Weather vocabulary in French

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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 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

Weather French Vocabulary - Neige - 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

Weather French Vocabulary - Verglas - Black Icde
  • 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

Weather French Vocabulary - Nuage - Cloud
  • 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

l’arc-en-ciel = rainbow l’avalanche = avalanche le blizzard = blizzard la brise = breeze le brouillard = fog la brume = mist la canicule = heatwave la chaleur = heat le chaud = hot le ciel = sky la coulée de boue = mudslide le coup de soleil = sunburn la crue éclair = flash flood le cyclone = cyclone l’éboulement = rockslide l’éclair = lightning bolt le feu de brouissaille = brush fire le feu de forêt = wildfire les flocons de neige = snowflakes la foudre = lightning le froid = cold le gel = frost la gelée = frost geler = to freeze la gelure = frostbite le givre = hoar / white frost le glissement de terrain = landslide la grêle = hail les grêlons = hailstones humide = wet l’inondation = flood les intempéries = bad weather la météo = weather / weather forecast la neige = snow le nuage = cloud l’orage = thunderstorm l’ouragan = hurricane le parapluie = umbrella la pluie = rain les précipitations = precipitation les prévisions météo = weather forecast la rafale = gust les rayons du soleil = sun rays la sécheresse = drought le soleil = sun la température = temperature la tempête = storm la tempête de grêle = hailstorm la tempête de neige = snowstorm la tempête de pluie = rainstorm la tempête de poussière = dust storm la tempête de sable = sandstorm la tempête tropicale = tropical storm le temps = weather le tonnerre = thunder la tornade = tornado la tornade de feu = firenado le tourbillion de poussière/sable = dust devil le tourbillion de feu = fire devil le tremblement de terre / séisme = an earthquake la trombe marine = waterspout le tsunami = tsunami le typhon = typhoon la vague de chaleur = heatwave le vent = wind le verglas = black ice

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