China's Weather

China has as many climates as the U.S. Choosing how to pack or when to travel depends on where in The Middle Kingdom you plan to go. The Northern regions of the country can get extremely cold in winter months, as can the windswept Tibetan highlands. The coastal regions and the south are tropical and subtropical, prone to heavy summer rains, and in some cases, violent typhoons.

Beijing, China’s capital, has distinct seasons. In winter the temperature drops below freezing, especially at night. Snow is a possibility from November through March. Summers are hot, though not usually oppressive. Most of the rain falls on the city in July and August.

Shanghai has a milder climate than the capital. Though the temperature rarely dips below freezing, the temperature is usually in the forty to fifty degree fahrenheit from November through March. Shanghai also has a longer rainy season. The heaviest rain falls from May through early October, although wet and overcast days are possible year round.

Hong Kong’s winters are similar to Shanghai’s though not as cold. The temperature usually remains in the fifties and sixties during the colder months. Hong Kong’s summers can be quite hot, with temperatures soaring into the nineties. Typhoons hit Hong Kong every summer, several having enough power to do damage. Heavy rains are possible from May to September.

Nanning, Gaungzhou, and other southern cities have a similarly mild climate. Forties and fifties are norms in the winter, while the mercury can reach into the nineties during the summer.

Lhasa, Tibet’s high altitude capital, has one of the shorter and colder summers in China. Temperatures do not move much above seventy, except in July and August. Winters almost always mean below freezing nights. A jacket of some form is required almost year-round.

The ancient city of Xi’an is dry most of the year, save maybe September. The winter nights mean below freezing temperatures. Except for June and July, evenings are at least “jacket weather”.

Visiting anywhere in China. In general, the further north, the colder the winter. Coastal areas are prone to heavy summer rainfall and tropical storms, especially in southern locations. Rain ponchos or a well-made umbrella are necessities when packing for a summer trip to Hong Kong or Macau. Shorts and t-shirts are OK during the summer in every place except for the extreme North and high altitude West of the country.

It also depends on where a visitor is coming from. If one is coming from the midwestern U.S. or Northern Europe, Beijing’s winters might seem mild. That is because, though the temperature drops below freezing, it rarely drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Doing research on the specific climate of the places on your itinerary is a good idea. Here’s a place to start.