Pattern 1 — Hace + Noun: The Most Common Weather Construction

The most frequently used weather pattern in Spanish uses the third-person singular form of hacer (to make/do). The literal translation is often strange in English — hace frío means “it makes cold” word-for-word — but in Spanish this is completely natural. Think of hace as a weather operator that takes a noun describing the condition. Notice that these nouns are never preceded by an article (no el or un) in standard weather expressions.

Grammar note: You can intensify any hace expression by inserting mucho or poco before the noun: hace mucho frío (it’s very cold), hace poco viento (there’s little wind). You cannot say hace muy frío — muy modifies adjectives, not nouns, so mucho is the correct intensifier here.

Pattern 2 — Está + Adjective or Gerund: Describing the Current State

The verb estar (to be — for states and conditions) appears in weather expressions in two ways. With an adjective, it describes how the sky or atmosphere looks right now. With a gerund (the -ando/-iendo form), it describes an action in progress — rain falling, snow coming down. These expressions feel more dynamic and immediate than hace constructions.

Common mistake: English speakers sometimes try to say “es lloviendo” using ser instead of estar. This is incorrect. Weather conditions are temporary states, which is the domain of estar. Always use está for weather gerund expressions.

Pattern 3 — Hay + Noun: Announcing the Presence of a Weather Phenomenon

Hay (there is / there are) appears in weather expressions when you want to say that a particular phenomenon exists or is present. It works especially well for phenomena that feel like “things” rather than conditions: fog, a storm, lightning, a rainbow. Hay is always the same form regardless of whether the noun is singular or plural.

Essential Weather Nouns

Building your weather vocabulary means learning the core nouns that appear across all three patterns. Many of these nouns also appear in everyday speech outside weather contexts, so learning them pays double dividends.

The Four Seasons

Three of the season names are masculine (el verano, el otoño, el invierno), while la primavera is feminine. When speaking generally (“in spring”), Spanish commonly uses en before the season: en primavera, en verano, and so on, often without the article in this construction, though usage varies.

Hemisphere note: Season names are the same across all Spanish-speaking regions, but which months correspond to each season varies depending on whether a country is in the northern or southern hemisphere. Argentina and Chile, for example, experience summer in December through February.

Asking About the Weather

Knowing how to ask about the weather is as important as knowing how to describe it. These question phrases are among the most common ways to open a conversation, check a forecast, or discuss travel plans in Spanish.

A Critical Distinction: Tener Frío/Calor vs. Hacer Frío/Calor

One of the most important contrasts in Spanish weather vocabulary is the difference between how you describe the weather and how you describe how a person feels. This trips up English speakers because English uses the verb “to be” for both: “It’s cold” and “I’m cold” use the same structure. Spanish keeps them completely separate.

The key: tener frío/calor uses tener (to have) and applies to people. Hacer frío/calor uses hacer and applies to the weather outside. Never say “estoy frío” to mean “I am cold” — in Spanish, estoy frío implies you are emotionally cold or unfriendly, not that you are physically chilly.

Celsius in Spanish-Speaking Countries

All Spanish-speaking countries use the Celsius scale (grados Centígrados or grados Celsius) for temperature. If you are accustomed to Fahrenheit, this is an important practical point. Water freezes at 0 grados and boils at 100 grados. A comfortable room temperature is around 20–22 grados. A hot summer day might be 35 grados.

To express temperatures, use hace + number + grados:

• Hace veinte grados — It’s 20 degrees (Celsius)
• Hace cinco grados bajo cero — It’s five degrees below zero
• La temperatura máxima es de treinta y dos grados — The high temperature is 32 degrees

Weather Small Talk Starters

These short conversational phrases let you talk about the weather naturally, the way native speakers do. They make excellent icebreakers and are perfect for practicing your new vocabulary in real conversations.

Tips for Mastering Spanish Weather Vocabulary

Practice: Try These Mini-Conversations

The best way to solidify weather vocabulary is to use it in context. Try responding to each prompt aloud using the vocabulary from this page:

1. You step outside and it’s a grey, drizzly morning. How do you describe the weather using two different patterns?
2. A friend asks “¿Tienes frío?” and you want to say both that yes, you feel cold, and that the weather outside is also very cold.
3. You’re planning a weekend picnic. Ask a Spanish-speaking friend whether it will rain on Saturday.
4. Describe your favourite season using at least two weather expressions typical of that time of year in your region.

Suggested answers: (1) Está lloviznando y hay nubes or Está nublado y hace mal tiempo. (2) Sí, tengo mucho frío — y además hace mucho frío hoy. (3) ¿Va a llover el sábado? (4) Answers will vary by region and personal preference.