Weather Vocabulary in Spanish: 80+ Words

Weather vocabulary in Spanish is one of those topics that looks easy until the forecast starts throwing around words like está nublado, hay brisa, and se espera lluvia like everyone was born reading weather maps. This guide focuses on Mexican Spanish, with natural, everyday expressions you can actually use when talking about the sky, temperature, storms, and the general emotional instability of the weather.

For the broader learning path, visit our parent guide.

By the end, you’ll know how to say what the weather is doing, describe how it feels, and understand the most common forecast language without panicking at every cloudy sentence.

Quick note: in Spanish, weather often uses hacer and estar, and sometimes hay. That’s the trio. Tiny trio. Big attitude.

Weather Basics In Spanish

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
Hace sol	AH-seh sohl	It’s sunny	Hoy hace sol y hace calor.	Today it’s sunny and hot.	Very common in Latin America.
Está nublado	ehs-TAH noo-BLAH-doh	It’s cloudy	Está nublado, pero no va a llover.	It’s cloudy, but it’s not going to rain.	Nublado describes the sky.
Está despejado	ehs-TAH dehs-peh-HAH-doh	It’s clear	Esta mañana está despejado.	This morning it’s clear.	Good for skies without clouds.
Hace frío	AH-seh FREE-oh	It’s cold	En la noche hace frío.	At night it’s cold.	Use hacer, not ser.
Hace calor	AH-seh kah-LOHR	It’s hot	En verano hace mucho calor.	In summer it’s very hot.	Very natural in Mexico and beyond.
Hace fresco	AH-seh FRES-koh	It’s cool / chilly	En la tarde hace fresco.	In the afternoon it’s cool.	Useful for mild weather.
Hay viento	AI YEN-toh	It’s windy / there is wind	Hoy hay mucho viento.	Today there’s a lot of wind.	Hay = there is/are.
Está lloviendo	ehs-TAH yoh-VYEN-doh	It’s raining	Está lloviendo fuerte.	It’s raining hard.	Use the present progressive.
Está nevando	ehs-TAH neh-VAHN-doh	It’s snowing	Está nevando en el norte.	It’s snowing in the north.	Less common in much of Mexico, but useful.
Está granizando	ehs-TAH grah-nee-ZAHN-doh	It’s hailing	Está granizando otra vez.	It’s hailing again.	Yes, weather can be dramatic.

In Spanish, weather is often impersonal, which means the sentence does not need a specific subject. So instead of “the weather is hot,” you usually say Hace calor. Spanish keeps things efficient. English likes making weather sound like a small philosophy essay.

80+ Weather Words And Phrases You’ll Actually Use

Here’s the useful stuff: forecast words, sky words, storm words, and common phrases people say in real life in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking places.

Sunny, Cloudy, And Sky Words

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
sol	sohl	sun	Hay mucho sol hoy.	There’s a lot of sun today.	Also means “sunny weather.”
soleado	soh-leh-AH-doh	sunny	El día está soleado.	The day is sunny.	Common in forecasts.
nube	NOO-beh	cloud	Veo una nube grande.	I see a big cloud.	Plural: nubes.
nublado	noo-BLAH-doh	cloudy	El cielo está nublado.	The sky is cloudy.	Very common adjective.
cielo	SYEH-loh	sky	El cielo está gris.	The sky is gray.	Also useful for talking about weather moods.
despejado	dehs-peh-HAH-doh	clear, cloudless	El cielo está despejado.	The sky is clear.	Common opposite of nublado.
gris	grees	gray	Hoy el cielo está gris.	Today the sky is gray.	Useful in forecasts and descriptions.
azul	ah-SOOL	blue	El cielo está azul y limpio.	The sky is blue and clear.	Nice simple description.
brillante	bree-YAHN-teh	bright, shining	El sol está muy brillante.	The sun is very bright.	Common with sunlight.
claridad	klah-ree-DAHD	brightness, clarity	Hay mucha claridad en la mañana.	There is a lot of brightness in the morning.	More descriptive, a bit literary.

Heat, Cold, And Temperature Words

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
calor	kah-LOHR	heat, hot weather	El calor está fuerte hoy.	The heat is intense today.	Very common noun.
frío	FREE-oh	cold	El frío llegó en la noche.	The cold arrived at night.	Also used in Hace frío.
fresco	FRES-koh	cool, fresh	La mañana está fresca.	The morning is cool.	Sounds mild, not freezing.
templado	tehm-PLAH-doh	mild, moderate	Hoy está templado.	It’s mild today.	Great word for in-between weather.
cálido	KAH-lee-doh	warm	El clima está cálido.	The weather is warm.	More formal than calientito.
caliente	kah-LYEN-teh	hot, warm	El agua está caliente.	The water is hot.	Often for objects, not weather.
helado	eh-LAH-doh	freezing, icy	Está helado afuera.	It’s freezing outside.	Strong cold.
temperatura	tehm-peh-rah-TOO-rah	temperature	La temperatura bajó mucho.	The temperature dropped a lot.	Forecast staple.
grado	GRAH-doh	degree	Hace 30 grados hoy.	It’s 30 degrees today.	In Mexico, degrees are usually Celsius.
bajo cero	BAH-ho SEH-roh	below zero	En las montañas está bajo cero.	In the mountains it’s below zero.	Handy for colder regions.

Mexicans usually talk about temperature in grados Celsius, not Fahrenheit. So if someone says Hace 28 grados, they are not casually trying to roast you. That’s just normal weather talk.

Rain, Storms, And Moisture Words

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
lluvia	YOO-vyah	rain	La lluvia comenzó temprano.	The rain started early.	The ll sound is often like “y” in Mexico.
llover	yoh-VEHR	to rain	Va a llover en la tarde.	It’s going to rain in the afternoon.	Very common verb.
llovizna	yoh-BEES-nah	drizzle	Hay una llovizna ligera.	There is a light drizzle.	Great forecast word.
chaparrón	chah-pah-RROHN	downpour, shower	Hubo un chaparrón fuerte.	There was a strong downpour.	Often short and sudden.
tormenta	tohr-MEHN-tah	storm	Se acerca una tormenta.	A storm is coming.	Formal enough for news and forecasts.
tormenta eléctrica	tohr-MEHN-tah eh-lehk-TREE-kah	thunderstorm	Hay tormenta eléctrica esta noche.	There is a thunderstorm tonight.	Very useful weather phrase.
trueno	TROO-eh-noh	thunder	Escuché un trueno fuerte.	I heard a loud thunderclap.	Rumble is a good mental image.
relámpago	reh-LAHM-pah-goh	lightning flash	Vi un relámpago en el cielo.	I saw lightning in the sky.	Different from trueno.
rayo	RAH-yoh	lightning bolt	Un rayo cayó cerca de la casa.	A lightning bolt struck near the house.	Can mean “bolt” in other contexts too.
humedad	oo-meh-DAHD	humidity, dampness	La humedad está muy alta.	The humidity is very high.	Important in tropical climates.

Wind, Air, And Movement Words

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
viento	BYEN-toh	wind	El viento está fuerte.	The wind is strong.	The v sounds like soft b.
brisa	BREE-sah	breeze	Hay una brisa agradable.	There is a pleasant breeze.	Light wind, nice for describing weather.
ráfaga	RAH-fah-gah	gust	Una ráfaga movió la puerta.	A gust moved the door.	Common in storms and forecasts.
corriente de aire	koh-ryEHN-teh deh AH-ee-reh	draft, air current	Hay una corriente de aire en la ventana.	There is a draft by the window.	Useful indoors too.
ventoso	behn-TOH-soh	windy	Está muy ventoso hoy.	It’s very windy today.	Adjective form of windy.
silbido del viento	seel-BEE-doh dehl BYEN-toh	whistling of the wind	Se escucha el silbido del viento.	You can hear the whistling of the wind.	More descriptive, a bit poetic.
corriente	koh-RYEN-teh	current, flow	La corriente de aire es fría.	The air current is cold.	Useful in weather and water talk.
moverse	moh-BEHR-seh	to move	Las ramas se mueven con el viento.	The branches move with the wind.	Reflexive verb, common in descriptions.
agitarse	ah-hee-TAR-seh	to shake, sway	Los árboles se agitan con la tormenta.	The trees sway in the storm.	More dramatic than moverse.
calma	KAL-mah	calm, calmness	Después de la lluvia, volvió la calma.	After the rain, calm returned.	Nice contrast with storms.

Weather Conditions And Forecast Words

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
clima	KLEE-mah	climate, weather	El clima está raro hoy.	The weather is weird today.	In daily speech, it often means “weather.”
pronóstico	prohn-NOHS-tee-koh	forecast	Vi el pronóstico del tiempo.	I saw the weather forecast.	Very useful news word.
tiempo	TYEM-poh	weather	¿Cómo va a estar el tiempo mañana?	What will the weather be like tomorrow?	One of the most common words.
cambio de clima	KAHM-byoh deh KLEE-mah	change in weather	Hubo un cambio de clima en la tarde.	There was a change in the weather in the afternoon.	Natural in conversation.
frente frío	FREHN-teh FREE-oh	cold front	Llegó un frente frío al norte.	A cold front arrived in the north.	Common in Mexican weather reports.
baja presión	BAH-hah preh-SYOHN	low pressure	Hay baja presión en la zona.	There is low pressure in the area.	More meteorology vocabulary.
alta presión	AHL-tah preh-SYOHN	high pressure	La alta presión trae buen clima.	High pressure brings good weather.	Good for understanding forecasts.
se espera	seh ehs-PEH-rah	it is expected	Se espera lluvia por la tarde.	Rain is expected in the afternoon.	Very common forecast phrase.
va a haber	vah ah ah-BEHR	there will be / it’s going to be	Va a haber viento fuerte.	There’s going to be strong wind.	Built from haber.
alerta	ah-LER-tah	alert, warning	Hay alerta por tormenta.	There is a storm warning.	Important in news and safety info.

Useful Weather Phrases For Real Life

These are the phrases people actually say when they’re looking out the window, checking their phone, or complaining in a very normal and not-at-all-theatrical way.

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note