Weather Expressions in Spanish: Types of Weather and Seasons
Talking about the weather in Spanish and any other language is a fantastic conversation starter.
Conversing about weather conditions fills awkward silences or gaps when you don’t know what else to talk about. Besides, being prepared with the proper weather vocabulary and phrases goes a long way when you travel.
Keep reading for a lesson on how to talk about the weather in Spanish. You will be able to expand your small talk ability with useful Spanish vocabulary, expressions, and relevant concepts.
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How’s the weather? is a fantastic small talk starter with someone you’ve just met. You find yourself engaging in small talk about the weather in multiple places—on the bus, at the supermarket, with friends, or family.
Expressing yourself about the weather in Spanish expands your possibility of communicating with other people.
In Spanish, we use different verbs to discuss the weather.
Hace calor hoy; ¿no sienten?
It’s hot today, isn’t it?
El día está nublado.
It’s cloudy today.
Hay mucho viento hoy.
It’s very windy today.
El clima es agradable.
The weather is nice.
El clima es terrible.
The weather is terrible.
All of these phrases refer to the weather but the verb varies. The verb “is” is translated into Spanish as the verbs hacer (to do), estar (to be), or haber (there is).
Hacer (to do or to make)
This verb is used to explain lo que el clima hace (what the weather does). In English, it might not make much sense, but in Spanish it definitely works. Some of these expressions work as idioms. We use the impersonal form of the verb hacer (to do) in third person singular.
Hace mucho frío.
It ‘s very cold.
Hace un calor horrible.
It’s terribly hot.
Hace frío.
It’s cold.
Ayer hacía demasiado calor.
Yesterday was too hot.
Estar (to be)
We use the verb estar (to be) to elaborate on what the weather is right now. Use the verb estar and—if necessary—add a complementary verb. Let’s look at some example phrases.
Está soleado; vamos a la piscina.
It’s sunny—let’s go to the pool.
Está lloviendo; no salgas hoy.
It’s raining—don’t go out.
Está nevando; cuidado en la carretera.
It’s snowing—be careful on the road.
Haber (there is)
The verb haber (there is) answers the question of “how is the weather over there?” Let’s examine some phrases with this verb.
Hay neblina en la carretera.
The road is foggy.
En la mañana había lluvia.
It was rainy in the morning.
How to say weather in Spanish
The main expression we use to refer to the weather in Spanish is el clima. Other people use the synonym el tiempo. Although el tiempo usually translates to time, this word highlights the correlation between time, seasons, and weather.
Let’s dive deeply into weather vocabulary words, common expressions, and key phrases guaranteed to expand your Spanish abilities.
Weather in Spanish Vocabulary
The different weather types in Spanish are quite diverse—not all Spanish-speaking countries have marked seasons like you might back home. Geography, altitude, and other natural phenomena also define the types of weather in a place. Let’s examine some useful vocabulary you can use to discuss the weather and seasons in Spanish.
The Seasons in Spanish
| English | Spanish |
| Season | la temporada / la estación |
| Seasons | las estaciones |
| Spring | la primavera |
| Summer | el verano |
| Fall | el otoño |
| Winter | el invierno |
Example Spanish Sentences
El verano es mi estación favorita.
Summer is my favorite season.
Hay cuatro estaciones durante el año.
There are four seasons throughout the year.
Después del otoño empieza el invierno.
Winter comes after fall.
El clima de la primavera es increíble.
Spring weather is incredible.
Types of Weather in Spanish
| English | Spanish |
| Cold | el frío |
| Heat | el calor |
| Rain | la lluvia |
| Snow | la nieve |
| Wind | el viento |
| Fog | la niebla |
| Breeze | la brisa |
| Humidity | la humedad |
| Storm | la tormenta |
| Hurricane | el huracán |
| Heat wave | la ola de calor |
| Cold front | el frente frío |
| Thunderstorm | la tormenta eléctrica |
| Tornado | el tornado |
| Cyclone | el ciclón |
Example Spanish Sentences
No me gusta el calor.
I don’t like hot weather / the heat.
Se aproxima una tormenta.
A storm is coming.
El frío me gusta cuando estoy en casa.
I like cold weather when I’m at home.
Parece que va a caer nieve.
It looks like it’s going to snow.
Me encanta la lluvia.
I love the rain.
Va a entrar un frente frío mañana; prepárate.
There’s a cold front coming in tomorrow, be prepared.
Weather Conditions in Spanish
| English | Spanish |
| Weather conditions | las condiciones del clima / las condiciones climáticas |
| Weather forecast | el pronóstico del clima |
| Temperature | la temperatura |
| it’s hot | esta caluroso / hace calor |
| It’s cold | está frío / hace frío |
| it’s cloudy | está nublado |
| it’s clear | está despejado |
| it’s rainy / wet | está lluvioso |
| it’s windy | hay viento |
| it’s humid | está húmedo |
| It’s raining | está lloviendo |
| it’s drizzling | está lloviznando |
| it’s hailing | hay granizo |
| it’s freezing | está helado |
| it’s snowing | está nevando |
| it’s foggy | hay neblina |
| it’s chilly | está fresco* |
| it’s sunny | está soleado |
| the weather’s nice | hace buen clima |
| the weather’s bad | hace mal clima |
| What’s the weather like? | ¿Qué tal está el clima? |
| temperature | la temperatura |
| celsius | grados centígrados |
| fahrenheit | grados fahrenheit |
*According to how cold the weather feels, in Spanish we might translate “it’s chilly” to hace frío as well.
The majority of weather expressions combine verbs, nouns, and adjectives. Let’s build some to get some examples.
Hoy está haciendo sol.
It is sunny today.
El día ha estado caluroso.
It’s been hot today.
Está nublado y fresco, yo traería un suéter.
It’s cloudy and chilly—I would bring a sweater.
Persona 1: ¿Qué tal el clima por tu casa? (How’s the weather (by you)?)
Persona 2: Hace mal clima, está lluvioso. (The weather’s bad— it’s rainy.
Persona 1: ¿Crees que hoy va a hacer frío? (Do you think it’ll be cold today?)
Persona 2: Parece que sí está nublado. (It looks like it—it’s cloudy.)
Persona 1: ¿Nos juntamos hoy? (Do you want to get together today?)
Persona 2: Está nevando y hay neblina; ni loca voy a salir. (It’s snowing and it’s foggy—not a chance I’m going out.)
Persona 1: ¿Cuál es el pronóstico del clima para hoy? (What’s the weather forecast today?)
Persona 2: Estaremos a 40 grados; va a estar caluroso. (It will be 40 degrees today—it will be hot.)
Complement this lesson by reading this useful and practical “How to Talk about the Temperature in Spanish” post.
Other Weather Words
| English | Spanish |
| Rainbow | el arcoiris |
| Thunder | el trueno |
| Shower | el chubasco |
| Lightning | el rayo / el relámpago |
| Sun | el sol |
| Sky | el cielo |
| Clouds | las nubes |
| Sunshine | el rayo del sol |
| Frost | la escarcha |
Al dejar de llover, salió un arcoíris.
Once it stopped raining, a rainbow came out.
Los rayos del sol caen sobre mi jardín.
My garden gets a lot of sunshine.
El relámpago cayó en un árbol.
The lighting struck a tree.
El cielo está despejado.
The sky is clear.
Follow up on this lesson with additional free resources on Spanish Weather Forecast.
¡A Romper el Hielo!
Break the ice and take this lesson for a spin by engaging in conversations about your favorite seasons and the weather in Spanish.
You can also start the conversation with our Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala by joining them in a free class. They’ll be sure to prepare you to make these conversations meaningful if you ever decide to go abroad.
Spanish is spoken by 400 million people around the world. By taking on the adventure of becoming a fluent, confident Spanish-speaker you come closer to communicating with hundreds of people and becoming a global citizen.
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