German Weather Vocabulary

German weather vocabulary is wonderfully useful because, let’s be honest, weather talk is the national backup plan for small talk. Train delayed? Weather. Awkward silence at breakfast? Weather. Someone opens a window in winter and acts surprised? Also weather.

In this guide, you’ll learn practical German words and phrases for describing the weather, talking about seasons, and surviving the usual “Wie ist das Wetter?” question without staring into the middle distance like a lost umbrella.

By the end, you’ll be able to describe the sky, rain, wind, heat, cold, and a few very German weather complaints. Because of course there are a few.

Table of Contents

Quick Weather Basics

The most common question is:

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
Wie ist das Wetter?	vee ist dahs vet-ter	How is the weather?	Wie ist das Wetter heute?	How is the weather today?	The standard, everyday question. Useful everywhere.
Es ist schön.	es ist shern	It’s nice.	Heute ist es schön.	It’s nice today.	schön can mean “nice,” “beautiful,” or “pleasant,” depending on context.
Es ist schlecht.	es ist shlekt	It’s bad.	Das Wetter ist schlecht.	The weather is bad.	Use for unpleasant weather, but people may also say something is generally “bad.”
Es ist warm.	es ist varm	It’s warm.	Im Zimmer ist es warm.	It’s warm in the room.	Simple adjective after es ist is very common.
Es ist kalt.	es ist kahlt	It’s cold.	Heute Morgen ist es kalt.	It’s cold this morning.	kalt is a core word. Learn it early.

German learning guides can be a useful next stop once you’ve got the weather basics under control.

Core Weather Words

These are the weather words you’ll actually use in real life, not just in textbook fantasy land where everyone speaks in perfect complete sentences while standing politely under a rainbow.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
die Sonne	dee zon-neh	sun	Die Sonne scheint.	The sun is shining.	Sonne is feminine: die.
scheinen	SHY-nen	to shine	Die Sonne scheint heute nicht.	The sun is not shining today.	Common with weather. Verb goes second in a normal sentence.
der Regen	RAY-gen	rain	Es regnet.	It’s raining.	Noun: der Regen. Verb: regnen.
regnen	RAYG-nen	to rain	Es regnet den ganzen Tag.	It rains all day.	Very common weather verb.
der Schnee	shneh	snow	Es schneit.	It’s snowing.	schneien = to snow; ch disappears here in the spelling but the pronunciation stays simple.
schneien	SHNY-en	to snow	Heute schneit es.	It’s snowing today.	Notice the weather subject es.
der Wind	vint	wind	Es ist windig.	It’s windy.	windig is the adjective, not Wind.
windig	VIN-dig	windy	Heute ist es sehr windig.	It’s very windy today.	Handy everyday adjective.
die Wolke	VOL-keh	cloud	Am Himmel sind viele Wolken.	There are many clouds in the sky.	Plural: die Wolken.
bewölkt	beh-VERLKT	cloudy	Es ist heute bewölkt.	It’s cloudy today.	Common adjective for weather forecasts.
das Gewitter	geh-VI-ter	thunderstorm	Heute Abend gibt es ein Gewitter.	There will be a thunderstorm this evening.	Neuter noun: das Gewitter.
es donnert	es DON-ert	it thunders	Es donnert schon.	It’s already thundering.	Weather verb. Very common with storms.
es blitzt	es BLITST	it flashes / lightning strikes	Es blitzt und donnert.	It flashes and thunders.	blitzen = to flash or lightning.
der Nebel	NAY-bel	fog	Am Morgen ist oft Nebel.	In the morning, there is often fog.	oft = often. Nice easy collocation.
das Eis	ice	ice	Auf der Straße ist Eis.	There is ice on the road.	Watch out for slippery winter roads.

Useful Weather Phrases For Real Life

These phrases are the ones you’ll hear in conversations, apps, forecasts, and casual complaints from people who somehow expected German weather to behave itself.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
Es regnet.	es RAYG-net	It’s raining.	Es regnet seit dem Morgen.	It’s been raining since morning.	Use seit for “since.”
Es nieselt.	es NEE-zelt	It’s drizzling.	Es nieselt nur leicht.	It’s only drizzling a little.	Great small-talk weather word.
Es schüttet.	es SHU-teht	It’s pouring.	Heute schüttet es den ganzen Tag.	It’s pouring all day today.	Informal, very common. Stronger than Es regnet.
Es ist trocken.	es ist TROK-en	It’s dry.	Endlich ist es trocken.	Finally, it’s dry.	Handy after rain. endlich = finally.
Es ist sonnig.	es ist ZON-ig	It’s sunny.	Morgen wird es sonnig.	Tomorrow it will be sunny.	Use for weather forecast talk.
Es ist bewölkt.	es ist beh-VERLKT	It’s cloudy.	Heute Nachmittag ist es bewölkt.	It will be cloudy this afternoon.	Common forecast language.
Es ist neblig.	es ist NAYB-lig	It’s foggy.	Am See ist es neblig.	It’s foggy by the lake.	Weather adjective from Nebel.
Es ist frostig.	es ist FROST-ig	It’s frosty.	Heute Morgen war es frostig.	It was frosty this morning.	Often used in colder months.
Es ist eisig.	es ist EYE-zig	It’s icy / freezing cold.	Es ist draußen eisig.	It’s icy outside.	Strong cold feeling. Good description word.
Es ist heiß.	es ist HICE	It’s hot.	Im Sommer ist es oft heiß.	In summer it’s often hot.	ß is pronounced like a sharp s. No need to fear it. It only wants attention.
Es ist schwül.	es ist shvuel	It’s humid and stuffy.	Heute ist es schwül.	It’s muggy today.	Very useful in summer. Not the same as just warm.
Es weht ein Wind.	es vait in vint	The wind is blowing.	Am Meer weht ein starker Wind.	A strong wind is blowing by the sea.	More descriptive than just es ist windig.
Es hat gefroren.	es hat geh-FRO-ren	It has frozen / there was frost.	In der Nacht hat es gefroren.	It froze overnight.	Past tense weather phrase. Very common in reports.
Es taut.	es touth	It’s thawing.	Am Nachmittag taut der Schnee.	The snow is melting in the afternoon.	tauen = to thaw, melt.

Seasons, Temperature, And Forecast Talk

Weather conversations often include seasons and temperature. German uses these constantly in forecasts, plans, and those dramatic chats that start with “It’s supposed to…” and end with someone checking the app for the third time.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
der Frühling	froo-ling	spring	Im Frühling wird es wärmer.	In spring it gets warmer.	Season nouns are capitalized in German.
der Sommer	ZOM-er	summer	Im Sommer fahren viele ans Meer.	In summer, many people go to the sea.	Very common seasonal word.
der Herbst	herpst	autumn / fall	Im Herbst wird es kühler.	In autumn it gets cooler.	Germany usually says Herbst, not “fall.”
der Winter	VIN-ter	winter	Im Winter schneit es oft.	In winter it often snows.	Common in weather talk and travel plans.
die Temperatur	tem-per-ah-TOOR	temperature	Die Temperatur liegt bei 20 Grad.	The temperature is 20 degrees.	Often used in weather reports.
Grad	graht	degrees	Es sind 18 Grad.	It’s 18 degrees.	Grad is usually the same in singular and plural in everyday use.
Null Grad	noohl graht	zero degrees	Heute sind es Null Grad.	It’s zero degrees today.	Use Null carefully: it can sound colder than you think.
unter null	oon-ter noohl	below zero	Nachts ist es unter null.	At night it’s below zero.	Very useful in winter.
über null	ue-ber noohl	above zero	Heute bleiben die Temperaturen über null.	Today temperatures stay above zero.	Good forecast phrase.
es wird wärmer	es virt VER-mer	it gets warmer	Am Nachmittag wird es wärmer.	It gets warmer in the afternoon.	wird is from werden, a key “becoming” verb.
es wird kälter	es virt KEL-ter	it gets colder	Am Abend wird es kälter.	It gets colder in the evening.	Useful with forecasts and daily conversation.
die Aussichten	OWS-sih-ten	the outlook / forecast	Die Aussichten sind gut.	The forecast is good.	Plural noun. Often used in weather reports.

German weather words often love the little subject es: Es regnet. Es schneit. Es ist kalt. In English, “it” is also used for weather, so this part feels nicely familiar for once. Miracles happen.

Weather in German is usually impersonal: you say Es regnet, not “It rains” in a literal person-ish way. The sentence just means the weather is doing its weather thing.

Helpful Weather Adjectives

These adjectives help you sound much more natural. You can use them after es ist or with nouns like der Tag, das Wetter, or der Himmel.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
sonnig	ZON-ig	sunny	Es ist sonnig und warm.	It’s sunny and warm.	Very common weather description.
bewölkt	beh-VERLKT	cloudy	Der Himmel ist bewölkt.	The sky is cloudy.	Good with sky descriptions.
heiter	HY-ter	bright, clear	Heute wird es heiter.	It will be clear today.	Forecast word; a bit more formal.
nass	nahs	wet	Meine Schuhe sind nass.	My shoes are wet.	Useful after rain. Very practical, sadly.
trocken	TROK-en	dry	Die Straße ist trocken.	The road is dry.	Common opposite of nass.
mild	milht	mild	Das Wetter ist mild.	The weather is mild.	Often used in spring and autumn.
kühl	kuhl	cool	Es ist heute kühl.	It’s cool today.	Notice the umlaut ü.
warm	varm	warm	Das Wasser ist warm.	The water is warm.	Simple and useful.
heiß	hice	hot	Im Juli ist es heiß.	It’s hot in July.	Final ß sounds like s.
kalt	kahlt	cold	Heute Nacht wird es kalt.	It will be cold tonight.	One of the first weather adjectives to learn.
windig	VIN-dig	windy	Es ist windig am Strand.	It’s windy at the beach.	Built from Wind.
schwül	shvuel	muggy, humid	Heute ist es schwül und drückend.	It’s humid and oppressive today.	Very useful in summer. There is no simple one-word English equivalent.

Common Weather Verbs

Weather verbs are small but mighty. They help you describe action in the sky instead of just naming the weather like a very polite meteorology robot.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
regnen	RAYG-nen	to rain	Es regnet den ganzen Nachmittag.	It rains all afternoon.	Used with es as the subject.
schneien	SHNY-en	to snow	Es schneit seit gestern.	It has been snowing since yesterday.	Weather verbs often use es.
scheinen	SHY-nen	to shine	Die Sonne scheint durch die Wolken.	The sun shines through the clouds.	Very useful for nature and weather descriptions.
donnern	DON-ern	to thunder	Es donnert laut.	It’s thundering loudly.	Often paired with blitzen.
blitzen	BLIT-tsen	to flash / lightning flashes	Es blitzt am Horizont.	It flashes on the horizon.	Can mean “to flash” generally, too.
wehen	VAY-en	to blow	Ein kalter Wind weht.	A cold wind is blowing.	Good for wind descriptions.
frieren	FREE-ren	to freeze	Mir friert die Nase.	My nose is freezing.	Can also mean “I’m cold.” Note the dative in mir.
schmelzen	SHMEL-tsen	to melt	Der Schnee schmilzt schnell.	The snow melts quickly.	Useful in spring weather.
tauen	TOW-en	to thaw, melt	Am Mittag taut der Schnee.	The snow thaws at noon.	Common when temperatures rise.

Small But Important Grammar Notes

Weather sentences in German are often short and neat. That is helpful, because the weather itself is usually not short and neat at all.

Pattern	Meaning	German Example	English Translation	Learner Note
Es + verb	Weather sentence	Es regnet.	It’s raining.	Very common structure for weather.
Es ist + adjective	It is …	Es ist kalt.	It’s cold.	Simple and flexible.
Es gibt + noun	There is / there are	Es gibt ein Gewitter.	There is a thunderstorm.	Useful for forecasts and general descriptions.
Am + time	At / on + time	Am Morgen ist es kühl.	In the morning it’s cool.	am = an dem here.
Im + season	In the … season	Im Winter schneit es oft.	In winter it often snows.	Use im with seasons.
Bei + weather	In / under weather conditions	Bei Regen bleibe ich zu Hause.	In the rain, I stay home.	Very natural phrase pattern.

German spelling tip: nouns are capitalized, so you write Regen, Schnee, Wind, and Sommer with capital letters. Verbs and adjectives stay lowercase unless they start a sentence. German loves rules right up until it doesn’t.

Germany, Austria, And Switzerland: A Small Weather Note

Standard weather vocabulary is almost the same across German-speaking countries, which is convenient for once. In Switzerland, everyday speech often uses local dialects, but standard German weather words like Regen, Schnee, kalt, and sonnig are still fully understood. In Austria, the same standard words are also used, though casual local speech may sound different.

If you want a broader place-and-landscape vocabulary to go with weather, German geography vocabulary pairs nicely with this topic. Weather and place love to show up together, rude little duo that they are.

Pronunciation Tips For Weather Words

A few sounds show up a lot in weather vocabulary, so it helps to recognize them early.

Sound	Example	Tip
sch	Schnee, schneien, schwül	Say it like English “sh.”
ch	kühl has no ch, but leicht and nichts may appear in weather talk	After i/e/ä/ö/ü, it is a softer throat sound. After a/o/u, it is stronger.
ei	heiß, scheinen, Regen does not have it	Usually sounds like English “eye.”
ie	frieren	Usually sounds like English “ee.”
ö	bewölkt	Round your lips a little. It is not English “o.”
ü	kühl, schwül	Again, round your lips. This vowel is a classic troublemaker.
final devoicing	kalt, Wind, schneit	Final consonants often sound voiceless at the end of words. That’s why Wind sounds more like “vint.”

Duden’s entry for Wetter is a boring-but-helpful place to check spelling and standard usage if you want the official version without the drama.

Common Mistakes And Easy Fixes

Wrong / Confusing	Correct	Why
Regen ist.	Es regnet.	Use the weather verb, not just the noun.
Es ist Regen.	Es regnet. / Es ist regnerisch.	German usually prefers the verb or adjective here.
Es ist heiße.	Es ist heiß.	Adjectives after es ist do not take an ending.
Im Sommer es ist warm.	Im Sommer ist es warm.	Verb goes in second position.
Die Wetter ist schön.	Das Wetter ist schön.	Wetter is neuter: das.
Es isst kalt.	Es ist kalt.	isst means “eats.” Tiny vowel, huge difference.
Es regnet seit zwei Stunden.	Es regnet seit zwei Stunden.	This one is actually correct — just here to prove weather sentences can be nice.

Mini Practice

Try these quick drills. No pressure. The weather already does enough of that.

Translate to German: “It’s cloudy today.”
Translate to German: “It’s raining hard.”
Translate to German: “In winter it’s cold.”
Fill in the blank: Es ___ sonnig.
Fill in the blank: Im Herbst wird es ___.
Choose the correct word: bewölkt or schwül for “cloudy”?
Choose the correct word: regnen or schneien for “to rain”?
Say it out loud: Es schüttet.
Say it out loud: Heute ist es kühl.

Answers

Es ist heute bewölkt.
Es regnet stark. or Es schüttet.
Im Winter ist es kalt.
ist
kälter
bewölkt
regnen

If you want to compare weather with places, movement, and landscapes, the next logical detour is German geography vocabulary. Geography and weather are basically best friends with a shared obsession for clouds.

Yak Takeaway: The most useful German weather starters are Es regnet, Es ist kalt, Es ist sonnig, and Es ist bewölkt. Learn those first, then add stronger words like Es schüttet and Es schwül when you want to sound more natural than a weather app with better manners.