French Vocabulary: Weather and Seasons (La météo et les saisons)
Don’t know how to start a conversation with a French person? Talk about the weather! Learn the best French weather vocabulary to strike up a conversation.
On this page
1. Weather conditions2. Extreme weather3. Weather reportHere are some FAQs about French WeatherAh, the weather. The number one go-to (and no-brainer) conversation starter for everybody everywhere.
How many times has it saved a hapless, speechless conversationalist from a monotonous silence?
Whether you’re worming your way into an awesome conversation or just genuinely interested to know how to say weather-related things, this guide has got you covered.
Let’s go through the list of vocabulary about weather in French!
1. Weather conditions
- Weather ConditionsConditions atmosphériques
- The weather is bad.Il fait mauvais.
- The weather is cloudy.C’est nuageux.
- The weather is cold.Il fait froid.
- The weather is cool.Il fait frais.
- The weather is foggy.Il y a du brouillard.
- The weather is gray.Il fait gris/maussade.
- The weather is hot.Il fait chaud.
- The weather is humid.Il fait humide/lourd.
- The weather is mild.Il fait doux.
- The weather is nice.Il fait beau/bon.
- The weather is rainy.Le temps est pluvieux.
- The weather is stormy.Le temps est orageux.
- The weather is sunny.C’est ensoleillé.
- The weather is windy.Il y a du vent/ C’est venteux.
- It is freezing.Il gèle.
- It is snowing.Il neige.
- It is hailing.Il grêle.
- It is raining.Il pleut.
- It is raining in torrents.Il pleut à torrents.
- break/clear ups’éclaircir
- break in the weatherl’éclaircie (f)
- breezela brise
- fogle brouillard
- frostle gel/le givre
- hailla grêle
- heatla chaleur
- black icele verglas
- icela glace/le gel/le verglas
- mistla brume
- overcastcouvert(e)
- rainla pluie
- rainbowl’arc-en-ciel (m)
- shower, rain showerl’averse (f )
- snowla neige
- sunle soleil
- thawle dégel
- torrential rainune pluie diluvienne
- windle vent
- coolnessla fraîcheur
2. Extreme weather
- Extreme Weather Conditions and Natural DisastersConditions atmosphériques sévères et désastres naturels
- avalanchel’avalanche (f)
- cyclonele cyclone
- disaster zonela zone sinistrée
- dog daysla canicule
- droughtla sécheresse
- earthquakele tremblement de terre
- eruptionl’éruption (f)
- floodl’inondation (f)
- hurricanel’ouragan (m)
- icebergl’iceberg (m)
- landslidele glissement/l’effondrement de terrain (m)
- lavala lave
- lightning boltla foudre
- lightningl’éclair (m)
- monsoonla mousson
- earthquake (formal)le séisme
- shockla secousse
- snowstormla tempête de neige
- squall, gustla rafale/la bourrasque
- storm (at sea)la tempête
- storml’orage (m)
- thunderle tonnerre
- tidal wavele raz-de-marée
- tornadola tornade
- torrential rainsles pluies torrentielles (fpl)
- tsunamile tsunami
- typhoonle typhon
- windstormla tempête de vent
3. Weather report
- Weather ReportLe bulletin météorologique
- annualannuel(le)
- atmospheric pressurela pression atmosphérique
- averagemoyen(ne)
- barometerle baromètre
- changele changement
- degreele degré
- disturbancela perturbation
- dropbaisser
- forecastla prévision
- high pressurela haute pression
- hit hardtaper/frapper fort
- in the shadeà l’ombre
- low pressurela basse pression
- mildnessla douceur
- minusmoins
- plusplus
- precipitationla précipitation
- risemonter
- shinebriller
- sunrisele lever du soleil
- sunsetle coucher du soleil
- temperaturela température
- thermometerle thermomètre
- variablevariable
Here is an example of a weather forecast on French TV. (Note: It might be difficult to understand everything).
Now that you have finished reading this you can start practicing the French weather vocabulary that you have learned. Time to start talking with people about the weather in French!
Here are some FAQs about French Weather
How do you say “weather” in French?
Le temps means the weather. La météo can refer to the weather, meteorology, or the weather forecast, depending on context.
What kind of weather does France have?
The seasonal examples below concern mainland France and give rough indications. Conditions vary considerably with region and altitude; temperatures can fall outside these ranges. Rainfall peaks differ by region, and cold snaps can also occur on the west coast and in the south.
Because France is such a geographically diverse country, the climate and weather vary greatly between regions. You can expect the typical weather characteristic of each of the four seasons, though heavy snowfall during the winter season is mostly limited to the mountains (the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, etc.).
In spring, the temperature is around 10-20 degrees Celsius, paired with heavy rainfall and spring showers. Pack for unexpected weather in this season. Summer, on the other hand, is quite hot, ranging from 15 to 30 degrees Celsius. Pack light, and have sun protection (sunglasses, umbrellas, etc.).
Fall is slightly chillier than spring, and pleasant in the early months. But nearing November, it generally gets much colder; the timing of the wettest season varies by region. Pack in preparation for not only cool weather, but warm weather as well; heat spells have become increasingly common in recent years.
If you’re in France during the winter, pack heavy winter clothing! Unless you’re going to the west coast or the south of France, be aware that temperatures often fall below 0 degrees Celsius. If it’s windy, it can feel even colder, so pack accordingly.
How do you say seasons in French?
Les saisons !
What are the four seasons in French?
Spring is le printemps, summer is l’été, fall or autumn is l’automne, and winter is l’hiver.
