Stuck in an awkward elevator ride with that new colleague from Rome, desperately searching for something to say? Here’s what you need: knowing how to talk about the weather in Italian!
The weather is one of those topics that never fails when you’re looking for an easy conversation starter. It’s easy, universal, and in Italian, it’s anything but boring. In fact, Italians have some really hilarious expressions to describe the weather!
In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to chat about the weather in Italian. From clear blue skies to sudden rainstorms, we’ll cover it all. And stick around until the end for some fun idiomatic expressions that’ll make you sound like a true Italian, plus ready-made examples so you can start using them right away. So let’s spice up those elevator rides and impress your colleague with some Italian weather talk!
But first, make sure to download your free PDF cheat-sheet, which includes all the key points we’ll cover in this guide. Just enter your email below and I’ll send it to you straight away.
Table to Contents
Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide. Click on any title to jump to each section.
- How to use “weather” in Italian
- How to ask “what’s the weather like?” in Italian
- How to talk about good weather in Italian
- How to talk about bad weather in Italian
- How to say “it’s raining” in Italian
- How to say “it’s snowing” in Italian
- How to say “it’s hot” in Italian
- How to say “it’s cold” in Italian
- Talking about the seasons in Italian
- Useful weather words in Italian
- Starting a conversation in Italian with weather talk
- Idiomatic weather expressions in Italian
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How to say “weather” in Italian: tempo, meteo, previsioni or clima?
In Italian, there are four words that can the word “weather,” but each one has a specific meaning:
Tempo is the most generic and common word to talk about weather in Italian. It’s what Italians typically use to refer to the current weather conditions in a specific place, or for short-term weather predictions. Be careful, though! Tempo also means “time” in Italian, so you have to rely on context to know which one is meant.
- Oggi c’è brutto tempo – The weather is bad today.
- Non ho tempo oggi – I don’t have time today.
Clima is used to describe the long-term weather patterns or climate that define an area.
- In Italia c’è un clima mediterraneo – Italy has a Mediterranean climate.
- Meteo is a more technical term, often used when talking about weather forecasts or the science of weather.
- Il meteo non porta buone notizie per domani – The weather forecast doesn’t bring good news for tomorrow.
Previsioni is another word for the predictions about what the weather will be like.
- Come sono le previsioni per il fine settimana? – What’s the forecast for the weekend?
Attenzione: In Italy, temperatures are always given in Celsius, not Fahrenheit. If you need to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, a quick trick is to multiply the Celsius temperature by 1.8 and then add 32!
How to ask “what’s the weather like?” in Italian
When you want to ask about the weather in Italian, these are the three questions to use:
- Che tempo fa? – What’s the weather like?
- Com’è il tempo? – How’s the weather?
- Che tempo c’è fuori? – What’s the weather like outside?
If you want more details, you can ask about the weather forecast:
- Come sono le previsioni del tempo? – What does the weather forecast say?
- Cosa dice il meteo? – What does the weather report say?
There are several ways you can respond to these questions. Here are five common methods:
Impersonal verbs: use verbs in the third-person singular to describe general weather conditions.
- Piove – It’s raining.
- Nevica – It’s snowing.
Fa + Adjective: use the verb fare in the third-person singular (literally meaning “it makes”), followed by an adjective.
- Oggi fa caldo – It’s hot today.
- Domani farà freddo – Tomorrow it will be cold.
Essere + Adjective: use the verb essere (to be) in the third-person singular, followed by an adjective.
- Oggi è ventoso – Today it’s windy.
- Ieri era nuvoloso – Yesterday it was cloudy.
C’è/Ci sono + Noun: use c’è (there is) or ci sono (there are) followed by a noun to talk about specific weather elements.
- C’è un bel sole – There’s beautiful sunshine.
- Ci sono molte nuvole – There are many clouds.
Mettere + Noun: when talking about weather forecasts, Italians often use mettere (to put) to describe what’s expected or predicted:
- Il meteo mette pioggia per domani – The weather forecast says it will rain tomorrow.
- Le previsioni hanno messo sole per tutto il fine settimana – The forecast predicts sunshine for the whole weekend.
Now that you know the basic phrases, all you need is some Italian weather vocabulary to keep the conversation going.
How to talk about good weather in Italian
Here are some key words and phrases to talk about those beautiful, sunny days when the sky is clear and the weather feels perfect:
| Talking about good weather in Italian | |
|---|---|
| Italian | English |
| È bello / Fa bello | It’s nice weather |
| C’è bel tempo / Fa bel tempo | It’s nice weather |
| È bello e caldo | It’s nice and warm |
| C’è un bel cielo terso | There’s a lovely clear sky |
| Guarda che bel cielo blu | Look what a beautiful blue skyLook |
| C’è il sole | It’s sunny |
| Splende il sole | The sun is shining |
| C’è un bel sole | The sun is shining |
| C’è una bella arietta | There’s a nice breeze |
| È bello / Fa bello | It’s nice |
| È una bellissima giornata | It’s a lovely day |
| È una splendida giornata | It’s a splendid day |
| È sereno | It’s clear |
| È soleggiato | It’s sunny |
| È una bella giornata | It’s a nice day |
| Sta schiarendo | It’s clearing up |
Examples:
- Oggi è una bellissima giornata: splende il sole, ma c’è una bella arietta che rinfresca l’aria – Today is a beautiful day: the sun is shining, but there’s a nice breeze that cools the air.
- Finalmente sta schiarendo, domani sarà bello! – Finally it’s clearing up, tomorrow will be nice!
How to talk about bad weather in Italian
Now let’s look at some expressions to describe gloomy weather in Italian:
| Talking about bad weather in Italian | |
|---|---|
| Italian | English |
| È brutto / Fa brutto | It’s bad weather |
| C’è brutto tempo | It’s bad weather |
| C’è un tempaccio | There’s terrible weather |
| C’è un tempo da lupi | The weather is awful (lit. IIt’s a wolf weather) |
| C’è un tempo di merda (very colloquial) | It’s a shitty day |
| Il tempo fa schifo | The weather sucks |
| Il cielo è grigio | The sky is grey |
| È coperto | It’s overcast |
| È nuvoloso | It’s cloudy |
| Si sta annuvolando | It’s getting cloudy |
| È una giornata uggiosa | It’s a gloomy day |
| C’è allarme maltempo | There’s bad weather warning |
| C’è nebbia / C’è la nebbia | It’s foggy |
| C’è un po’ di nebbiolina | There’s a bit of fogThere’s haze |
| C’è una nebbia così fitta che si taglia con il coltello | The the fog is so thick you could cut it with a knife |
| Non si vede un tubo (colloquial) | I can’t see a thing (lit. I don’t see a pipe) |
| C’è un po’ di arietta | There’s a breeze |
| C’è vento / È ventoso | It’s windy |
| C’è molto vento | It’s very windy |
| C’è vento forte | There is strong wind |
Examples:
- Si sta annuvolando, domani ci sarà un tempaccio – It’s getting cloudy, tomorrow there will be terrible weather.
- C’è nebbia per strada, non si vede un tubo! – There’s fog on the road, I can’t see a thing!
How to say “it’s raining” in Italian
When it’s a rainy day and the drops just keep falling, these are the phrases you’ll need:
| How to say “it’s raining” in Italian | |
|---|---|
| Italian | English |
| Piove | It’s raining |
| Piove a dirotto | It’s raining cats and dogs |
| Piove a catinelle | It’s raining cats and dogs (lit. It’s raining buckets) |
| Piove che Dio la manda | It’s raining cats and dogs (lit. It’s raining that God sends it.) |
| Diluvia / Sta diluviando | It’s pouring |
| Grandina / Sta grandinando | It’s hailing |
| C’è il temporale | There’s a storm |
| Pioviggina | It’s drizzling |
| Scendono quattro gocce (colloquial) | It’s drizzling (lit. Four drops are falling) |
| Sta spiovendo | The rain is stopping |
| Sta facendo un acquazzone | There’s a heavy shower/downpour |
| Sono previsti rovesci di pioggia | Rain showers are expected |
Examples:
- Piove a dirotto, altro che quattro gocce! Speriamo smetta presto – It’s pouring rain, not just a few drops! Let’s hope it stops soon.
- C’è il temporale e sta pure grandinando, oggi si resta in casa! – There’s a storm, and it’s even hailing, we’re staying home today!
How to say “it’s snowing” in Italian
When everything is covered in white, and it feels like you’re in a winter wonderland, here’s how to talk about it in Italian:
| How to say “it’s snowing” in Italian | |
|---|---|
| Italian | English |
| Nevica | It’s snowing |
| Scende qualche fiocco | Some snowflakes are falling |
| Sta facendo una bella nevicata | It’s snowing heavily |
| Ha fatto una spruzzata di neve | It snowed a little |
| C’è una tormenta di neve | There’s a snow storm |
| C’è un pò di nevischio | It’s sleeting a bit |
| La neve sta imbiancando le montagne | The snow is whitening the mountains |
Examples:
- C’è un po’ di nevischio per strada, stai attento con la macchina – There’s a bit of sleet on the road, be careful driving.
- Sta facendo una bella nevicata in montagna, non vedo l’ora di andare a sciare! – It’s snowing heavily in the mountains, I can’t wait to go skiing!
How to say “it’s hot” in Italian
The following expressions will come in handy for those sticky days when you can’t escape the heat and all you want is to cool off in the shade:
| How to say “it’s hot” in Italian | |
|---|---|
| Italian | English |
| Ma che caldo fa? | Wow, it’s so hot! |
| Fa caldo / C’è caldo | It’s hot |
| Fa molto caldo / C’è molto caldo | It’s very hot |
| Fa caldissimo / C’è caldissimo | It’s very hot |
| Fa un caldo terribile/pazzesco | It’s terribly hot |
| Si muore di caldo / Si muore dal caldo | It’s terribly hot (lit. One dies from the hot weather) |
| Che caldo! | It’s so hot! |
| Che cazzo di caldo! (colloquial) | It’s f*ucking hot! |
| Fa caldo da morire | It’s scorching hot (lit. It’s hot enough to die) |
| Fa un caldo boia (colloquial) | It’s scorching hot (lit. It’s killer hot) – a casual way of describing how unbearably hot it feels. The boia was the person who carried out death sentences; using it in this expression highlights that the heat is so intense it could kill you. |
| Non si respira | It’s suffocating (lit. One can’t breathe) |
| Non c’è un filo di vento | The air is completely still (lit. There isn’t a thread of wind) |
| Si soffoca | It’s so hot, you can barely breath (lit. one suffocates) |
| C’è afa | It’s muggy |
| C’è un sole che spacca le pietre | It’s blisteringly hot (lit. There’s a sun that splits the stones) |
Examples:
- In agosto a Firenze si muore di caldo – In August, it’s terribly hot in Florence.
- Accendi l’aria condizionata, fa un caldo boia! – Turn on the air conditioning, it’s scorching hot!
How to say “it’s cold” in Italian
Finally, here are some useful phrases for when the weather gets chilly:
| How to say “it’s cold” in Italian | |
|---|---|
| Italian | English |
| Ma che freddo fa?* | Wow, it’s so cold! |
| Fa freddo / C’è freddo | It’s cold |
| Fa freddino | It’s a little bit cold |
| Fa freddissimo / C’è freddissimo | It’s very cold |
| Si muore di freddo | It’s terribly cold (lit. One dies from the cold weather) |
| Si gela | It’s freezing |
| Fa un freddo cane (colloquial) | It’s freezing cold (lit. It’s dog cold) |
| Fa un freddo boia (colloquial) | It’s freezing cold (lit. It’s killer cold) |
| C’è un freddo pungente | It’s bitterly cold |
| C’è una bella arietta | There’s a nicechilly breeze |
| C’è un bel venticello | There’s a nicechilly breeze |
| C’è un vento gelido | The wind is biting (lit. There is an icy wind) |
* Fun fact: this is also the title of a catchy 60s song by Nada: “Ma che freddo fa”!
Examples:
- Mettiti la sciarpa che c’è una bella arietta oggi – Put on a scarf, there’s a chilly breeze today.
- In questa camera si gela, funziona il riscaldamento? – It’s freezing in this room, is the heating working?
Talking about the seasons in Italian
When chatting about the weather in Italian, it’s super useful to know the names of the seasons too:
| The seasons in Italian | |
|---|---|
| Italian | English |
| Le stagioni | The seasons |
| La primavera | Spring |
| L’estate | Summer |
| L’autunno | Fall |
| L’inverno | Winter |
Unlike English, when you talk about the seasons in Italian, you usually use the definite article. For example:
- La mia stagione preferita è l’autunno – My favorite season is autumn.
- L’inverno è molto piovoso qui – Winter is very rainy here.
However, when you’re referring to things that happen during a season, you use the preposition in (in), without the article. For instance:
- In estate, le giornate sono più lunghe – In summer, the days are longer.
- Molti hotel chiudono in inverno – Many hotels close in winter.
Finally, there are a couple of classic phrases about the seasons that Italians love to use, especially when they’re talking about the constant dilemma of deciding what to wear:
- Non ci sono più le stagioni di una volta – The seasons aren’t what they used to be.
- Non ci sono più le mezze stagioni – There are no more middle seasons.
These sayings are deeply rooted in Italian culture. In fact, 19th-century poet Giacomo Leopardi already wrote about these concepts: L’ordine antico delle stagioni par che vada pervertendosi (The ancient order of the seasons seems to be getting disrupted – from the book “Thoughts”).
Useful weather words in Italian
Below is a list of additional weather words in Italian that can come in handy in different situations:
| Weather words in Italian | |
|---|---|
| English | Italian |
| Breeze | Venticello |
| Chilly | Freddo |
| Clear | Terso, limpido |
| Climate | Clima |
| Clouds | Le nuvole |
| Cloudy | Nuvoloso |
| Cold | Il freddo |
| Cold front | Il fronte freddo |
| Cyclone | Il ciclone |
| Downpour | Il nubifragio |
| Drought | La siccità |
| Dry | Secco |
| Flood | L’inondazione, l’alluvione |
| Fog | La nebbia |
| Frost | Il gelo |
| Freezing | Gelido |
| Hail | La grandine |
| Heatwave | L’ondata di caldo |
| Hot | Caldo |
| Humid | Umido |
| Hurricane | L’uragano |
| Ice | Il ghiaccio |
| Light rain | La pioggerellina / Quattro gocce (informal) |
| Lighting | Il lampo |
| Muggy | Afoso / Soffocante |
| Overcast | Coperto |
| Rain | La pioggia |
| Rainy | Piovoso |
| Rainbow | L’arcobaleno |
| Shower | Il rovescio |
| Sleet | Nevischio |
| Snow | La neve |
| Snowy | Nevoso |
| Squall | L’acquazzone |
| Storm | Il temporale |
| Sun | Il sole |
| Sunny | Soleggiato |
| Temperature | La temperatura |
| Tornado | Il tornado |
| Thunder | Il tuono |
| Thunderstorm | La tempesta |
| Typhoon | Il tifone |
| Weather | Il tempo |
| Weather forecast | Le previsioni / Il meteo |
| Whiteout | La bufera |
| Wind | Il vento |
| Windy | Ventoso |
And here’s some handy terminology commonly used in weather forecasts:
| Weather forecast terminology in Italian | |
|---|---|
| English | Italian |
| African anticyclone | L’anticiclone africano |
| Azores anticyclone | L’anticiclone delle Azzorre |
| Bad weather | Brutto tempo |
| Bora | La Bora |
| Changeable weather | Il meteo variabile |
| Climate change | Il cambiamento climatico |
| Extreme weather condition | Allerta meteo |
| Global warming | Il riscaldamento globale |
| Good weather | Bel tempo |
| Meteorology | La meteorologia |
| Mild temperatures | Temperature miti |
| North wind | La Tramontana |
| Precipitations | Le precipitazioni |
| Sea surface temperature | La temperatura della superficie marina |
| Sirocco | Lo Scirocco |
| Weather Forecast | Le previsioni del tempo |
| Wind direction | La direzione del vento |
Starting a conversation in Italian with weather talk
Time to practice some weather-related words! Here are a few easy ways to start a conversation in Italian using the weather:
- Che bella giornata, vero? – What a beautiful day, right?
- Fa caldo oggi, eh? – It’s hot today, isn’t it?
- Sbaglio o oggi davano sole? – Am I wrong, or was it supposed to be sunny today?
- Mamma mia, come nevica! – Oh my gosh, look how it’s snowing!
- Speriamo che migliori, non se ne può più di questa pioggia! – Let’s hope it clears up, we can’t take this rain anymore!
- Come si sta fuori? – What’s the weather like outside?
- È sempre così freddo/umido qui? – Is it always this cold/humid here?
Idiomatic weather expressions in Italian
Much like English, Italian is full of weather-related idioms:
| Idiomatic weather expressions in Italian | |
|---|---|
| Italian | English |
| Non ci piove | It’s a sure thing / There’s no doubt about it (lit. It doesn’t rain on it) |
| Piove sempre sul bagnato | It always adds fuel to the fire (lit. It always rains on the wet) |
| Piove, governo ladro! | It’s raining, the government is to blame! (lit. It’s raining, thief government) – this saying reflects how some Italians tend to blame the government for everything, |
| Cielo a pecorelle, acqua a catinelle | When the sky looks like a flock of sheep, heavy rain is expected / Cloudy skies, buckets of water (lit. Sky like little sheep, water in basins) |
| Rosso di sera, bel tempo si spera | Red sky at night, shepherds delight (lit. Red sky in the evening, good weather is hoped for) |
| Rosso di mattina, il mal tempo si avvicina | Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning (lit. Red in the morning, bad weather is coming) |
| Come un fulmine a ciel sereno | Out of the blue (lit. Like a lightning bolt in a clear sky) |
| Un colpo di fulmine | Love at first sight (lit. A strike of lighting) |
| Fare il bello e il cattivo tempo | To have control over everything (lit. To make the good and the bad weather) |
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Ci vediamo lì! (See you there!)
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