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Talking about the weather with 'il'

When you want to talk about the weather in French, you will quickly notice a recurring word: il. Just like the English "it" in "it is raining", this il is an impersonal subject. It does not refer to a person or a specific thing, but simply fills the grammatical role of the subject.

However, French divides weather expressions into three distinct patterns. Depending on what you want to describe, you will use il with the verb faire, the expression il y a, or a dedicated weather verb.

Word list
beaumA1 beautiful il fait beau = the weather is nice bonmA1 good il fait bon = it is pleasant/nice and warm chaudmA1 hot il fait chaud = it is hot froidmA1 cold il fait froid = it is cold grismA1 grey il fait gris = it is grey/overcast mauvaismA1 bad il fait mauvais = the weather is bad neigefA1 snow il y a de la neige = there is snow pleuvoirA1 to rain il pleut = it is raining pluiefA1 rain il y a de la pluie = there is rain soleilmA1 sun il y a du soleil = it is sunny sombreA1 dark il fait sombre = it is dark tempsmA1 weather quel temps fait-il ? = what is the weather like? ventmA1 wind il y a du vent = it is windy brouillardmA2 fog il y a du brouillard = it is foggy faire chaudA2 to be hot il fait chaud = it is hot faire froidA2 to be cold il fait froid = it is cold neigerA2 to snow il neige = it is snowing noirmA2 dark il fait noir = it is pitch dark nuagemA2 cloud il y a des nuages = it is cloudy oragemA2 storm il y a de l'orage = it is stormy secmA2 dry il fait sec = it is dry tempêtefA2 storm il y a une tempête = there is a storm blizzardmB1 snowstorm il y a un blizzard = there is a blizzard bruinefB1 drizzle il y a de la bruine = there is drizzle bruinerB1 to drizzle il bruine = it is drizzling brumefB1 fog il y a de la brume = it is misty éclairmB1 lightning il y a des éclairs = there is lightning fraismB1 cool il fait frais = it is cool gelerB1 to freeze il gèle = it is freezing ouraganmB1 hurricane il y a un ouragan = there is a hurricane tempête de neigefB1 snowstorm il y a une tempête de neige = there is a snowstorm tonnerB1 to thunder il tonne = it is thundering tonnerremB1 thunder il y a du tonnerre = there is thunder aversefB2 downpour il y a des averses = there are showers/downpours crachinmB2 drizzle il y a du crachin = there is drizzle dégelerB2 to melt il dégèle = it is thawing gelmB2 frost il y a du gel = there is frost/freezing weather givremB2 frost il y a du givre = there is frost humideB2 humid il fait humide = it is humid/damp caniculefC1 heatwave il y a une canicule = there is a heatwave douxmC1 temperate il fait doux = the weather is mild typhonmC1 typhoon il y a un typhon = there is a typhoon vague de chaleurfC1 heatwave il y a une vague de chaleur = there is a heatwave grêlefC2 hail il y a de la grêle = there is hail
General weather and temperatures with il fait

To describe the general state of the weather or the temperature outside, French uses the verb faire (to do or make). You will combine il fait with adjectives to describe the conditions.

For example, you can say il fait beau (the weather is nice) or il fait mauvais (the weather is bad). You can also describe the temperature using expressions like faire chaud (to be hot) and faire froid (to be cold), or use other adjectives such as frais (cool), doux (mild), and gris (grey).

En été, il fait chaud et il fait beau.
(In summer, it is hot and the weather is nice.)
Mets un manteau, il fait froid ce soir.
(Put on a coat, it is cold tonight.)

When you want to ask someone about the weather, you also use faire along with the noun temps (weather):

Quel temps fait-il aujourd'hui ?
(What is the weather like today?)
Precipitation and specific events with dedicated verbs

For actions like rain and snow, French uses dedicated impersonal verbs that are only ever conjugated with il. The most common ones are pleuvoir (to rain) and neiger (to snow).

You will also see this pattern with more specific weather events like bruiner (to drizzle), geler (to freeze), and tonner (to thunder).

Prends un parapluie car il pleut.
(Take an umbrella because it's raining.)
En hiver, il neige souvent dans les montagnes.
(In winter, it snows often in the mountains.)
Je pense qu'il gèle ce matin.
(I think it is freezing this morning.)
Atmospheric elements with il y a

When describing specific elements in the sky or air, French uses the expression il y a (there is / there are) followed by a partitive article (like du or de la) and a noun.

You will use this construction to talk about the presence of vent (wind), soleil (sun), brouillard (fog), brume (mist), or an orage (storm).

Il y a du vent près de la mer.
(It is windy near the sea.)
Fais attention en conduisant, il y a du brouillard.
(Be careful while driving, it is foggy.)
Ce soir, il y a un orage.
(Tonight, there is a storm.)
Summary

To talk about the weather in French, always use the impersonal subject il. Use il fait with adjectives for general weather and temperature, il y a with nouns for atmospheric elements like wind and fog, and dedicated impersonal verbs for actions like raining and snowing.