Using hace to talk about the weather in Spanish

Note that this is a Europe focused lesson. Your active focus is Latin America.

Talking about the weather in Spanish

In Spanish, we use hace to talk about the weather:

Hoy hace mucho sol.Today it's very sunny.

Hace viento en la playa.It is windy on the beach.

Hace mucho calor en el desierto.It is very hot in the desert.

Hace 37 grados en el sur del país.It is 37 degrees in the south of the country.

Note, hace sol literally means it makes sun so this is quite different to how we talk about weather in English where we use expressions like it is sunny or it's 30 degrees. 

Hace frío.It is cold.

Hace 3 grados afuera.It is 3 degrees outside.

This is the most common way of asking about the weather:

¿Qué tiempo hace hoy?What is the weather like today?
Never use the verb ser to talk about the weather!

See also Using hay, está, or an impersonal verb to talk about the weather in Spanish.

Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics

Examples and resources

Hace mucho calor en el desierto.It is very hot in the desert.
Hace viento en la playa.It is windy on the beach.
Hace 37 grados en el sur del país.It is 37 degrees in the south of the country.
Hoy hace mucho sol.Today it's very sunny.
Hace 3 grados afuera.It is 3 degrees outside.
Hace un frío horrible esta semana.It is terribly cold this week.
Hace frío.It is cold.
¿Qué tiempo hace hoy?What is the weather like today?
Clever stuff happening!