Spanish Weather Vocabulary and Everyday Weather Phrases

Understanding Spanish vocabulary weather terms is essential for everyday conversations. Whether you're planning a trip to a Spanish-speaking country or simply want to discuss the forecast, this guide covers all the Spanish words for weather you need to know.

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Practice Spanish Weather Vocabulary with Lucía

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Essential Weather Vocabulary

This Spanish weather vocabulary list contains the core words every learner should memorize. These terms appear frequently in daily conversations and news reports.

Word & Pronunciation	English	Example
el tiempoehl TYEHM-poh	the weather	¿Cómo está el tiempo hoy? (How's the weather today?)
el solehl sohl	the sun	El sol brilla con fuerza. (The sun is shining brightly.)
la lluvialah YOO-vyah	the rain	La lluvia no para desde ayer. (The rain hasn't stopped since yesterday.)
la nievelah NYEH-veh	the snow	La nieve cubre las montañas. (Snow covers the mountains.)
el vientoehl VYEHN-toh	the wind	El viento es muy fuerte hoy. (The wind is very strong today.)
la nubelah NOO-beh	the cloud	Hay muchas nubes en el cielo. (There are many clouds in the sky.)
la tormentalah tohr-MEHN-tah	the storm	Se acerca una tormenta. (A storm is approaching.)
el relámpagoehl reh-LAHM-pah-goh	the lightning	Vi un relámpago a lo lejos. (I saw lightning in the distance.)
el truenoehl TRWEH-noh	the thunder	El trueno asustó al perro. (The thunder scared the dog.)
la nieblalah NYEH-blah	the fog	La niebla es densa esta mañana. (The fog is dense this morning.)
el granizoehl grah-NEE-soh	the hail	El granizo dañó los coches. (The hail damaged the cars.)
el arcoírisehl ahr-koh-EE-rees	the rainbow	Apareció un arcoíris después de la lluvia. (A rainbow appeared after the rain.)
la temperaturalah tehm-peh-rah-TOO-rah	the temperature	La temperatura bajó mucho anoche. (The temperature dropped a lot last night.)
el pronósticoehl proh-NOHS-tee-koh	the forecast	El pronóstico dice que lloverá. (The forecast says it will rain.)
el huracánehl oo-rah-KAHN	the hurricane	El huracán llegará mañana. (The hurricane will arrive tomorrow.)
la sequíalah seh-KEE-ah	the drought	La sequía afecta a los agricultores. (The drought affects the farmers.)

Common Spanish Weather Phrases

Beyond individual words, mastering common Spanish weather phrases will help you sound more natural. These expressions are used daily by native speakers.

Phrase & Pronunciation	English	Context
Hace calorAH-seh kah-LOHR	It's hot	Hace mucho calor en verano. (It's very hot in summer.)
Hace fríoAH-seh FREE-oh	It's cold	Hace frío, ponte un abrigo. (It's cold, put on a coat.)
Está lloviendoehs-TAH yoh-VYEHN-doh	It's raining	Está lloviendo a cántaros. (It's raining buckets.)
Está nevandoehs-TAH neh-VAHN-doh	It's snowing	Está nevando en la sierra. (It's snowing in the mountains.)
Hace buen tiempoAH-seh bwehn TYEHM-poh	The weather is nice	Hace buen tiempo para pasear. (The weather is nice for a walk.)
Hace mal tiempoAH-seh mahl TYEHM-poh	The weather is bad	Hace mal tiempo, quedémonos en casa. (The weather is bad, let's stay home.)
Está nubladoehs-TAH noo-BLAH-doh	It's cloudy	Está nublado pero no llueve. (It's cloudy but it's not raining.)
Hace vientoAH-seh VYEHN-toh	It's windy	Hace mucho viento en la costa. (It's very windy on the coast.)
Hace solAH-seh sohl	It's sunny	Hace sol, vamos a la playa. (It's sunny, let's go to the beach.)
Está despejadoehs-TAH dehs-peh-HAH-doh	It's clear	El cielo está despejado. (The sky is clear.)

Usage Notes

When you learn Spanish weather vocabulary, understanding the grammar behind these expressions is crucial. Here are key points to remember:

• Hacer + noun: Spanish uses the verb hacer (to make/do) for many weather expressions. You say hace calor (it makes heat) rather than "it is hot." This pattern applies to: hace frío, hace calor, hace viento, hace sol, hace buen/mal tiempo.
• Estar + gerund: For ongoing weather actions, use estar with the present participle: está lloviendo (it is raining), está nevando (it is snowing).
• Estar + adjective: For weather conditions described by adjectives, use estar: está nublado (it's cloudy), está despejado (it's clear).
• Hay + noun: Use hay (there is/are) for phenomena: hay niebla (there is fog), hay tormenta (there is a storm).
• Temperature in Celsius: Spanish-speaking countries use Celsius. When discussing temperature, say Estamos a veinte grados (We're at twenty degrees) or La temperatura es de veinte grados.
• Regional variations: In some Latin American countries, you might hear está haciendo calor instead of hace calor. Both are correct.

Practice Sentences

This Spanish lesson weather section provides sentences to help you practice. Try reading them aloud and creating your own variations.

• Ayer hizo mucho calor, pero hoy está más fresco. — Yesterday it was very hot, but today it's cooler.
• El pronóstico del tiempo dice que mañana lloverá. — The weather forecast says it will rain tomorrow.
• No me gusta cuando hace frío y hay niebla. — I don't like it when it's cold and there's fog.
• Durante la tormenta, vimos muchos relámpagos y escuchamos truenos. — During the storm, we saw a lot of lightning and heard thunder.
• En invierno, la nieve cubre todo el pueblo. — In winter, snow covers the whole town.
• Hace sol y buen tiempo, ¿quieres ir al parque? — It's sunny and the weather is nice, do you want to go to the park?
• El viento es tan fuerte que no puedo abrir el paraguas. — The wind is so strong that I can't open my umbrella.
• Después de la lluvia, apareció un hermoso arcoíris. — After the rain, a beautiful rainbow appeared.
• La temperatura ha bajado diez grados desde esta mañana. — The temperature has dropped ten degrees since this morning.
• Esta región sufre una sequía muy grave este año. — This region is suffering a very serious drought this year.

Now that you've studied this comprehensive Spanish weather vocabulary list, practice using these words and phrases in your daily conversations. Describing the weather is one of the most common topics in any language, so mastering these terms will significantly improve your Spanish communication skills.

Everyday Spanish Weather Phrases

Weather pages often work best when learners can copy complete phrases. For a shorter phrase-first page, see Spanish weather phrases.

Spanish phrase	English	Pattern	Use
Hace calor.	It is hot.	hace + condition	Temperature
Hace frio.	It is cold.	hace + condition	Temperature
Hay niebla.	There is fog.	hay + noun	Weather conditions
Esta lloviendo.	It is raining.	estar + gerund	Current weather
El cielo esta despejado.	The sky is clear.	estar + adjective	Observation

Hace, Hay, and Esta for Weather

• Use hace for heat, cold, wind, and general conditions: Hace viento.
• Use hay when English says there is: Hay tormenta.
• Use esta for a current state or ongoing action: Esta nublado, esta nevando.

Weather Small Talk

• ¿Que tiempo hace hoy? (What is the weather like today?)
• Hace buen tiempo. (The weather is nice.)
• Va a llover esta tarde. (It is going to rain this afternoon.)
• El pronostico dice que hara sol. (The forecast says it will be sunny.)