Because of its size, China has great climatic diversity.
In the north around Beijing, summer is from May to August. During these months it can get very hot and humid with temperatures rising to 30 or 35 degrees Celsius but the average temperature is generally cooler. Winter in the north is from December to March can be extremely harsh and cold with chilly temperatures often below zero degrees celsius. Some snowfall and frost during mid winter is not uncommon. Spring and autumn have warm days and cold nights with average temperatures 20 to 30 degrees celsius.
In the south, summer is from April to September and is generally wet, hot and humid except in mountainous areas in Yunnan. Winter in the south from January to March is short and chilly and can get down to 0 to 5 degrees celsius at night but is generally milder than the north. Spring and autumn has pleasant temperatures around 20 to 25 degrees, but can be wet.
Central China around Shanghai, Nanjing & sections of the Yangtze, experience brief cold winters where temperatures can slip below zero. Summer between April and October is long, hot and humid.
The northwest part of China around Turpan along the Silk Road is characterised by bitter cold winters (November to March) and intense dry hot summers (July to August).
The high altitude areas of Zhongdian (North West Yunnan), Xiahe and Langmusi (Gansu province), and Jiuzhaigou (Sichuan province) have much cooler climates and are more likely to experience sudden changes in weather. It is possible for these mountainous areas to have freezing temperatures even during the spring and summer periods.
As Tibet is at an average altitude of 4000m, year-round temperatures are quite cool. The weather is very changeable and it is not uncommon to experience four seasons in one day. Highs in the summer (June to August) reach 20 or 21 degrees celsius and the winter months can see the temperatures plummeting below -10c with fierce winds.
In general the best time to visit China is during spring and autumn, when temperatures are less extreme. Tibet and the mountainous areas of western China are most comfortable in summer and late spring/early autumn. Note however that pleasant climates will usually also be accompanied by more crowds of tourists. |
