Weather and Seasons in German: Es Regnet, Aprilwetter and More

German weather vocabulary, useful phrases for small talk, the seasons, temperature in Celsius, and typical German weather expressions.

Weather is a safe topic for small talk in any language, and in German-speaking countries it's used constantly: a shared subject that lets strangers chat.

Asking about the weather

Wie ist das Wetter? — What's the weather like?
Wie wird das Wetter morgen? — What will the weather be like tomorrow?
Wie ist die Wettervorhersage? — What's the forecast?

Common weather phrases

Many weather phrases use es (it):

Es regnet. — It's raining.
Es schneit. — It's snowing.
Es hagelt. — It's hailing.
Es stürmt. — It's stormy.
Es gewittert. — There's a thunderstorm.
Die Sonne scheint. — The sun is shining.
Es ist sonnig / bewölkt / neblig / windig. — It's sunny / cloudy / foggy / windy.
Es ist heiß / warm / kühl / kalt. — It's hot / warm / cool / cold.
Es ist schwül. — It's muggy.
Es friert. — It's freezing.
Es nieselt. — It's drizzling.

Weather nouns

das Wetter — weather
der Regen — rain
der Schnee — snow
der Wind — wind
die Sonne — sun
die Wolke — cloud
der Nebel — fog
das Gewitter — thunderstorm
der Sturm — storm
der Blitz / der Donner — lightning / thunder
der Hagel — hail
das Eis — ice
die Hitze — heat
die Kälte — cold
der Regenbogen — rainbow

Temperature

Germany uses the Celsius scale:

Es hat 20 Grad. or Es sind 20 Grad. — It's 20 degrees.
Es hat minus fünf Grad. — It's minus five.
die Temperatur — temperature
Höchsttemperatur / Tiefsttemperatur — high / low

The four seasons

der Frühling — spring
der Sommer — summer
der Herbst — autumn
der Winter — winter

Use im: im Frühling, im Sommer, im Herbst, im Winter.

Typical weather expressions

Aprilwetter — changeable weather, with sun, showers and wind in quick turns (typical in April)
Schmuddelwetter — grey, wet, miserable weather
Es regnet in Strömen. — It's pouring.
Es regnet Bindfäden. — It's raining string (pouring).
Es ist Hundewetter. — It's dreadful weather.
Bei diesem Wetter jagt man keinen Hund vor die Tür. — You wouldn't send a dog out in this weather.
Der Föhn — a warm, dry wind in the Alps, which is also the word for a hair dryer
Schietwetter — a northern German word for nasty weather
Es ist Kaiserwetter. — It's glorious sunny weather (literally "emperor weather").
Nach Regen kommt Sonne. — After rain comes sunshine.

Clothes for the weather

der Regenschirm — umbrella
die Regenjacke — rain jacket
die Gummistiefel — wellington boots
die Mütze — hat
der Schal — scarf
die Handschuhe — gloves
die Sonnenbrille — sunglasses
die Sonnencreme — sun cream

Small talk

Schönes Wetter heute, nicht wahr? — Lovely weather today, isn't it?
Schrecklich, dieser Regen! — Terrible, this rain!
Es wird bald regnen. — It'll soon rain.
Was für ein Wetter! — What weather!
Zum Glück scheint die Sonne. — Luckily the sun is shining.

Weather and outdoor culture

Many Germans enjoy the outdoors in all weather: Es gibt kein schlechtes Wetter, nur falsche Kleidung — "There's no bad weather, only the wrong clothing." Dress in layers.

Regional weather

The north has a mild, wet maritime climate, the south has more continental features, and the Alps have snow in winter. Summers can be warm, and heatwaves have become more frequent.

Common mistakes

Forgetting es in weather phrases: Regnet → Es regnet.
Saying Es ist regen: use the verb.
Using Fahrenheit.

Look up weather words with English German Dictionary →