French Weather Words
If you are interested in all things weather and want to talk about that topic in French, then this is the page for you. Below you will find over one hundred weather words in French, from a whole range of categories.
You'll learn how to say French words about many weather conditions, plus words about temperature, weather forecasting, alert types, and weather tools.
To learn from these lists, feel free to scroll through the page as usual, or use the quick links below to skip right to a section of your choosing.
Weather Terms in French:
Words in bold added during the last update. You can also view this list of weather words from English to French.
Quick Links:
General Weather Words in French
Main List of French Weather Terms
Weather 'Seasons' Written in French
French Words about Temperature
French Forecasting Terms
Special Weather Alert Types in French
French Words for Various Weather Tools
General Weather Words in French
When learning how to talk about the weather, it's probably a good idea to learn how to say weather.
La météo ➔ Weather
Le temps ➔ Weather
Main List of French Weather Terms
Now we have the main list of weather terms. Expect to find all sorts of weather conditions that you might run into when venturing outside. A lot of these translations cover storms and other sorts of bad weather.
Arc-en-ciel ➔ Rainbow
Averse ➔ Shower
Banc de neige ➔ Snowbank
Blanc dehors ➔ Whiteout
Bourrasque de neige ➔ Snow squall
Brouillard ➔ Fog
Bruine ➔ Drizzle
Bruine verglaçante ➔ Freezing drizzle
Brume ➔ Haze
Congère ➔ Snowdrift
Cyclone tropical ➔ Tropical cyclone
Dépression tropicale ➔ Tropical depression
Ensoleillement ➔ Sunshine
Entonnoir nuageux ➔ Funnel cloud
Flocon de neige ➔ Snowflake
Foudre ➔ Lightning
Foudre en boule ➔ Ball lightning
Foudroiement ➔ Lightning strike
Gel ➔ Frost
Giboulée ➔ Shower
Granule de glace ➔ Ice pellets
Grêle ➔ Hail
Grésil ➔ Sleet
Humidité ➔ Humidity
Humidité absolue ➔ Absolute humidity
Humidité relative ➔ Relative humidity
Mousson ➔ Monsoon
Neige ➔ Snow
Neige mouillée ➔ Wet snow
Neige poudreuse ➔ Powder snow
Nuage ➔ Cloud
Onde de tempête ➔ Storm surge
Orage ➔ Thunderstorm
Orage de neige ➔ Thundersnow (Thunderstorm with snow)
Ouragan ➔ Hurricane
Pluie ➔ Rain
Pluie torrentielle sous orage ➔ Torrential downpour
Pluie verglaçante ➔ Freezing rain
Poudrerie ➔ Powder snow
Précipitations ➔ Precipitation
Précipitations ➔ Rainfall
Pression atmosphérique ➔ Atmospheric pressure
Rafale ➔ Gust
Rafale descendante ➔ Downburst
Rivière atmosphérique ➔ Atmospheric river
Tempête ➔ Storm
Tempête de neige ➔ Snowstorm
Tempête de sable ➔ Sandstorm
Tempête hivernale ➔ Winter storm
Tonnerre ➔ Thunder
Tornade ➔ Tornado
Tourbillon de poussière ➔ Dust devil
Trombe marine ➔ Waterspout
Typhon ➔ Typhoon
Vent ➔ Wind
Verglas ➔ Freezing rain
Weather 'Seasons' Written in French
Sometimes certain weather patterns denote seasons. These are how to say these types of weather seasons in French.
Saison des pluies ➔ Rainy season
Saison humide ➔ Wet season
Saison sèche ➔ Dry season
French Words about Temperature
If you want to talk about how hot or cold the weather is, then learning French temperature vocabulary is a good place to start.
Température ➔ Temperature
Anomalie de température ➔ Temperature anomaly
Température ressentie ➔ Feels like temperature / Perceived temperature
Indice de chaleur ➔ Heat index
Indice humidex ➔ Humidex
Refroidissement éolien ➔ Wind chill
Chaud ➔ Hot
Froid ➔ Cold
Degré Celsius ➔ Degrees Celsius
Degré Fahrenheit ➔ Degrees Fahrenheit
Front froid ➔ Cold front
Goutte d’air froid ➔ Cold air drop
Goutte froide ➔ Cold drop
Vague de froid ➔ Cold snap / Cold wave
Canicule ➔ Heat wave
Dôme de chaleur ➔ Heat dome
Front chaud ➔ Hot front
French Forecasting Terms
Predicting the weather isn't an exact science by any means, but here are some translations you might run into when speaking about forecasting the weather.
Carte météorologique ➔ Weather map
Météorologie ➔ Meteorology
Météorologiste ➔ Meteorologist
Météorologue ➔ Meteorologist
Prévision météorologique ➔ Weather forecast
Probabilité de précipitations ➔ Probability of precipitation
Reprévision météorologique ➔ Weather forecast
Special Weather Alert Types in French
When there's bad weather in the area, it will be important to know the translations for various weather alert messages in French.
Alerte météorologique ➔ Weather alert
Bulletin météorologique spécial ➔ Special weather bulletin
Alerte cyclonique ➔ Cyclone alert
Avis de coup de vent ➔ Gale warning
Avis de tempête ➔ Storm warning
Avis de vent de force d'ouragan ➔ Hurricane force wind warning
Prévision des cyclones tropicaux ➔ Tropical cyclone forecast
Prévision des orages violents ➔ Severe thunderstorm forecast
French Words for Various Weather Tools
There are many instruments that can be used to measure the weather. Here's how to say several of these instrument names in French.
Anémomètre ➔ Anemometer
Ballon-sonde ➔ Weather balloon
Baromètre ➔ Barometer
Bouée météorologique ➔ Weather buoy
Détecteur de foudre ➔ Lightning detector
Girouette ➔ Weather vane
Hygromètre ➔ Hygrometer
Manche à air ➔ Wind sock
Nivomètre ➔ Snow gauge
Pluviomètre ➔ Rain gauge
Radar météorologique ➔ Weather radar
Satellite météorologique ➔ Weather satellite
Station météorologique ➔ Weather station
Thermomètre ➔ Thermometer
This list of French weather words was last updated on November 13, 2025.
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