How to Talk About Weather and Natural Disasters in Chinese: Forecasts, Extreme Weather, Alerts, and Safety

Before heading out, checking the weather in Chinese is essential for planning your day. Key vocabulary: 天气 (tiān qì) — weather, 天气预报 (tiān qì yù bào) — weather forecast, 今天天气怎么样 (jīn tiān tiān qì zěn me yàng) — What is the weather like today? 明天会下雨吗 (míng tiān huì xià yǔ ma) — Will it rain tomorrow? 很热 (hěn rè) — very hot, 很冷 (hěn lěng) — very cold, 舒服 (shū fu) — comfortable, 温度 (wēn dù) — temperature, 最高温度 (zuì gāo wēn dù) — highest temperature, 最低温度 (zuì dī wēn dù) — lowest temperature, 摄氏度 (shè shì dù) — degrees Celsius. Common weather descriptions: 晴天 (qíng tiān) — sunny, 多云 (duō yún) — cloudy, 阴天 (yīn tiān) — overcast, 下雨 (xià yǔ) — raining, 下雪 (xià xuě) — snowing, 刮风 (guā fēng) — windy, 有雾 (yǒu wù) — foggy, 潮湿 (cháo shī) — humid, 干燥 (gān zào) — dry.

Using weather apps in China: Most locals use 墨迹天气 (Mò jì Tiān qì) — Moji Weather, 中国天气 (Zhōng guó Tiān qì) — China Weather, or the built-in weather feature in WeChat. Key app vocabulary: 空气质量 (kōng qì zhì liàng) — air quality, AQI (空气质量指数) — Air Quality Index, 优 (yōu) — excellent (0-50), 良 (liáng) — good (51-100), 轻度污染 (qīng dù wū rǎn) — lightly polluted (101-150), 中度污染 (zhōng dù wū rǎn) — moderately polluted (151-200), 重度污染 (zhòng dù wū rǎn) — heavily polluted (201-300), 严重污染 (yán zhòng wū rǎn) — severely polluted (300+). Also useful: 紫外线指数 (zǐ wài xiàn zhǐ shù) — UV index, 湿度 (shī dù) — humidity percentage, 体感温度 (tǐ gǎn wēn dù) — feels-like temperature. Phrases for asking about weather: 明天出门需要带伞吗 (míng tiān chū mén xū yào dài sǎn ma) — Do I need an umbrella tomorrow? 穿什么衣服合适 (chuān shén me yī fu hé shì) — What clothes are suitable to wear?

China's southeastern coastal regions (Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hainan) experience typhoons mainly from July to October. Key vocabulary: 台风 (tái fēng) — typhoon, 暴雨 (bào yǔ) — heavy rain / rainstorm, 特大暴雨 (tè dà bào yǔ) — extremely heavy rain, 雷阵雨 (léi zhèn yǔ) — thunderstorm, 闪电 (shǎn diàn) — lightning, 打雷 (dǎ léi) — thunder, 防汛 (fáng xùn) — flood prevention. Warning levels — China uses a four-color system: 蓝色预警 (lán sè yù jǐng) — blue alert (lowest, general warning), 黄色预警 (huáng sè yù jǐng) — yellow alert (moderate, take precautions), 橙色预警 (chéng sè yù jǐng) — orange alert (severe, possible closures), 红色预警 (hóng sè yù jǐng) — red alert (most severe, mandatory action).

Typhoon preparedness phrases: 台风要来了 (tái fēng yào lái le) — A typhoon is coming. 台风几级 (tái fēng jǐ jí) — What category typhoon? 台风会在哪里登陆 (tái fēng huì zài nǎ lǐ dēng lù) — Where will the typhoon make landfall? 学校停课了吗 (xué xiào tíng kè le ma) — Are schools closed? 今天停工了 (jīn tiān tíng gōng le) — Work is suspended today. 高铁停了 (gāo tiě tíng le) — High-speed trains are suspended. 航班取消了 (háng bān qǔ xiāo le) — Flights have been canceled. Preparedness actions: 储备食物和水 (chǔ bèi shí wù hé shuǐ) — Stock up on food and water. 关好门窗 (guān hǎo mén chuāng) — Close doors and windows properly. 尽量不要出门 (jǐn liàng bù yào chū mén) — Try not to go outside. 远离窗户 (yuǎn lí chuāng hù) — Stay away from windows. 把阳台上的东西收进来 (bǎ yáng tái shàng de dōng xi shōu jìn lái) — Bring in things from the balcony. In case of flooding: 积水 (jī shuǐ) — standing water / waterlogging, 被淹了 (bèi yān le) — flooded, 水深大概半米 (shuǐ shēn dà gài bàn mǐ) — The water is about half a meter deep. 不要走积水 (bù yào zǒu jī shuǐ) — Don't walk through standing water.

Many Chinese cities experience extreme summer heat, and northern regions face harsh winters. Heat vocabulary: 高温 (gāo wēn) — high temperature / heatwave, 高温预警 (gāo wēn yù jǐng) — heat alert, 中暑 (zhòng shǔ) — heatstroke, 避暑 (bì shǔ) — escape the heat, 防晒 (fáng shài) — sun protection, 空调 (kōng tiáo) — air conditioning, 电风扇 (diàn fēng shàn) — electric fan. Heat phrases: 今天有三十八度 (jīn tiān yǒu sān shí bā dù) — It's 38 degrees today. 太热了 (tài rè le) — It's too hot! 热得受不了 (rè de shòu bù liǎo) — Unbearably hot. 中暑了怎么办 (zhòng shǔ le zěn me bàn) — What to do if you get heatstroke? 多喝水 (duō hē shuǐ) — Drink more water. 注意防暑降温 (zhù yì fáng shǔ jiàng wēn) — Pay attention to heatstroke prevention and cooling.

Cold and snow vocabulary: 寒潮 (hán cháo) — cold wave, 降温 (jiàng wēn) — temperature drop, 暴雪 (bào xuě) — snowstorm, 结冰 (jié bīng) — icing / freezing, 路面结冰 (lù miàn jié bīng) — road icing, 防滑 (fáng huá) — anti-slip, 供暖 (gōng nuǎn) — heating supply, 暖气 (nuǎn qì) — radiator / heating. Cold phrases: 降温了，多穿点衣服 (jiàng wēn le, duō chuān diǎn yī fu) — The temperature dropped, wear more clothes. 会下雪吗 (huì xià xuě ma) — Will it snow? 路上结冰了，小心 (lù shàng jié bīng le, xiǎo xīn) — There's ice on the road, be careful. 零下十度 (líng xià shí dù) — minus 10 degrees (Celsius). 今天好冷啊 (jīn tiān hǎo lěng a) — It's so cold today. 暖气什么时候来 (nuǎn qì shén me shí hou lái) — When does the heating come on? In northern China, central heating typically runs from November 15 to March 15. 我们小区有暖气吗 (wǒ men xiǎo qū yǒu nuǎn qì ma) — Does our apartment complex have heating?

Chinese weather alerts are pushed through multiple channels: SMS from 中国气象局 (China Meteorological Administration), app notifications, and public broadcasts. Key vocabulary: 预警 (yù jǐng) — early warning / alert, 短信通知 (duǎn xìn tōng zhī) — SMS notification, 广播 (guǎng bō) — broadcast, 应急响应 (yīng jí xiǎng yīng) — emergency response, Ⅰ级响应 / Ⅱ级响应 / Ⅲ级响应 — Level I / II / III emergency response. Understanding alert messages: 预计未来24小时内将出现... (yù jì wèi lái 24 xiǎo shí nèi jiāng chū xiàn...) — Within the next 24 hours, there will be... 请做好防范准备 (qǐng zuò hǎo fáng fàn zhǔn bèi) — Please make preventive preparations. 建议减少外出 (jiàn yì jiǎn shǎo wài chū) — It is recommended to reduce outdoor activities. 必要时停课停工 (bì yào shí tíng kè tíng gōng) — Suspend classes and work if necessary.

Emergency kit and evacuation vocabulary: 应急包 (yīng jí bāo) — emergency kit, 手电筒 (shǒu diàn tǒng) — flashlight, 电池 (diàn chí) — batteries, 急救箱 (jí jiù xiāng) — first aid kit, 矿泉水 (kuàng quán shuǐ) — bottled water, 干粮 (gān liáng) — dry food / rations, 充电宝 (chōng diàn bǎo) — power bank, 重要证件 (zhòng yào zhèng jiàn) — important documents, 现金 (xiàn jīn) — cash. Evacuation vocabulary: 撤离 (chè lí) — evacuate, 疏散 (shū sàn) — disperse / evacuate, 避难所 (bì nàn suǒ) — shelter, 安全出口 (ān quán chū kǒu) — emergency exit, 集合点 (jí hé diǎn) — assembly point. Useful emergency phrases: 我需要帮助 (wǒ xū yào bāng zhù) — I need help. 有人受伤了 (yǒu rén shòu shāng le) — Someone is injured. 请告诉我最近的避难所在哪里 (qǐng gào sù wǒ zuì jìn de bì nàn suǒ zài nǎ lǐ) — Please tell me where the nearest shelter is. 我的手机没电了 (wǒ de shǒu jī méi diàn le) — My phone is out of battery.

While China experiences earthquakes primarily in western regions (Sichuan, Yunnan, Tibet, Xinjiang), being prepared anywhere is wise. Earthquake vocabulary: 地震 (dì zhèn) — earthquake, 震级 (zhèn jí) — magnitude, 震中 (zhèn zhōng) — epicenter, 余震 (yú zhèn) — aftershock, 摇晃 (yáo huàng) — shaking / swaying, 逃生 (táo shēng) — escape / flee for safety. Earthquake actions: 地震了 (dì zhèn le) — Earthquake! 蹲下、掩护、抓住 (dūn xià, yǎn hù, zhuā zhù) — Drop, cover, and hold on. 不要坐电梯 (bù yào zuò diàn tī) — Don't take the elevator. 躲在桌子下面 (duǒ zài zhuō zi xià miàn) — Take cover under a table. 远离建筑物 (yuǎn lí jiàn zhù wù) — Stay away from buildings. 去空旷的地方 (qù kōng kuàng de dì fāng) — Go to an open area.

Other disasters and related vocabulary: 山体滑坡 (shān tǐ huá pō) — landslide, 泥石流 (ní shí liú) — mudslide / debris flow, 森林火灾 (sēn lín huǒ zāi) — forest fire, 雾霾 (wù mái) — smog / haze, 沙尘暴 (shā chén bào) — sandstorm, 冰雹 (bīng báo) — hail. Haze/smog phrases: 今天雾霾很严重 (jīn tiān wù mái hěn yán zhòng) — The haze is very severe today. 记得戴口罩 (jì de dài kǒu zhào) — Remember to wear a mask. N95口罩 (N95 kǒu zhào) — N95 mask. 空气净化器 (kōng qì jìng huà qì) — air purifier. General safety phrases: 保持冷静 (bǎo chí lěng jìng) — Stay calm. 注意安全 (zhù yì ān quán) — Stay safe / be careful. 听从指挥 (tīng cóng zhǐ huī) — Follow instructions. 关注官方消息 (guān zhù guān fāng xiāo xī) — Pay attention to official announcements. 拨打110/119/120 (bō dǎ yāo yāo líng / yāo yāo jiǔ / yāo èr líng) — Call 110 (police) / 119 (fire) / 120 (ambulance).