Sure is a nice day, huh?

Oh boy, it’s going to be a hot one today!

How about that storm last night.

You’ve probably uttered these types of phrases on more than one occasion when you’ve found yourself in a conversation standstill. You know, that torturous awkward silence where neither person can think of something interesting to say?

We’ve all been there.

But knowing weather-related words is valuable for much more than just small talk. It can help you follow important news stories, plan your day, figure out your outfit, stay safe and more.

As a Russian student, learning weather words is essential to a well-rounded vocabulary. As a beginner, you might even already know a few basic words that are related to the weather. As a more advanced student, you can start delving into vibrant, descriptive weather words that can help you sound more like a native speaker.

Below, you’ll learn 40 common words to talk about the weather in Russian.

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How to Practice Russian Weather Words

Read Russian weather forecasts

If you’re traveling around Russia, you’ll probably want to be able to check-in with the weather forecast often if not daily to properly plan your day out and about. But even if you don’t have plans to visit Russia anytime soon, reading Russian weather forecasts can help reinforce your weather vocabulary.

And thankfully, you don’t have to be in Russia to access Russian weather forecasts!

Gismeteo has plenty of news, including weather forecasts and information on wind, temperature, precipitation and more. More advanced students can also read long-form articles about the weather through Российская Газета (Russian Newspaper).

See them in context

Seeing language in a real-world context is one of the best ways to learn any language, but it isn’t always easy for beginner students to dive in headfirst. That’s where FluentU comes in!

FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

Just click any word in the video subtitles to see an associated image, the word’s definition and example sentences. Every student is unique, and so is every experience with FluentU.

You select what you watch, how often you watch and how much you watch.

Meanwhile, FluentU supports your learning by tracking your progress and presenting you with level-appropriate questions that build on what you know. And since weather vocabulary is so common, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see it in context.

Download the Weather for Russia app

Checking the weather on your smartphone is something so many of us do regularly. But have you ever been curious about how the weather in Russia is right now? The Weather for Russia app (available for iOS and Android) makes it easy to check Russian weather!

You’ll also get the added benefit of reinforcing some of the most common weather-related words. If you’re in the US, the app will probably be in English when you first download it, but just go into settings to change the language to Russian.

It’s a Beautiful Day to Talk About the Weather in Russian

Phrases for Discussing the Weather

1. Какая сегодня погода? — What’s the weather like today?

Какая сегодня погода? Мне нужен свитер? — What’s the weather like today? Do I need a sweater?

2. Какой на завтра прогноз погоды? — What’s the forecast for tomorrow?

Какой на завтра прогноз погоды? Мы сможем поплавать? — What’s the forecast for tomorrow? Will we be able to go for a swim?

3. Идёт… — Literally means “goes” or “is going”; used to describe precipitation

Идёт дождь. Хватай зонт! — It’s raining. Grab an umbrella!

4. Будет… — It’s going to…

Будет жарко. — It’s going to be hot.

5. На улице… — Literally means on the street, but used to mean outside

На улице так холодно! — It’s so cold outside!

6. Льёт как из ведра — Literally means pouring like from a bucket; used like raining cats and dogs

Льёт как из ведра. Давай не поедем сегодня на дачу. — It’s raining like cats and dogs. Let’s not go to the dacha (country house) today.

Vocabulary for Describing the Air

While in English you generally describe the weather by using supporting words like “it’s,” in Russian, you can simply say most words related to temperature and air quality on their own. However, if you use them to describe a noun, you’ll need to make sure your adjectives match the gender of that noun.

7. Жарко — Hot

Слишком жарко, чтобы выходить на улицу. — It’s too hot to go outside.

8. Тепло — Warm

Достаточно тепло чтобы поесть на улице. — It’s warm enough to eat outside.

9. Хорошо — Literally means good, as in nice or pleasant

Если погода хорошая, надо покосить газон. — If the weather is good, we should mow the grass.

10. Холодно — Cold

Я ненавижу холодную погоду. Давайте переедем на Ямайку. — I hate cold weather. Let’s move to Jamaica.

11. Сухо — Dry

Сухо, как в пустыне. — It’s so dry, it’s like a desert!

12. Влажно — Humid

Влажно как в бане. — It’s humid like in a bathhouse.

13. Душно — Stuffy

Здесь слишком душно. Надо открыть окно. — It’s too stuffy in here. We have to open the window.

14. Свежо — Fresh/crisp

Свежий осенний воздух пахнет яблоками. — The crisp autumn air smells like apples.

15. Зябко — Chilly

Зябко! Давай вернёмся внутрь. — It’s chilly! Let’s go back inside.

16. Морозно — Frosty

Морозное утро было похоже на Рождество. — The frosty morning felt like Christmas.

17. прохладно — Cool

Вечером стало прохладно. — It became cool in the evening.

Words for What’s Happening in the Sky

18. Ясно — Clear

Ясный день идеально подходит для прогулки. — A clear day is perfect for a walk.

19. Солнечно — Sunny

Зима закончилась, и наконец-то солнечно! — Winter is over, and it’s finally sunny!

20. Солнце — Sun

Когда сегодня выйдет солнце? — When will the sun come out today?

21. Пасмурно — Cloudy

Я люблю спать в пасмурные дни. — I like to sleep on cloudy days.

22. Облако — Cloud

Это облако похоже на спагетти? — Does this cloud look like spaghetti?

23. Ветрено — Windy

Слишком ветрено, чтобы пускать воздушных змеев. — It’s too windy to fly kites.

24. Ветер — Wind

Ветер шумный. — The wind is loud.

25. Туманно — Foggy

Так туманно, что я едва вижу свою руку. — It’s so foggy, I can hardly see my own hand.

26. Туман — Fog

Туман сошёл с озера. — The fog came off the lake.

27. Дождь — Rain

Растениям нужен дождь, чтобы расти. — Plants need rain to grow.

28. Гром — Thunder

Вы слышали гром? — Did you hear thunder?

29. Град — Hail

Град повредил мою машину. — Hail damaged my car.

30. Мороз — Frost

Мороз убивает растения. — Frost kills plants.

31. Снежно — Snowy

Город сегодня снежный. — The city is snowy today.

32. Снег — Snow

Дети играют в снегу. — Kids play in the snow.

Types of Weather Events

33. Гроза — Thunderstorm

Игра отменена из-за грозы. — The game was canceled due to a thunderstorm.

34. Метель — Blizzard

Метель сделала путешествие невозможным. — A blizzard made travel impossible.

35. Ураган — Hurricane

Ураган разрушил город. — The hurricane destroyed the city.

36. Торнадо — Tornado

Оставайся в подвале. Там торнадо. — Stay in the basement. There’s a tornado.

37. Засуха — Drought

Засуха увеличивает риск пожаров. — Drought increases the risk of fires.

38. Наводнение — Flood

Если пойдёт дождь, будет наводнение. — If it keeps raining, there will be a flood.

39. Тайфун — Typhoon

Сегодня в Индии тайфун. — There’s a typhoon in India today.

40. Цунами — Tsunami

Цунами опасны для прибрежных городов. — Tsunamis are dangerous for coastal cities.

With these 40 Russian weather words and phrases, you’ll be ready to talk about whatever Mother Nature throws your way—or at least know how to break that conservation standstill and rid the air of that ghastly uncomfortable silence!