Weather vocabulary in French
Learn the weather vocabulary in French
The weather is a topic that is often discussed, regardless of the language spoken. This is likely because the weather has a significant impact on our daily lives.
In this lesson, you will learn about some common French words related to the weather but also to natural disasters.
This will help you to talk about the weather with native speakers, as well as understand what they are saying when they discuss this topic. It is also useful if you like to watch or read the French news.
In French, there are many words that are used to describe the weather, as you will see below, including nouns, adjectives, and verbs.
Here are a few sentences showing how to talk about the weather in French:
Le temps = the weather
La météo/les prévisions météo = the weather/weather forecast
Nous avons eu du beau temps pendant les vacances.
We had beautiful weather during the holidays.
Il a fait beau ce week-end.
The weather was nice this weekend.
Il a fait froid mardi.
It was cold on Tuesday.
Il a fait chaud à Marseille cet été.
It was hot in Marseille this summer.
Des intempéries ont été annoncées pour lundi.
Bad weather was forecast for Monday.
La météo s’annonce mauvaise pour la semaine prochaine.
The weather forecast is bad for the next week.
French weather words about the rain
Noun:
La pluie = the rain
Example:
De fortes pluies se sont abattues sur Paris mardi soir.
Heavy rain fell on Paris on Tuesday evening.
Adjective:
Pluvieux / pluvieuse = rainy
Example:
Un temps pluvieux est attendu ce matin.
Rainy weather is expected this morning.
C’est une journée pluvieuse. (adjective in the feminine form)
It is a rainy day.
Verb:
Pleuvoir = to rain
Example:
Il a plu toute la nuit.
It rained all night.
Il pleut tous les jours depuis deux semaines.
It has been raining every day for two weeks.
Extra:
Des pluies diluviennes = torrential rains / heavy rains
Des pluies torrentielles = torrential rains / heavy rains
La mousson = the monsoon
French weather words about the snow
Noun:
La neige = the snow
Example:
Les premières neiges sont tombées ce week-end en Isère.
The first snow fell this weekend in Isère.
Adjective:
Neigeux / neigeuse = snowy
Example:
Un temps neigeux est attendu ce matin.
Snowy weather is expected this morning.
Une semaine très neigeuse s’annonce. (adjective in the feminine form)
Snowy week is coming.
Verb:
Neiger = to snow
Example:
Il a neigé toute la journée.
It snowed all day.
Il neige souvent en décembre.
It often snows in December.
Extra:
Enneiger/ être enneigé (verb) = cover in snow
La route était enneigée ce matin.
The road was covered in snow this morning.
Des flocons de neige = snowflakes
French weather words about the black ice
Noun:
Le verglas = the black ice/icy
Example:
Roulez doucement, il y a du verglas ce matin.
Drive slowly, it’s icy this morning.
Adjective:
Verglacé / Verglacée = icy
Example:
Une voiture a glissé sur le pont verglacé.
A car slid on the icy bridge.
Sois prudent, la route est verglacée. (adjective in the feminine form)
Be careful, the road is icy.
Verb:
Verglacer / être verglacé = to be icy / to be cover with black ice
Example:
La route est souvent verglacée en hiver.
The road is often icy in winter.
French weather words about the hail
Noun:
La grêle = the hail
Example:
La grêle s’est abattue sur un village.
Hail fell on a village.
Verb:
Grêler = to hail
Example:
Il a grêlé si fort qu’on a dû s’abriter.
It hailed so hard we had to take shelter.
Extra:
Des grêlons = hailstones
Des grêlons énormes ont endommagé plusieurs véhicules.
Huge hailstones damaged several vehicles.
French weather words about the storm
Une tempête = a storm
Une tempête de grêle = a hailstorm
Une tempête de pluie = a rainstorm
Une tempête de neige = a snowstorm
Une tempête de sable = a sandstorm
Une tempête de poussière = a dust storm
French weather words about the wind
Noun:
Le vent = the wind
Example:
Le vent souffle fort ce matin.
The wind is blowing strong this morning.
Adjective:
Venteux = windy
Example:
Un temps venteux est attendu ce week-end.
Windy weather is expected this weekend.
Les plages venteuses attirent les surfers. (adjective in the feminine form)
The windy beaches attract surfers.
Verb:
Venter = be windy
Example:
Il vente souvent plus fort au sommet des montagnes.
It is often more windy on top of the mountains.
Extra:
Une rafale = a gust
Une puissante rafale a arraché mon toit.
A powerful gust ripped my roof off.
La brise = the breeze
Une brise souffle du lac vers les rives.
A breeze blows from the lake to the shore.
French weather words about the clouds
Noun:
Le nuage / les nuages = the cloud / clouds
Example:
J’adore regarder les nuages.
I like to watch the clouds.
Adjective:
Nuageux = cloudy
Example:
Le temps est très nuageux à Londres.
The weather is very cloudy in London.
Une journée nuageuse est attendue demain. (adjective in the feminine form)
A cloudy day is expected tomorrow.
Extra:
Le ciel = the sky
Un arc-en-ciel = a rainbow
French weather words about the fog and the mist
Noun:
Le brouillard = the fog
Example:
Un épais brouillard a recouvert Paris ce matin.
Thick fog blanketed Paris this morning.
Noun:
La brume = the mist
Example:
La brume a recouvert ma maison hier matin.
The mist covered my house yesterday morning.
Adjective:
Brumeux/ brumeuse = misty
Example:
Faites attention sur la route, le temps est brumeux.
Be careful on the road, the weather is misty/foggy.
Nous avons eu une matinée brumeuse. (adjective in the feminine form)
We had a misty morning.
French weather words about the heatwave
La canicule / la vague de chaleur = the heatwave
L’Espagne est touchée par la canicule depuis plusieurs mois.
Spain has been hit by a heat wave for several months.
L’arrivée d’une vague de chaleur a fait grimper les températures.
The arrival of a heat wave has caused temperatures to rise.
French weather words about the thunderstorm
Un orage = a thunderstorm
Le tonnerre = the thunder
Un éclair = a lightning bolt / lightning
La foudre = the lightning (we use “foudre” when a lightning bolt strikes either the land surface or an aircraft.)
French weather words about the flood
Noun:
Une inondation = a flood / flooding
Example:
Le sud de la France est frappé par des inondations.
The south of France is hit by floods.
Adjective:
Inondé = flooded
Example:
Un parking inondé s’est effondré au Texas.
A flooded parking lot collapsed in Texas.
Traverser une zone inondée est dangereux. (adjective in the feminine form)
Crossing a flooded area is dangerous.
Verb:
Inonder = flood / inundate
Example:
De fortes pluies ont inondé la ville.
Heavy rainfall flooded the city.
French words about natural disasters
Une tempête tropicale = a tropical storm
Un ouragan = a hurricane
Un cyclone = a cyclone
Un typhon = a typhoon
Hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons are all types of tropical storms.
Une avalanche = an avalanche
Une coulée de boue = a mudslide
Un éboulement = a rockslide
Un glissement de terrain = a landslide
Un feu de forêt = a wildfire
Un feu de broussailles = a brush fire
Un incendie = a fire
La sécheresse = the drought
Une tornade = a tornado
Une tornade de feu = a firenado
Un tourbillon de poussière/sable = a dust devil
Un tourbillon de feu = a fire devil
Un tremblement de terre / un séisme = an earthquake
Une trombe marine = a waterspout
Un tsunami = a tsunami
List of French vocabulary about weather and natural disasters
arc-en-ciel = rainbow
avalanche = avalanche
blizzard = blizzard
brise = breeze
brouillard = fog
brume = mist
canicule = heatwave
chaleur = heat
chaud = hot
ciel = sky
coulée de boue = mudslide
coup de soleil = sunburn
crue éclair = flash flood
cyclone = cyclone
éboulement = rockslide
éclair = lightning bolt
feux de brouissaille = brush fire
feux de forêt = wildfire
flocons de neige = snowflakes
foudre = lightning
froid = cold
gel = frost
gelée = frost
geler = to freeze
gelure = frostbite
givre = hoar / white frost
glissement de terrain = landslide
grêle = hail
grêlons = hailstones
humide = wet
Inondation = flood
intempéries = bad weather
météo = weather / weather forecast
neige = snow
nuage = cloud
orage = thunderstorm
ouragan = hurricane
parapluie = umbrella
pluie = rain
précipitations = precipitation
prévisions météo = weather forecast
rafale = gust
rayons du soleil = sun rays
sécheresse = drought
soleil = sun
température = temperature
tempête = storm
tempête de grêle = hailstorm
tempête de neige = snowstorm
tempête de pluie = rainstorm
tempête de poussière = dust storm
tempête de sable = sandstorm
tempête tropicale = tropical storm
temps = weather
tonnerre = thunder
tornade = tornado
tornade de feu = firenado
tourbillion de poussière/sable = dust devil
tourbillion de feu = fire devil
tremblement de terre / séisme = an earthquake
trombe marine = waterspout
tsunami = tsunami
typhon = typhoon
vague de chaleur = heatwave
vent = wind
verglas = black ice
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