Why do I need to know rafale?

Because this word might blow you away. 

What does it mean? 

Rafale, pronounced raff-ahl, has multiple meanings but is most commonly used to talk about a sudden and powerful gust of wind. 

So if there is a storm, it’s common to hear French media use phrases like this:

Météo France a relevé des rafales jusqu’à 150km/h – Météo France recorded gusts of wind up to 150km/h 

De fortes rafales pourraient toutefois encore souffler – Strong gusts could still blow 

Les fortes rafales de vent couplées aux marées hautes en cours font craindre des inondations – Strong winds coupled with high tides raise fears of flooding

The other main usage of rafale comes from the battlefield, where the word is used to describe a burst of machine gun or artillery fire. 

In this sense, you could use it like this: 

Deux hommes sont morts sous la rafale – Two men died under a hail of bullets

Son arme est en mode rafale – His gun is in automatic/burst mode 

The idea of a rapid burst can also be applied to speech:

Je vais poser mes questions en rafale – I am going to ask my questions in quick succession

The French arms manufacturer, Dassault, sells a warplane known as the Dassault Rafale, which is sold to airforces around the world. The French government is a part-owner in the company.

Synonyms

For talking about the windy weather, there is a wide range of vocabulary at your disposal:

Vent/venteux – Wind/windy 

Coup de vent – Gust of wind

Tempête/orage – Storm 

Orageux/houleux/tumultueux – Stormy 

When it comes to the battlefield usage, you could also use the following:

Mitrailler – To strafe (with bullets)

Mitrailleuse – Machine gun 

Pluie de balles/déluge de balles – A hail of bullets