85 solid weather expressions in Italian that'll go down a storm

Weather is a universal topic of conversation, especially in these challenging times where extreme heat waves, thunderstorms and drought have become more frequent than ever.

And even if we Italians would often rather talk about food or sports, we enjoy a little bit of weather chit chat once in a while.

So if you’re sipping a coffee at a terrazza table in a beautiful square and you’re wondering how to talk about the weather with the nice Italian sitting next to you, well, come rain or come shine we’ll help you!

Let’s discuss everything under the sun about weather expressions in Italian, and we’ll make you a weather expert in Dante’s language, lightning fast!

How do you say “weather” in Italian

The answer to the question “How to say “the weather” in Italian” might be a bit confusing and it actually proves the point that in Italian context is almost always key.

The translation of “weather” in italian is, in fact, “tempo”, which also literally translates as “time”. So how do you know when Italians are talking about the time or the weather? As previously mentioned, context. Don’t worry, it’s not at all as hard as it looks and you’ll learn everything in a breeze!

How to talk about the weather in Italian

Talking about the weather is a great way to break the ice and to start a light chat with someone you don’t know, but it might also be extremely important while, let’s say, you’re hiking in the Alps or planning a boat trip.

Here you have a few sentences to discuss the weather in Italian:

Che tempo fa?

Translation: What is the weather like?

Fa caldo / freddo?

Translation: Is it hot / cold?

È una bellissima giornata.

Translation: It’s a beautiful (meaning sunny) day.

Fa caldo ma c’è un po’ di vento.

Translation: It’s hot but with a bit of wind.

Piove e fa freddo.

Translation: It’s raining and it’s cold.

Ci sono 30 gradi.

Translation: It’s 30 degrees (Celsius, not Fahrenheit!)

Come sono le previsioni del tempo?

Translation: What does the weather forecast say?

Ci sarà il sole fino alle 8, poi pioverà.

Translation: It’ll be sunny until 8, then it’ll rain.

Come sarà la temperatura domani?

Translation: What will the temperature be tomorrow?

List of weather terms in Italian

Now, before you…storm out to try the above sentences with your Italian friends, family and neighbors, let’s see a few more terms that will be useful in your everyday life or even in more extreme circumstances.

Everyday weather terms in Italian

Let’s start with the most common weather words in Italian. You’ll also find a few examples of use just below the table.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
Sun	Sole	sole	Soh-leh
Sunny	Soleggiato	soled'ʤato	Soh-leh-jah-toh
Cloud	Nuvola	'nuvola	Noo-voh-lah
Cloudy	Nuvoloso	nuvoˈloso	Noo-voh-loh-zoh
Rain	Pioggia	'pjɔdʤa	Pee-oh-jah
Rainy	Piovoso	pjoˈvozo	Pee-oh-voh-zoh
Raining	Piovere	ˈpjɔvere	Pee-oh-veh-reh
Snow	Neve	'neve	Neh-veh
Snowing	Nevicare	nevi'kare	Neh-vee-ka-reh
Hail	Grandine	ˈgrandine	Grah-ndee-neh
Hailing	Grandinare	grandiˈnare	Grah-ndee-nah-reh
Sleet	Nevischio	neˈvi.skjo	Neh-vee-skee-oh
Ice	Ghiaccio	ˈɡjat.t͡ʃo	Gee-ah-choh
Wind	Vento	ˈvento	Ven-toh
Windy	Ventoso	benˈtosʊ	Ven-toh-zoh
Overcast	Coperto	koˈpɛr.to	Koh-per-toh
Fog	Nebbia	ˈneb.bja	Neh-bee-ah
Storm	Temporale	tem.poˈra.le	Tem-poh-rah-leh

Examples:

Domani sarà una giornata soleggiata sul Nord Italia, con rischio di pioggia al Sud.
Translation: Tomorrow will be a sunny day in Northern Italy, with a risk of rain in the South.

Ieri il tempo era nuvoloso e durante la notte c’è stato un temporale.
Translation: Yesterday the weather was cloudy and during the night there was a storm.

Pensi che pioverà?
Translation: Do you think it will rain?

Extreme weather terms in Italian

What about when the weather becomes more extreme or even dangerous? Better be prepared.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
Hurricane	Uragano	uraˈɡano	Oo-rah-gah-noh
Cyclone	Ciclone	t͡ʃiˈklo.ne	Chi-kloh-neh
Cold front	Fronte freddo	ˈfron.te ˈfred.do	Fron-teh freh-doh
Heatwave	Ondata di caldo	onˈda.ta di ˈkal.do	Oh-ndah-tah dee kal-doh
Flood	Alluvione	al.luˈvjo.ne	Ah-loo-vee-oh-neh
Typhoon	Tifone	tiˈfone	Tee-phoh-neh
Thunderstorm	Tempesta	temˈpɛ.sta	Tem-peh-stah
Tornado	Tornado	torˈna.do	Tor-nah-doh
Downpour	Nubifragio	nu.biˈfra.d͡ʒo	Noo-bee-frah-joh
Thunder	Tuono	ˈtwɔ.no	Twoh-noh
Lightning	Fulmine	ˈful.mi.ne	Fool-mee-neh
Whiteout	Bufera	buˈfɛ.ra	Boo-feh-rah
Frost	Gelo	ˈd͡ʒɛ.lo	Jeh-loh
Drought	Siccità	sit.t͡ʃiˈta	See-chee-tah

Examples:

L’aereo è decollato in ritardo a causa di una bufera.
Translation: The plane took off late due to a whiteout.

La lunga ondata di caldo ha provocato una grave siccità.
Translation: The long heatwave has caused a severe drought.

Nel 1966 Firenze è stata colpita da un’alluvione.
Translation: In 1966 Florence was hit by a flood.

Talking about the temperature in Italian

Now, let’s see how to say the temperature in Italian and in general how to comment on it.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
It’s hot	Fa caldo	ˈfa ˈkal.do	Phah kal-doh
It’s cold	Fa freddo	ˈfa ˈfred.do	Phah freh-doh
It’s wet outside	È tutto bagnato fuori	ˈɛ ˈtut.to baɲˈɲa.to ˈfwɔ.ri	Eh Too-toh bah-gnah-toh fwo-ree
It’s a nice outside	Si sta bene fuori	si ˈsta ˈbɛ.ne ˈfwɔ.ri	See stah beh-neh fwo-ree
It’s humid	È umido	ˈɛ ˈu.mi.do	Eh oo-mee-doh
It’s dry	È asciutto	ˈɛ aʃˈʃut.to	Eh ah-shoo-toh
It’s x degrees	Ci sono X gradi	t͡ʃi ˈso.no X ˈɡra.di	Chi soh-noh X grah-dee
Celsius	Celsius	ˈt͡ʃɛlsjus	Chel-see-oos
Fahrenheit	Fahrenheit	fɑːɹənˈhaɪt	(Fahrenheit)
It’s freezing	Si gela	si ˈd͡ʒɛ.la	See jeh-lah
It’s very hot	Fa molto caldo	ˈfa ˈkal.do	Phah kal-doh
Stuffiness	Afa	ˈa.fa	Ah-fah
Muggy	Afoso	aˈfo.zo	Ah-foh-zoh
Room temperature	Temperatura ambiente	tem.pe.raˈtu.ra amˈbjɛn.te	Tem-peh-rah-too-rah am-bee-en-teh

Examples:

Quando fa così caldo, è meglio stare a casa.
Translate: When it’s this hot, it’s better to stay at home.

A Bologna luglio è spesso molto afoso.
Translate: July is often very muggy in Bologna.

Fa freddo in questa stanza, accendi il termosifone?
Translate: It’s cold in this room, could you turn on the heater?

Other important weather terms in Italian

Before we take a rain check, why don’t we throw in a few other useful Italian weather terms?

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
Weather forecast	Previsioni del tempo	pre.viˈzjo.ni dɛːl ˈtɛm.po	Pre-vee-zioh-nee del tem-poh
Meteorology	Meteorologia	meteoroˈlɔdʒia	Meh-teh-oh-roh-loh-jah
Bad weather	Brutto tempo	ˈbrut.to ˈtɛm.po	Broo-toh tem-poh
Good weather	Bel tempo	bɛl ˈtɛm.po	Bel tem-poh
Extreme weather event	Evento meteo estremo	eˈvɛn.to meteo eˈstrɛ.mo	Eh-ven-toh meh-teh-oh est-reh-moh
Climate change	Cambiamento climatico	kam.bjaˈmen.to kliˈma.ti.ko	Kam-bee-am-en-toh klee-mah-tee-koh
Global warming	Riscaldamento globale	ri.skal.daˈmen.to ɡloˈba.le	Rees-kal-dah-men-toh glo-bah-leh
Sea surface temperature	Temperatura della superficie marina	tem.pe.raˈtu.ra dɛːlla su.perˈfi.t͡ʃe maˈri.na	Tem-peh-rah-too-rah deh-lah soo-per-fee-cheh mah-ree-nah
Extreme weather warning	Allerta meteo	alˈlɛr.ta meteo	Al-er-tah meh-teh-oh
Squall	Acquazzone	ak.kwatˈt͡so.ne	Ah-qua-tzoh-neh
Shower	Rovescio	roˈvɛʃ.ʃo	Ro-veh-shoh
Light rain	Quattro gocce (informal)	ˈkwat.tro ˈɡot.t͡ʃe	Kwa-troh go-chah
Gust	Raffica	ˈraf.fi.ka	Ra-fee-kah
Precipitation	Precipitazione	pre.t͡ʃi.pi.tatˈt͡sjo.ne	Preh-chee-pee-tah-zioh-neh
Atmospheric pressure	Pressione atmosferica	presˈsjo.ne at.moˈsfɛ.ri.ka	Preh-sioh-neh ah-tmos-feh-ree-kah
Trough	Depressione	de.presˈsjo.ne	Deh-preh-sio-neh
Warm front	Fronte caldo	ˈfron.te ˈkal.do	Fron-teh kal-doh
Wind direction	Direzione del vento	di.retˈt͡sjo.ne del ˈvɛn.to	Dee-re-zio-neh del ven-toh
Rainbow	Arcobaleno	ar.ko.baˈle.no	Ar-koh-bah-leh-noh
Blizzard	Tormenta	tor.menˈta	Tor-men-tah
African anticyclone	Anticiclone africano	an.ti.t͡ʃiˈklo.ne a.friˈka.no	Anti-chee-kloh-neh afri-ka-noh
Azores anticyclone	Anticiclone delle Azzorre	an.ti.t͡ʃiˈklo.ne delle adˈd͡zɔr.re	Anti-chee-kloh-neh del-eh Ah-tzoh-reh
Sirocco	Scirocco	ʃiˈrɔk.ko	Shee-roh-koh
North wind	Tramontana	tra.monˈta.na	Trah-mon-tah-nah
Bora	Bora (a very strong wind that blows in Trieste)	ˈbɔ.ra	Boh-rah

Examples:

Domani a Trieste la Bora soffierà a 120 chilometri orari.
Translation: In Trieste, the Bora will blow at 120 kilometers per hour tomorrow.

L’anticiclone delle Azzorre porta pioggia sull’Italia.
Translation: The Azores anticyclone brings rain over Italy.

Il riscaldamento globale causa una diminuzione delle precipitazioni.
Translation: Global warming is causing a decrease in precipitation.

Weather-related expressions in Italian

As you’ve probably noticed while reading this blog post, weather has generated an abundance of expressions in the English language. Well, that’s true for Italian also.

Some examples:

Come una tempesta in un bicchiere

• Translation: Like a storm in a glass.
• Meaning: A small trivial event that has been exaggerated out of proportion. In English you say “teacup”, but Italians love wine more than tea so…

Non ci piove

• Translation: It doesn’t rain on it.
• Meaning: It’s a weird expression to say that something is certain beyond any doubt.

Piove sempre sul bagnato

• Translation: It always rain where it’s already wet.
• Meaning: When something good or bad keeps on happening to someone who’s already very lucky or unlucky. For example, if someone who’s already rich is becoming even richer.

Come un fulmine a ciel sereno

• Translation: Like a lightning when the sky is clear
• Meaning: When something happens completely unexpectedly.

Essere al settimo cielo

• Translation: Being at seventh heaven
• Meaning: Like being on cloud nine, only that it’s heaven…and it’s seventh.

Whatever the weather, enjoy Italy and learning Italian!

Now that you know all the most important weather terms and expressions in Italian, let’s share a truth: when you walk along a beautiful calle in Venice, visit a 2000-years old archaeological site in Rome or explore the endless collection of world-famous art of the Uffizi museum in Florence, it doesn’t matter if it’s sunny or cloudy. You’ll enjoy every minute. Especially if you’re learning Italian and looking for the most immersive practice experience!

Nevertheless, we think you should keep a couple of recommendations in mind:

• Do not underestimate heatwaves: an heatwave can cause the temperatures to rocket over 100-105°F in many inland areas such as Milan, Bologna, Florence, Turin, Rome, Perugia and in the South. If you’re traveling to Italy in the summer, it’s best to book your visits in the early morning and keep the central hours of the day free in case it’s simply too hot to leave the hotel.
• Beware of extreme weather warnings: when the Italian authorities foresee a risk of flood or another extreme event, they will close the schools and issue a “red warning” usually lasting from a few hours to a couple of days. In this case, it’s better to be cautious and follow the authorities recommendations.

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