167 wild & wonderful weather words in French, not to be mist

There is nothing like the weather to start a conversation — whether you want to warn your francophone friends to take their umbrella because it’s going to rain, or just make small talk with a vendor in a fruit and veggies store.

Complement your conversation with these useful ways to say hello in French!

Rain or shine, we have you covered — parasol or umbrella — with this extensive guide to weather in French!

How do you say “weather” in French?

“Weather” in French can be translated by “temps” or “météo”. Seems hard? Don’t sweat it, “temperature” is almost the same: “température”. And “climate” too: “climat”. So, chill!

This article on months and seasons in French may also come in handy!

How to talk about the weather in French

Would you like to learn useful phrases like “How is the weather?” in French? Et voilà !

Quel temps fait-il ?

What’s the weather like?

Quelles sont les prévisions météo pour ce weekend?

What’s the weather forecast for this weekend?

Il fait soleil mais la brise est fraîche.

It’s sunny but with a cool breeze.

Quelle température va-t-il faire aujourd’hui ?

What’s the temperature going to reach today?

Ils annoncent une température de seulement 5 degrés ce matin.

It’s looking like it will be as cold as 5 degrees this morning.

List of weather terms in French

If weather is your thing, you’re going to be on cloud nine. With our list of weather terms in French, French vocab learning is a breeze!

Everyday weather terms in French

Wonder how to say “It’s sunny” in French, or “it’s raining” in French? Before you move on to the tables below, here are a couple of examples for different tenses:

	English	French
Present tense	It’s raining.	Il pleut.
Past tense	It rained yesterday.	Il a plu hier.
Future tense	It will rain next week.	Il va pleuvoir la semaine prochaine.
Present tense	It’s sunny.	Il fait soleil.
Past tense	It was sunny this morning.	Il faisait soleil ce matin.
Future tense	It will be sunny this weekend.	Il fera soleil ce weekend.

Not to be mist, we’re sure you’ll find the below list of common weather terminology pretty useful if you’re watching the daily weather report, making smalltalk, or striking up conversations in French.

English	French	IPA
Sunny	Ensoleillé	ɑ̃sɔlɛje
Cloudy	Nuageux	nɥaʒø
Rainy	Pluvieux	plyvjø
It’s raining	Il pleut	il plø
It’s snowing	Il neige	il nɛʒə
It’s hailing	Il grêle	il gɾɛlə
Sleet	Grésil	gɾezil
Windy	Venté	vɑ̃te
Overcast	Couvert	kuvɛɾ
Fog	Brouillard	bɾwijaɾ
Stormy	Orageux	ɔɾaʒø
Partly cloudy	Partiellement nuageux	paɾtjɛləmə nɥaʒø
Blue sky	Ciel bleu	sjɛl blø
Pouring	Pluie diluvienne	plɥjə dilyvjɛnə
Scattered showers	Averses éparses	avɛɾsəz‿ epaɾsə
Sunrise	Lever du soleil	ləve dy sɔlɛj
Sunset	Coucher de soleil	kuʃe də sɔlɛj
Dusk	Crépuscule	kɾepyskylə
Dawn	Aube	obə

Extreme weather terms in French

Being able to talk about and understand extreme weather when abroad can be a lifesaver! Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating, but just in case, it’s wise to learn the terms below and read the examples in different tenses.

	English	French
Present tense	A hurricane is coming.	Un ouragan arrive.
Past tense	There was a hurricane yesterday.	Il y a eu un ouragan hier.
Future tense	There will be a hurricane tomorrow.	Il va y avoir un ouragan demain.
Present tense	There’s a heatwave now.	C’est la canicule en ce moment.
Past tense	There was a heatwave last week.	C’était la canicule la semaine dernière.
Future tense	There will be a heatwave this weekend.	Ce sera la canicule ce week-end.

Now check out all the different vocabulary words for extreme weather events in French below. Hopefully you don’t have to use the majority of these words too much, although sadly, you might hear them on the news.

English	French	IPA
Hurricane	Ouragan	uɾagɑ̃
Cyclone	Cyclone	siklɔnə
Cold front	Front froid	fɾõ fɾwa
Heatwave	Canicule	kanikylə
Flood	Inondation	inõdasjõ
Typhoon	Typhon	tipõ
Thunderstorm	Orage	ɔɾaʒə
Tornado	Tornade	tɔɾnadə
Downpour	Averse	avɛɾsə
Thunder	Tonnerre	tɔnɛrə
Lightning	Foudre	fudɾə
Whiteout	Voile blanc	vwalə blɑ̃k
Frost	Gelée	ʒəleə
Drought	Sécheresse	seʃəɾɛsə
Avalanche	Avalanche	avalɑ̃ʃə
Snow storm	Tempête de neige	tɑ̃pɛtə də nɛʒə
Deluge	Déluge	delyʒə
Sand storm	Tempête de sable	tɑ̃pɛtə də sablə

Talking about the temperature in French

As if Fahrenheit and Celsius degrees were not confusing enough — watch this video —, we’ve added even more vocab for you. It’s getting hot in here!

English	French	IPA
It’s hot	Il fait chaud	il fe ʃo
It’s cold	Il fait froid	il fe fɾwa
It’s wet outside	C'est humide dehors	sɛ ymidə dəɔɾ
It’s nice outside	Il fait bon dehors	il fe bõ dəɔɾ
It’s humid	C'est humide	sɛ ymidə
It’s dry	C'est sec	sɛ sɛk
It’s x degrees	Il fait x degrés	il fe ks dɛgɾe
It’s minus x degrees	Il fait moins x degrés	il fe mwɛ̃ ks dɛgɾe
Celsius	Celsius	sɛlsjy
Fahrenheit	Fahrenheit	faɾɛne
It’s freezing	Il gèle	il ʒɛlə
It’s very hot	Il fait très chaud	il fe tɾe ʃo
Room temperature	Température ambiante	tɑ̃peɾatyɾ ɑ̃bjɑ̃tə
It’s chilly	Il fait frais	il fe fɾe
It’s a lovely day	C'est une belle journée	sɛt‿ ynə bɛlə ʒuɾneə
It’s warm	Il fait bon	il fe bõ
It’s below freezing	La température est en dessous de zéro	la tɑ̃peɾatyɾɛt‿ɑ̃dəsu də zeɾo
It’s scorching hot	Il fait une chaleur torride	il fɛt‿ ynə ʃalœɾ tɔridə
The temperature rose	La température a monté	la tɑ̃peɾatyɾ a mõte
The temperature dropped	La température a baissé	la tɑ̃peɾatyɾ a b(e)se
It’s stifling	C’est étouffant	kɛt‿ etufɑ̃
It’s oppressing	C’est oppressant	kɛt‿ ɔpɾɛsɑ̃

Other important weather terms in French

We’ve gathered other important weather-related words and phrases. If you’re not snowed under, check out these beautiful and cool French words, with a special section dedicated to nature.

English	French	IPA
Weather forecast	Prévisions météorologiques/météo	pɾevizjõ meteɔɾɔlɔʒikə/meteo
Meteorology	Météorologie	meteɔɾɔlɔʒjə
Bad weather	Mauvais temps	move tɑ̃
Good weather	Beau temps	bo tɑ̃
Extreme weather event	Événement météorologique extrême	evenəmə meteɔɾɔlɔʒik ɛkstɾɛmə
Climate change	Changement climatique	ʃɑ̃ʒəmə klimatikə
Global warming	Réchauffement de la planète	ɾeʃofəmə də la planɛtə
Sea surface temperature	Température de surface de la mer	tɑ̃peɾatyɾə də syɾfasə də lamεɾ
Wind warning	Vent violent	və vjɔlə
Squall	Bourrasque	buraskə
Shower	Averse	avɛɾsə
Flurry	Tourbillon	tuɾbijõ
Gust	Rafale	ɾafalə
Precipitation	Précipitations	pɾesipitatjõ
Atmospheric pressure	Pression atmosphérique	pɾɛsjõn‿ atmɔspeɾikə
High pressure	Haute pression	otə pɾɛsjõ
Low pressure	Basse pression	basə pɾɛsjõ
Trough	Dépression	depɾɛsjõ
Warm front	Front chaud	fɾõ ʃo
Wind direction	Direction du vent	diɾɛksjõ dy və
Rainbow	Arc-en-ciel	aɾkɑ̃-sjɛl
Blizzard	Blizzard	blizaɾ
Sunshine	Soleil	sɔlɛj
Mist	Brume	bɾymə
Clear	Clair	klɛɾ
Ice	Glace	glasə
Unstable weather in March (rain, sun, sleet)	Giboulées de mars	ʒibule də maɾ
Drizzle	Bruine	bɾɥinə
Breeze	Brise	bɾizə
Gale	Grand vent	gɾɑ̃ və
Thermometer	Thermomètre	tɛɾmɔmɛtɾə
Barometer	Baromètre	baɾɔmɛtɾə
Celsius	Celsius	sɛlsjy
Fahrenheit	Fahrenheit	faɾɛne
Air conditioning	Climatisation	klimatizasjõ
Flurries	Rafales	ɾafalə
Frostbite	Engelure	ɑ̃ʒəlyɾə
Heat stroke	Coup de chaleur	ku də ʃalœɾ
Sweating	Transpiration	tɾɑ̃spiɾasjõ
Meteorologist	Météorologue	meteɔɾɔlɔgə
Puddle	Flaque d'eau	flakə do
Raindrop	Goutte de pluie	gutə də plɥjə
Season	Saison	sɛzõ
Smog	Smog	smo
Sunburn	Coup de soleil	ku də sɔlɛj
Sunglasses	Lunettes de soleil	lynɛtə də sɔlɛj
Suntan	Bronzage	bɾõzaʒə
Sunscreen	Crème solaire/écran solaire	kɾɛmə sɔl(e)ɾɛ/ekɾɑ̃ sɔlɛɾə
Umbrella	Parapluie	paɾaplɥjə
Parasol	Parasol	paɾazɔl
UV	UV	y
Wind chill	Refroidissement éolien	ɾəfɾwadisəmət‿ eɔljɛ̃
Mild weather	Temps doux	tɑ̃ duks
Changeable weather	Temps changeant	tɑ̃ ʃɑ̃ʒɛɑ̃
Slush	Pluie-neige	plɥjə-nɛʒə
Drenched	Trempé	tɾɑ̃pe
Thunderclap	Coup de tonnerre	ku də tɔnɛrə
Bolt of lightning	Éclair	eklɛɾ
Haze	Brume	bɾymə
Dew	Rosée	ɾozeə
Whirlwind	Tourbillon	tuɾbijõ
Tide	Marée	maɾeə
Air	Air	ɛɾ
Air pollution	Pollution de l'air	pɔlysjõ də lɛɾ
Air mass	Masse d'air	masə dɛɾ
Air pressure	Pression de l'air	pɾɛsjõ də lɛɾ
Aurora	Aurore	ɔɾɔɾə
Northern lights	Aurore boréale	ɔɾɔɾə bɔɾealə
Southern lights	Aurore australe	ɔɾɔɾ ostɾalə
Cumulus	Cumulus	kymyly
Cumulonimbus	Cumulonimbus	kymylɔnɛ̃by
Cirrus	Cirrus	siry
Beaufort wind scale	Échelle de vent de Beaufort	eʃɛlə də və də bofɔɾ
Condensation	Condensation	kõdɑ̃sasjõ
Dew point	Point de rosée	pwɛ̃ də ɾozeə
Greenhouse effect	Effet de serre	ɛfe də sɛrə
Halo	Halo	alo
Stalactites	Stalactites	stalaktitə
Stalactites	Stalactites	stalaktitə
Monsoon	Mousson	musõ
Ozone	Ozone	ɔzɔnə
Snow level	Niveau de la neige	nivo də la nɛʒə
Stratosphere	Stratosphère	stɾatɔspɛɾə
Temperate	Tempéré	tɑ̃peɾe
Tropical	Tropicale	tɾɔpikalə
Subtropical	Subtropicale	syptɾɔpikalə
Arctic	Arctique	aɾktikə
Turbulence	Turbulence	tyɾbylɑ̃sə
Vapor	Vapeur	vapœɾ
Cold spell	Coup de froid	ku də fɾwa

Weather related expressions in French

Faire la pluie et le beau temps

• Literal translation: To make the rain and the nice weather
• Meaning: To call the shots

Pleuvoir des cordes

• Literal translation: To rain ropes
• Meaning: Pouring rain

Un froid de canard

• Literal translation: A duck’s cold
• Meaning: Very cold weather

Un temps de chien

• Literal translation: A dog’s weather
• Meaning: Bad weather

Un coup de foudre

• Literal translation: A lightning bolt
• Meaning: Love at first sight

Un vent à décorner les boeufs

• Literal translation: A wind to blow off a bull’s horns
• Meaning: A very strong wind

We know, that’s a downpour of vocab… If you’re looking for an easier way to learn the weather in French, listen to this song by Laurent Voulzy featuring clouds, sky, wind and more!

Quatre nuages

And by the way, if you’re under the weather and need to explain your situation, you might want to learn these anatomy words in French…

Otherwise, keep expanding your brain and continue the fun on our free French vocabulary blog lessons.