Talking About the Weather in Arabic: Words for Seasons, Heat and Rain

Weather is universal small talk, and Arabic-speaking regions cover a huge range of climates: Gulf deserts, Mediterranean coasts, snowy mountains in Lebanon and Morocco, and the Nile valley.

Core weather words

• طقس (taqs) — weather
• جو (jaww) — weather, atmosphere (common in speech)
• مناخ (manakh) — climate
• شمس (shams) — sun
• مطر (matar) — rain
• ريح (rih) — wind
• غيم / غيوم (ghaym / ghuyum) — clouds
• ثلج (thalj) — snow
• ضباب (dabab) — fog
• رعد (ra'd) — thunder
• برق (barq) — lightning

Temperature and feeling

• حار (harr) — hot
• بارد (barid) — cold
• دافئ (dafi') — warm
• معتدل (mu'tadil) — mild
• رطوبة (rutuba) — humidity
• جاف (jaff) — dry

The four seasons

• الربيع (ar-rabi') — spring
• الصيف (as-sayf) — summer
• الخريف (al-kharif) — autumn
• الشتاء (ash-shita') — winter

Note that in some countries, particularly in the Gulf, seasons blur; summer is long and very hot, and winter is mild.

Everyday phrases

• كيف الطقس اليوم؟ (kayfa at-taqs al-yawm?) — How's the weather today?
• الجو حار جداً (al-jaww harr jiddan) — It's very hot.
• تمطر (tumtir) — It's raining.
• الجو جميل (al-jaww jamil) — The weather is lovely.

Regional notes

• Gulf: summers can exceed 45°C, humidity on the coast is high, and dust storms occur, known as عاصفة ترابية ('asifa turabiya).
• Egypt: hot, dry summers, mild winters, and the occasional khamsin wind in spring.
• Levant and North Africa: Mediterranean climates with rainy winters and hot summers; mountains get snow.

Clothing vocabulary

• معطف (mi'taf) — coat
• مظلة (mizalla) — umbrella
• قبعة (qubba'a) — hat
• نظارة شمسية (nazzara shamsiya) — sunglasses

Weather and phrases of faith

It is common to add إن شاء الله (insha'Allah, "God willing") when talking about the future, including tomorrow's weather. It expresses humility about what is beyond our control.