144 top weather words in German to cook up a vocabulary storm

From cozy drizzle rain to bright summer sunshine - The weather is fascinating, versatile and always there, which makes it the ideal conversation topic. More importantly, the repercussions of climate change make it absolutely necessary to talk about the weather in our times.

Once you know some basic weather phrases, you’ll always have a safe and easy way to practice the language. That’s why it’s a great starting point when you’re learning German.

Practice that for a while and once you’re more advanced, you can join more serious discussions.

On vacation in a German-speaking country, it’s also incredibly helpful to know some weather words and expressions in German. Understanding the German weather-forecast and learning how to talk about the weather in German will help you:

1. Plan your day

In Germany, the weather isn’t always peachy. So understanding the forecast is crucial to planning your stay. Use the sunny days for outdoor activities like hiking in the Black Forest or swimming in the Baltic Sea. For rainy days, consider visiting a museum like the famous Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

2. Dress appropriately

My Mama always says “Es gibt kein falsches Wetter, nur falsche Kleidung” (There’s no wrong weather, only wrong clothes). So make sure you check out the weather forecast, so you can pick your clothes accordingly. Our extensive German clothes guide will help you understand what’s what.

3. Start a conversation

There’s no easier topic to start a conversation than the weather. It’s such a popular small talk topic that it’s almost cliché.

There even is a weather-related German phrase that is jokingly used to fill an awkward silence: “Schönes Wetter heute” (Nice weather today).

How do you say “weather” in German?

If you’re wondering How to say “weather” in German, you’re in luck because it’s almost the same word as in English: Wetter. It’s pronounced just like the English “wetter”, just with a “v”-sound in the beginning (vetter).

In order to talk about the weather, it’s important to understand these terms:

• Weather (Wetter) is the general term for the atmospheric conditions over a short period of time.
• Climate (Klima) is how the weather behaves in a specific location over a longer period of time.
• Temperature (Temperatur) is a physical quantity that measures a degree of heat. In Germany, temperatures are measured in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit. 1°C is 33,8°F.
• Precipitation (Niederschlag) is any water that has formed in the atmosphere and then fallen back to the Earth in some shape or form, including rain, snow, hail and sleet.

How to talk about the weather in German

Here are some common ways to start a conversation about the weather.

Questions:

Wie ist das Wetter bei dir?

How is the weather where you are?

Wie ist das Wetter heute?

How is the weather today?

Was wird heute die Höchsttemperatur?

What’s the temperature going to reach today?

Weißt du, ob es heute regnen soll?

Do you know if it’s supposed to rain today?

Wie ist das Klima da, wo du herkommst?

What’s the climate like where you’re from?

Magst du lieber wärmeres oder kälteres Wetter?

Do you prefer warmer or colder weather?

Was ist deine Lieblingsjahreszeit?

What’s your favorite season?

Answers:

As a response, you can talk about the weather including precipitation and temperatures or you can use subjective expressions. The weather has a direct influence on us so we often talk about it in terms of how it affects us.

Sieht so, als würden es heute Morgen nur 5 Grad werden.

It’s looking like it will be as cold as 5 degrees this morning.

Es ist sonnig, aber mit einer lauen Brise.

It’s sunny but with a cool breeze.

Wir kriegen heute schlechtes Wetter.

We’ll get bad weather today.

Heute soll es schönes Wetter geben!

Today it’s supposed to be nice weather!

Ich hoffe, das Wetter bleibt so gut.

I hope the weather stays this good.

List of weather terms in German

Weather-related sentences are usually very simple. You say “Es ist” (It is) and add a suitable adjective that describes the current weather conditions.

• Es ist + sonnig: It is + sunny
• Es ist + bewölkt: It is + overcast
• Es ist + windig: It is + windy

You can also point out specific weather phenomena.

• Schau, es regnet.: Look, it’s raining.
• Guck dir mal den schönen Regenbogen an!: Look at that beautiful rainbow!
• Hast du die Nordlichter gesehen?: Did you see the Northern Lights?

Everyday weather terms in German

Here is a list of everyday weather terms in German that will come in handy for simple descriptions of the weather and pointing out different weather phenomena.

English	German	IPA
Sunny	Sonnig	[ˈzɔnɪç]
Cloudy	Wolkig	[ˈvɔlkɪç]
Windy	Windig	[ˈvɪndɪç]
Rainy	Regnerisch	[ˈʁeːɡnəʁɪʃ]
Rain-swept	Verregnet	[fɛɐ̯ˈʁeːɡnət]
Foggy	Neblig	[ˈneːblɪç]
Misty	Diesig	[ˈdiːzɪç]
Hazy	Trüb	[tʁyːp]
Stormy	Stürmisch	[ˈʃtʏʁmɪʃ]
Muggy	Schwül	[ʃvyːl]
It’s sleeting	Es gibt Schneeregen	[ɛs ɡiːpt ˈʃneːˌʁeːɡn̩]
Overcast	Bedeckt; Bewölkt	[bəˈdɛkt; bəˈvœlkt]
Murky	Düster	[ˈdyːstɐ]
Gloomy	Finster	[ˈfɪnstɐ]
Precipitation	Der Niederschlag	[ˈniːdɐˌʃlaːk]
Rain	Der Regen	[ˈʁeːɡn̩]
Snow	Der Schnee	[ʃneː]
Hail	Der Hagel	[ˈhaːɡl̩]
Wind	Der Wind	[vɪnt]
Fog	Der Nebel	[ˈneːbl]
Sun	Die Sonne	[ˈzɔnə]
Sunshine	Der Sonnenschein	[ˈzɔnənˌʃaɪ̯n]
Sunrays	Die Sonnenstrahlen	[ˈzɔnənˌʃtʁaːlən]
Sunlight	Das Sonnenlicht	[ˈzɔnənlɪçt]
Rainbow	Der Regenbogen	[ˈʁeːɡn̩ˌboːɡn̩]
Northern Lights	Die Nordlichter	[ˈnɔʁtˌlɪçtɐ]
It’s raining	Es regnet	[ɛs ˈʁeːɡnət]
It’s drizzling	Es nieselt	[ɛs ˈniːzlt]
It’s pouring	Es gießt	[ɛs ɡiːst]
It’s snowing	Es schneit	[ɛs ʃnaɪ̯t]
It’s hailing	Es hagelt	[ɛs ˈhaːɡl̩t]
The sun is shining	Die Sonne scheint	[diː ˈzɔnə ʃaɪ̯nt]
It’s clear	Es ist klar	[ɛs ɪst klaːɐ̯]
It’s bright	Es ist hell	[ɛs ɪst hɛl]
There’s thunder	Es donnert	[ɛs ˈdɔnɐt]
There’s lightning	Es blitzt	[ɛs blɪt͡st]
Such lousy weather!	So ein Mistwetter!	[zoː aɪ̯n ˈmɪstˌvɛtɐ]
The storm is over now	Der Sturm ist vorüber	[de:ɐ̯ ʃtʊɐ̯m ɪst vo:ʁy:bɐ]
It stopped raining	Es hat aufgehört, zu regnen	[ɛs hat ˈaʊ̯fɡəˌhøːɐ̯t tsu: ˈʁeːɡnən]
The sun was shining this morning	Die Sonne hat heute Morgen geschienen	[di: zɔnə hat hɔʏ̯tə mɔɐ̯gən gəʃi:nən]
Last summer, we had a lot of sunshine	Letzten Sommer hatten wir viel Sonne	[ˈlɛt͡stn̩ ˈzɔmɐ ˈhatn vi:ɐ̯ fi:l ˈzɔnə]

Understanding the weather forecast in German

You might be watching the weather forecast on German tv or, more likely, you forgot to check the weather and have to ask a German-speaker who knows more than you. These phrases will be handy to understand what the weather will be like.

English	German	IPA
It might rain today	Heute regnet es vielleicht	[ˈhɔɪ̯tə ˈʁeːɡnət ɛs fiˈlaɪ̯çt]
Today the weather is supposed to be nice	Heute soll es schönes Wetter geben	[ˈhɔɪ̯tə zɔl ɛs ˈʃøːnəs vɛtɐ ge:bən]
The sun is supposed to shine tomorrow	Die Sonne soll morgen scheinen	[di: ˈzɔnə zɔl mɔʁɡn̩ ˈʃaɪ̯nən]
A thunderstorm is coming up	Ein Gewitter zieht auf	[aɪ̯n ɡəˈvɪtɐ tsi:t aʊ̯f]
A storm moves over this area	Ein Sturm zieht über dieses Gebiet	[aɪ̯n ʃtʊɐ̯m tsi:t ˈy:bɐ ˈdiːzəsgəbi:t]
I heard that it’s gonna get really hot later in the day	Ich habe gehört, dass es später am Tag richtig heiß werden soll	[ɪç ˈhaːbə: ɡəˈhøːɐ̯t das ɛs ˈʃpɛːtɐ am ta:k ˈʁɪçtɪç haɪ̯s ˈveːɐ̯dn̩ zɔl]
It looks like it’s gonna rain	Es sieht aus, als würde es regnen	[ɛs zi:t aʊ̯s als ˈvʏʁdə ɛs ˈʁeːɡnən]
It smells like it’s gonna snow soon	Es riecht, als würde es bald schneien	[ɛs zi:t aʊ̯s als ˈvʏʁdə ɛs ˈʃnaɪ̯ən]
It will be freezing tonight	Heute Nacht gibt es Frost	[hɔʏ̯tə naxt gi:pt ɛs fʁɔst]
Watch out tomorrow morning, we’re supposed to see black ice	Pass morgen früh auf, es soll Glatteis geben	[pas ˈmɔʁɡn̩ fʁy: aʊ̯f ɛs zɔl ˈɡlatˌʔaɪ̯s ge:bən]
The rain is supposed to stop at 5PM	Der Regen soll um 17 Uhr aufhören	[de:ɐ̯ ˈʁeːɡn̩ zɔl ʊm ˈziːptsen u:ɐ̯ ˈaʊ̯fˌhøːʁən]
I hope the weather stays this nice	Ich hoffe, das Wetter bleibt so schön	[ɪç ˈhɔfə das ˈvɛtɐ blaɪ̯pt zo: ʃøːn]

Extreme weather terms in German

We have always witnessed extreme weather conditions and natural disasters like hurricanes, floods and droughts but in recent years, their drastic increase and its devastating effects on the planet have become undeniable.

In the last 30 years alone, climate-related disasters have tripled in numbers. Now, more than ever, it’s important to talk about these phenomena on a global level. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to talk about the weather in other languages. That way, we can all discuss the issue and take responsibility together.

English	German	IPA
Natural disaster	Die Naturkatastrophe	[naˈtuːɐ̯katasˌtʁoːfə]
Hurricane	Der Wirbelsturm	[ˈvɪʁbl̩ˌʃtʊʁm]
Cyclone	Der Zyklon	[tsyˈkloːn]
Cold front	Die Kaltfront	[ˈkaltˌfʁɔnt]
Warm front	Die Warmfront	[ˈvaʁmˌfʁɔnt]
Flood	Die Flut	[fluːt]
Heatwave	Die Hitzewelle	[ˈhɪt͡səˌvɛlə]
Drought	Die Dürre	[ˈdʏʁə]
Forest fire	Der Waldbrand	[ˈvaltˌbʁant]
Wildfire	Das Lauffeuer	[ˈlaʊ̯fˌfɔɪ̯ɐ]
Typhoon	Der Taifun	[taɪ̯ˈfuːn]
Storm	Der Sturm	[ʃtʊʁm]
Thunderstorm	Das Gewitter	[ɡəˈvɪtɐ]
Tornado	Der Tornado	[tɔʁˈnaːdo]
Downpour	Der Platzregen	[ˈplatsʁeːɡn̩]
Thunder	Der Donner	[ˈdɔnɐ]
Lightning	Der Blitz	[blɪt͡s]
Blizzard	Der Schneesturm	[ˈʃneːˌʃtʊʁm]
Frost	Der Frost	[fʁɔst]
Black ice	Das Glatteis	[ˈɡlatˌʔaɪ̯s]
Earthquake	Das Erdbeben	[ˈeːɐ̯tˌbeːbn̩]
Tsunami	Der Tsunami	[tsuˈnaːmi]

Talking about the temperature in German

The key to learning how to say the temperature in German is to remember how to count in German.

Then you only need to convert the temperatures from Celsius to Fahrenheit in your head.

Luckily, Celsius makes a lot of sense: 0°C is the freezing point of water, while 100°C is the boiling point.

English	German	IPA
It’s x degrees	Es ist x Grad	[ɛs ɪst x ɡʁaːt]
Celsius	Celsius	[tsɛlzi̯ʊs]
Fahrenheit	Fahrenheit	[ˈfaːʁənhaɪ̯t]
It’s warm	Es ist warm	[ɛs ɪst vaʁm]
It’s hot	Es ist heiß	[ɛs ɪst haɪ̯s]
It’s cold	Es ist kalt	[ɛs ɪst kalt]
It’s chilly	Es ist kühl	[ɛs ɪst kyːl]
It’s freezing (there’s frost)	Es friert	[ɛs fʁiːɐ̯t]
It’s freezing cold	Es ist eiskalt	[ɛs ɪst aɪ̯skalt]
It’s wet outside	Es ist nass draußen	[ɛs ɪst nas ˈdʁaʊ̯sn̩]
It’s nice outside	Es ist schön draußen	[ɛs ɪst ʃøːn ˈdʁaʊ̯sn̩]
It’s humid	Es ist feucht	[ɛs ɪst fɔɪ̯çt]
It’s dry	Es ist trocken	[ɛs ɪst ˈtʁɔkn̩]
It’s very hot	Es ist sehr heiß	[ɛs ɪst zeːɐ̯ haɪ̯s]
Room temperature	Zimmertemperatur	[tsɪmɐtɛmpəʁaˌtuːɐ̯]

Other important weather terms in German

German has some big weather-related words that you can use to impress others when talking about the weather - from “Schneeballschlacht” to “Meeresoberflächentemperatur”.

English	German	IPA
Weather forecast	Die Wettervoraussage	[ˈvɛtɐfoːˌʁaʊ̯szaːɡə]
Meteorology	Die Meteorologie	[meteoʁoloˈɡiː]
Bad weather	Schlechtes Wetter	[ˈʃlɛçtəs ˈvɛtɐ]
Good weather	Gutes Wetter	[ˈɡuːtəs ˈvɛtɐ]
Extreme weather event	Extremes Wetterereignis	[ɛksˈtʁeːməs ˈvɛtɐɛɐ̯ˈʔaɪ̯ɡnɪs]
Climate change	Der Klimawandel	[klimavandl]
Global warming	Die Klimaerwärmung	[ˈkliːmaʔɛɐ̯ˌvɛʁmʊŋ]
Sea surface temperature	Die Meeresoberflächentemperatur	[ˈmeːʁəsˌʔoːbɐflɛçəntɛmpəraˈtʉːr]
Wind warning	Die Sturmwarnung	[ˈʃtʊʁmˌvaʁnʊŋ]
Squall	Die Böe	[ˈbøːə]
Shower	Der Regenschauer	[ˈʁeːɡn̩ˌʃaʊ̯ɐ]
Monsoon	Der Monsun	[mɔnˈzuːn]
Snow Flurry	Das Schneegestöber	[ˈʃneːɡəˌʃtøːbɐ]
Gust	Der Windstoß	[ˈvɪntˌʃtoːs]
Precipitation	Der Niederschlag	[ˈniːdɐˌʃlaːk]
Atmospheric pressure	Der Atmosphärendruck	[atmoˈsfɛːʁəndʁʊk]
Trough	Das Tief	[tiːf]
Ridge	Das Hoch	[hoːx]
Whirlwind	Der Wirbelwind	[ˈvɪʁbl̩vɪnt]
Wind direction	Die Windrichtung	[ˈvɪntˌʁɪçtʊŋ]
Seasons	Die Jahreszeiten	[ˈjaːʁəsˌt͡saɪ̯tən]
Spring	Der Frühling	[ˈfʁyːlɪŋ]
Summer	Der Sommer	[ˈzɔmɐ]
Fall	Der Herbst	[hɛʁpst]
Winter	Der Winter	[ˈvɪntɐ]
Rainy season	Die Regenzeit	[ˈʁeːɡn̩ˌt͡saɪ̯t]
Dry season	Die Trockenzeit	[ˈtʁɔkn̩ˌt͡saɪ̯t]
Snowman	Der Schneemann	[ˈʃneːˌman]
Snowball fight	Die Schneeballschlacht	[ˈʃneːbalˌʃlaxt]
Slush	Der Schneematsch	[ˈʃneːˌmat͡ʃ]
Great weather for swimming	Das Badewetter	[ˈbaːdəˈvɛtɐ]

Weather related expressions in German

Weather-related expressions are often easy to guess because it’s so obvious what the weather means to us. If we look like a “watered poodle” or “make a face like seven days of rain”, that obviously doesn’t mean we look very happy!

German expression	Literal Translation	Meaning
Heiliges Donnerwetter!	Holy thunder weather!	Gee!
Es regnet wie aus Kübeln	It's raining out of buckets	It's raining hard
Es schüttet wie aus Eimern	It's pouring out of buckets	It's raining hard
Es regnet Bindfäden	It's raining strings	It's raining hard
Das Hundewetter	Dog weather	Bad weather
Die Affenhitze	The monkey heat	Intense heat
Sonne tanken	To gas up on sun	To soak up the sun
Das Kaiserwetter	Emperor weather	Glorious, sunny weather
Du machst ein Gesicht wie sieben Tage Regenwetter	You make a face like seven days of rain	You look really down
Du siehst aus wie ein begossener Pudel	You look like a watered poodle	You look miserable
Wir sind ja nicht aus Zucker	We aren’t made of sugar	Common phrase to encourage someone to go out even though it’s raining
Das ist Schnee von gestern	That’s snow from yesterday	That’s old news
Durch den Wind sein	To be through the wind	To be a little scatter-brained

When is a good time to visit Germany, Austria and Switzerland?

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland you’ll generally get the best weather from May through September. July is the warmest month with regular highs around 75°F (24°C) and temperatures rarely dropping below 57°F (14°C) at night.

In winter, the average temperatures are between 0°C (32 °F) and 3 °C (37 °F), mostly depending on the altitude. The South, including Bavaria, is generally colder, especially up in the mountains.

From December through April you’re likely to see some snow in most of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which can be nice, too if that’s what you’re looking for. Especially in December, some snow will make your trip to the German Christmas markets extra magical.

Holy thunder weather

Heiliges Donnerwetter - so many things that can and need to be said about the weather! It all depends on your experience level and what you’re in the mood for.

Speaking about the weather can mean anything, from the most basic statement about how nice the weather is to a lively discussion about the impact of climate change. That way, it gives you a broad spectrum of things to say that will come in handy in any situation.

One last tip: If you ever get stuck inside during a snowstorm, make sure you have enough reading material. Start with our sunny German language blog!