13.07.2026

10 minutes to read

Temperature and weather sensations in Spanish are usually described differently than in Russian. We say “it is hot” or “it is cold,” while Spanish speakers often use the structure hace + weather word.
Hace calor.
It is hot.
Hace frío.
It is cold.
Hace fresco.
It is cool.
Hace mucho calor.
It is very hot.
Hace mucho frío.
It is very cold.
For example, if you come to Seville or Madrid in summer, the phrase hace mucho calor will definitely be useful. And in the morning by the sea, you can say hace fresco if the air is still cool.
Hoy hace calor, pero por la noche hace fresco.
Today it is hot, but in the evening it is cool.
En la montaña hace frío.
It is cold in the mountains.
If you need to name the exact temperature, you can use several options. In everyday speech, people often say hay + number + grados.
Hay veinte grados.
It is twenty degrees.
Hoy hay treinta grados.
Today it is thirty degrees.
You can also say:
Estamos a quince grados.
It is fifteen degrees now.
La temperatura está a ocho grados.
The temperature is eight degrees.
In conversation, it is important to distinguish between hace calor and tengo calor. The first phrase describes the weather: “it is hot.” The second describes your personal feeling: “I am hot.”
Hace calor en la calle.
It is hot outside.
Tengo calor.
I am hot.
The same applies to cold:
Hace frío.
It is cold.
Tengo frío.
I am cold.

The seasons in Spanish are called: la primavera — spring, el verano — summer, el otoño — autumn, el invierno — winter. They are usually used with the preposition en.
En primavera hace buen tiempo.
In spring, the weather is nice.
En verano hace calor.
In summer, it is hot.
En otoño llueve mucho.
In autumn, it often rains.
En invierno hace frío.
In winter, it is cold.
If you need to say “my favorite season,” use the word estación.
Mi estación favorita es la primavera.
My favorite season is spring.
El invierno no me gusta porque hace frío.
I don’t like winter because it is cold.
Spanish also has the word temporada. It is closer to “season” in a practical sense: tourist season, rainy season, snow season.
temporada alta — high season
temporada baja — low season
temporada de lluvias — rainy season
temporada de nieve — snow season
En temporada alta los hoteles son más caros.
In high season, hotels are more expensive.
La temporada de lluvias empieza en mayo.
The rainy season starts in May.
If you want to describe the climate, you can use these phrases:
clima seco — dry climate
clima húmedo — humid climate
clima cálido — warm climate
clima frío — cold climate
clima mediterráneo — Mediterranean climate
Valencia tiene un clima mediterráneo.
Valencia has a Mediterranean climate.

Wind in Spanish is el viento. The simplest way to say “it is windy” is hace viento.
Hoy hace viento.
It is windy today.
En la playa hace mucho viento.
It is very windy on the beach.
El viento es fuerte.
The wind is strong.
If the wind is light and pleasant, you can say brisa. This word is often suitable for the coast, a walk by the sea, or a summer evening.
Hay una brisa agradable.
There is a pleasant breeze.
Me gusta la brisa del mar.
I like the sea breeze.
For strong wind, there are expressions like viento fuerte, mucho viento, and in a more serious situation — vendaval. The word tormenta can mean a storm or thunderstorm, and huracán means hurricane.
Ayer hubo mucho viento.
Yesterday there was a strong wind.
Se acerca una tormenta.
A storm is approaching.
El huracán llegó a la costa.
The hurricane reached the coast.
For ordinary communication, it is enough to remember a few phrases: hace viento, hace mucho viento, viento fuerte, brisa. This is already enough to describe the weather without complicated words.

Sun in Spanish is el sol. If the day is sunny, people say hace sol.
Hoy hace sol.
It is sunny today.
En Madrid hace mucho sol.
It is very sunny in Madrid.
El sol brilla.
The sun is shining.
When the weather is generally good, you can say hace buen tiempo. This expression does not always mean only sunshine. It simply means that the weather is pleasant.
Mañana hará buen tiempo.
The weather will be nice tomorrow.
Este fin de semana hace buen tiempo.
The weather is nice this weekend.
If the sky is clear, use the phrase el cielo está despejado.
El cielo está despejado.
The sky is clear.
If it is cloudy, people say está nublado.
Hoy está nublado.
It is cloudy today.
Está nublado, pero no llueve.
It is cloudy, but it is not raining.
The word soleado means “sunny.”
Es un día soleado.
It is a sunny day.
La mañana está soleada.
The morning is sunny.
In Spain, you may hear the expression pega el sol. It means that the sun is very strong.
Aquí pega mucho el sol.
The sun is really strong here.
This phrase is especially useful in summer, when the sun is not just shining, but really burning.

Rain in Spanish is la lluvia. The verb “to rain” is llover. In the present tense, people usually say llueve.
Llueve.
It is raining.
Hoy llueve mucho.
It is raining heavily today.
Está lloviendo.
It is raining now.
Va a llover.
It is going to rain.
If the rain is light, you can use the word llovizna or the verb lloviznar.
Está lloviznando.
It is drizzling.
Hay una lluvia ligera.
There is light rain.
Heavy rain can be called lluvia fuerte or lluvia intensa. In everyday speech, the word chaparrón is also common — a short but heavy downpour.
Cayó un chaparrón.
There was a downpour.
La lluvia fue muy fuerte.
The rain was very heavy.
A thunderstorm is la tormenta. Lightning is el relámpago, and thunder is el trueno.
Hay tormenta.
There is a thunderstorm.
Se oyen truenos.
Thunder can be heard.
Vi un relámpago.
I saw lightning.
If you are watching the weather forecast, you may come across the words probabilidad de lluvia — chance of rain, precipitaciones — precipitation, chubascos — showers.
Hay probabilidad de lluvia por la tarde.
There is a chance of rain in the afternoon.

Snow in Spanish is la nieve. The verb “to snow” is nevar. In the present tense, people usually say nieva.
Nieva.
It is snowing.
Está nevando.
It is snowing now.
Ayer nevó.
It snowed yesterday.
Mañana va a nevar.
It is going to snow tomorrow.
If there is a lot of snow, you can say:
Hay mucha nieve.
There is a lot of snow.
La ciudad está cubierta de nieve.
The city is covered with snow.
A snowflake is el copo de nieve. A snowman is el muñeco de nieve. A snowstorm is la tormenta de nieve.
Caen copos de nieve.
Snowflakes are falling.
Los niños hicieron un muñeco de nieve.
The children made a snowman.
Hubo una tormenta de nieve.
There was a snowstorm.
In Spain, snow does not happen everywhere. In the mountains and in the north of the country, it is more common, while in the southern and coastal areas it is much rarer. That is why in some cities the phrase está nevando may sound like real news.

Weather often appears in Spanish proverbs. Such expressions are useful not only for vocabulary, but also for understanding culture.
Después de la tormenta viene la calma.
After the storm comes the calm.
This is said not only about weather, but also about difficult periods in life.
Al mal tiempo, buena cara.
In bad weather, a good face.
Meaning: even if the situation is unpleasant, you should stay strong and not lose your mood.
En abril, aguas mil.
In April, a thousand rains.
This proverb refers to rainy spring weather.
Hasta el cuarenta de mayo no te quites el sayo.
Until the “fortieth of May,” don’t take off your warm clothes.
The meaning is that even at the beginning of summer, the weather can be deceptive.
Cuando el río suena, agua lleva.
When the river makes noise, it carries water.
This is said when rumors or suspicions may have a reason behind them.
You can also practice pronunciation with tongue twisters using weather vocabulary:
Tres tristes truenos tronaron tras la tormenta.
Three sad thunders thundered after the storm.
Llueve, llueve, la lluvia llena la llave.
It rains, it rains, the rain fills the key.
El sol sale solo si el cielo se aclara.
The sun comes out only if the sky clears.
You can read these phrases slowly at first, then faster. They help train r, ll, s, and difficult sound combinations.
To speak about the weather in Spanish, you do not need to learn complicated forecasts right away. Start with the most common expressions: hace calor, hace frío, hace sol, hace viento, llueve, nieva, está nublado. Then add temperature, seasons, rain, snow, wind, and fixed expressions. This way, the topic of weather quickly becomes lively and useful for real communication.