot in summer.
il fait froid	—	it is cold	—	Il fait froid ce matin.	It is cold this morning.
il pleut	—	it is raining	—	Il pleut depuis ce matin.	It has been raining since this morning.
il neige	—	it is snowing	—	Il neige à la montagne.	It is snowing in the mountains.
il y a du vent	—	it is windy	—	Il y a du vent aujourd’hui.	It is windy today.
il y a des nuages	—	there are clouds	—	Il y a des nuages dans le ciel.	There are clouds in the sky.
il y a de l’orage	—	there is a storm	—	Il y a de l’orage ce soir.	There is a storm this evening.
il y a du brouillard	—	there is fog	—	Il y a du brouillard ce matin.	There is fog this morning.

Seasons

Talking about the seasons is a natural part of discussing the weather. Here are the French words for the four seasons.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
le printemps	—	spring	—	Le printemps est ma saison préférée.	Spring is my favorite season.
l'été (m.)	—	summer	—	L’été est très chaud ici.	Summer is very hot here.
l’automne	—	autumn/fall	—	Les feuilles tombent en automne.	The leaves fall in autumn.
l’hiver	—	winter	—	En hiver, il neige souvent.	In winter, it often snows.

Weather-Related Verbs

These verbs are commonly used to describe weather actions and talk about weather conditions.

French Infinitive	English Infinitive	French Example	English Example
pleuvoir	to rain	Il pleut dehors.	It is raining outside.
neiger	to snow	Il neige ce soir.	It is snowing tonight.
souffler	to blow	Le vent souffle fort.	The wind is blowing hard.
briller	to shine	Le soleil brille.	The sun is shining.
tomber	to fall	La pluie tombe.	The rain is falling.
geler	to freeze	L’eau gèle en hiver.	Water freezes in winter.
se couvrir	to cloud over	Le ciel se couvre.	The sky is clouding over.
dégager	to clear up	Le ciel se dégage.	The sky is clearing up.
grêler	to hail	Il grêle souvent au printemps.	It often hails in spring.
éclairer	to light up	Le ciel s’éclaire après l’orage.	The sky lights up after the storm.

Extreme Weather

These terms describe more severe or unusual weather conditions.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
la tempête	les tempêtes	the storm	the storms	La tempête a détruit des maisons.	The storm destroyed houses.
la canicule	—	the heatwave	—	La canicule dure trois jours.	The heatwave lasts three days.
l’inondation (f.)	les inondations	the flood	the floods	Les inondations ont endommagé les routes.	The floods damaged the roads.
la tornade	les tornades	the tornado	the tornadoes	Une tornade a touché la région.	A tornado hit the region.
le cyclone	les cyclones	the cyclone	the cyclones	Le cyclone s’approche de la côte.	The cyclone is approaching the coast.
le gel	—	the frost	—	Le gel a abîmé les cultures.	The frost damaged the crops.
la grêle	—	the hail	—	La grêle a cassé les vitres.	The hail broke the windows.
le déluge	—	the downpour	—	Il y a eu un déluge hier soir.	There was a downpour last night.
le brouillard épais	—	the thick fog	—	Le brouillard épais réduit la visibilité.	The thick fog reduces visibility.
l’averse (f.)	les averses	the shower	the showers	Il y a des averses cet après-midi.	There are showers this afternoon.

Weather Expressions

These common expressions will help you sound more natural when talking about the weather in French.

French Expression	English Translation	French Example	English Example
Quel temps fait-il ?	What’s the weather like?	Quel temps fait-il aujourd’hui ?	What’s the weather like today?
Il fait un temps de chien.	The weather is awful.	Il fait un temps de chien dehors.	The weather is awful outside.
Il fait un froid de canard.	It’s freezing cold.	Il fait un froid de canard ce matin.	It’s freezing cold this morning.
Il pleut des cordes.	It’s raining cats and dogs.	Il pleut des cordes depuis hier.	It’s been raining cats and dogs since yesterday.
Être trempé(e)	To be soaked	Je suis trempé(e) par la pluie.	I’m soaked by the rain.
Un temps à ne pas mettre le nez dehors	A time not to stick your nose outside	C’est un temps à ne pas mettre le nez dehors.	It’s a time not to stick your nose outside.
Le soleil tape fort.	The sun is beating down hard.	Attention, le soleil tape fort aujourd’hui.	Be careful, the sun is beating down hard today.
Il y a un vent à décorner les bœufs.	There’s a wind strong enough to peel the bark off trees.	Il y a un vent à décorner les bœufs ce soir.	There’s a wind strong enough to peel the bark off trees this evening.
Après la pluie, le beau temps.	After the rain comes good weather.	Ne t’inquiète pas, après la pluie, le beau temps.	Don’t worry, after the rain comes good weather.
Avoir un temps de saison	To have seasonal weather	On a enfin un temps de saison.	We finally have seasonal weather.

This comprehensive list covers essential French weather vocabulary to help you describe, ask about, and understand weather conditions with confidence.

Flashcards (1 of 54)

English Singular: the sun
English Plural: —
English Example: The sun is shining.

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Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025

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