Greek2Me staff · Vocab
Greek Weather Words
The Greek weather vocabulary you need to read a forecast, chat about the day, or complain about the heat like a local. Every word for sun, rain, wind, and snow, plus the seasonal phrases that come up daily.
| Greek | English | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun and clouds | |||
| ήλιος | sun | ||
| έχει ήλιο | it's sunnyliterally 'it has sun' | ||
| ηλιόλουστος | sunny (adjective) | ||
| σύννεφο | cloud | ||
| συννεφιά | cloudy weather | ||
| Rain and snow | |||
| βροχή | rain | ||
| βρέχει | it's raining | ||
| χιόνι | snow | ||
| χιονίζει | it's snowing | ||
| Wind and storms | |||
| άνεμος | wind | ||
| αέρας | wind / air (everyday word) | ||
| φυσάει | it's windyliterally 'it blows' | ||
| ομίχλη | fog / mist | ||
| καταιγίδα | storm | ||
| αστραπή | lightning | ||
| κεραυνός | thunderbolt | ||
| ουράνιο τόξο | rainbow | ||
| Hot and cold | |||
| ζέστη | heat | ||
| κάνει ζέστη | it's hot | ||
| κρύο | cold | ||
| κάνει κρύο | it's cold | ||
| Seasons | |||
| άνοιξη | spring | ||
| καλοκαίρι | summer | ||
| φθινόπωρο | autumn | ||
| χειμώνας | winter | ||
Talking about the weather (κάνει vs έχει)
Greek uses two verbs to say what the weather is doing:
- Κάνει (káni), literally 'it makes', pairs with hot, cold, and comfortable
- Έχει (éhi), literally 'it has', pairs with sun, cloud, wind, and fog
So: - Κάνει ζέστη.: It's hot. - Κάνει κρύο.: It's cold. - Έχει ήλιο.: It's sunny. - Έχει συννεφιά.: It's cloudy. - Έχει αέρα.: It's windy.
Rain, snow, and wind also have their own single-verb forms: βρέχει (it's raining), χιονίζει (it's snowing), φυσάει (it's windy / blowing).
How to ask about the weather
A few phrases you'll use every day of a trip:
- Τι καιρό κάνει;: What's the weather like?
- Θα βρέξει σήμερα;: Will it rain today?
- Τι θερμοκρασία έχει;: What's the temperature?
- Είναι ζεστή μέρα.: It's a warm day.
- Έχει τρελή ζέστη.: It's crazy hot. (very common Athenian complaint in July)
Fatima said asking τι καιρό κάνει; over morning coffee at the bakery unlocked a five-minute weather report from the baker and set the whole day up warmly.
The Greek seasons
Four seasons, all masculine except one:
- η άνοιξη (i ánixi), spring, feminine
- το καλοκαίρι (to kalokéri), summer, neuter
- το φθινόπωρο (to fthinóporo), autumn, neuter
- ο χειμώνας (o himónas), winter, masculine
To say 'in spring / in summer' etc., use την άνοιξη, το καλοκαίρι, το φθινόπωρο, τον χειμώνα. Or the everyday το καλοκαίρι πάμε στη θάλασσα: in summer we go to the sea.
Greek weather has moods (μελτέμι, σιρόκος, κ.ά.)
A few named winds you'll really hear on Greek forecasts and in island small talk:
- μελτέμι (meltémi), the dry northerly wind that batters the Cyclades in July and August, famous for cancelling ferries
- σιρόκος (sirókos), the hot, dusty southerly from Africa, sometimes turning the sky orange
- βαρδάρης (vardáris), cold northerly that hits Thessaloniki
And two temperature phrases worth memorising for July in Athens:
- Ψοφάει η μέρα.: The day is boiling. (literally 'the day is dying')
- Λιώνω.: I'm melting.
Complaint-about-the-heat is a national pastime and you'll fit right in.
Reading a Greek forecast
Terms that show up on Greek weather apps and TV forecasts:
- αίθριος καιρός: clear weather
- νεφώσεις: cloud cover
- βροχοπτώσεις: rainfall
- χιονοπτώσεις: snowfall
- θερμοκρασία: temperature
- άνεμοι βορειοανατολικοί: north-easterly winds
- μποφόρ: Beaufort scale (how ferry departures get decided)
When the ferry cancels because 'έχει 8 μποφόρ' (it's Force 8), you now know exactly what the announcement means.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say it's raining in Greek?+
Βρέχει (vréhi). It's a one-word sentence, no subject needed, the same shape as 'it's raining' in English but even more compact. For 'it rained a lot', use έβρεξε πολύ. For 'it will rain', θα βρέξει.
How do you say the weather is nice in Greek?+
Ο καιρός είναι ωραίος (o kerós íne oréos) or more casually κάνει ωραίο καιρό. If it's specifically warm and pleasant, έχει λιακάδα (there's sunshine) is a warm way to describe a clear day. To ask, τι καιρό κάνει;, what's the weather like?
What's the meltemi wind?+
The μελτέμι is a strong, dry northerly wind that blows across the Aegean in July and August, especially around the Cyclades. It cools the islands down but can cancel ferries and turn beaches into wind tunnels. If your Naxos ferry is delayed in August, μελτέμι is usually the reason.
What are the Greek seasons called?+
Άνοιξη (spring), καλοκαίρι (summer), φθινόπωρο (autumn), χειμώνας (winter). Three are neuter, one is feminine (άνοιξη), one is masculine (χειμώνας). In fixed phrases: την άνοιξη (in spring), το καλοκαίρι (in summer), το φθινόπωρο (in autumn), τον χειμώνα (in winter).
How do you say it's hot in Greek?+
Κάνει ζέστη (káni zésti), literally 'it makes heat'. For 'it's really hot', κάνει πολλή ζέστη or the more dramatic κάνει τρελή ζέστη (it's crazy hot), which you'll hear all over Athens in July. For 'I'm hot' (about a person), ζεσταίνομαι.
Practise this in the app
Chat about the weather in the app
Short quizzes on weather vocabulary, audio for every forecast term, and drills on κάνει vs έχει.
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