China Weather & Average Temperatures

China is an indisputably massive country that spans so much land that separate regions of the country can experience vastly different temperature and weather conditions simultaneously.  China’s weather in Haikou, which is in the South of China, doesn’t experience much of a winter climate with an average January low temperature reaching only 58°F / 14°C, while Harbin in the Northeast of China hardly knows what summer feels like since it only reaches average high temperatures in July of 82°F / 28°C.

China is one of the largest countries in the world - it is fourth in line after Russia, Canada, and the USA.  China encompasses about 9,596,960 sq km (approx. 3,705,407 sq mi) of land and water.  In comparison, it is only slightly smaller than the United States of America.  

With that in mind, it is not surprising to learn that China consists of more than one climatic zone.  China’s provinces lie in both the temperate and the torrid zones.  Only a small portion of the country (relative to the size of the whole country) lies in the torrid zone.  The torrid zone is characterized with long, hot summers and short, mild winters.  The island of Hainan at the southern tip of China is an example of a region with this type of weather.  

The remaining portion of China lies in the temperate climatic zone.  This zone is generally characterized as having winters that are not extreme, generally having cool, mild, or warm temperatures and also as having erratic weather conditions - it can be sunny one day and rainy the next.  Within the temperate zone, there are even more distinctive climatic regions of warmer or cooler weather patterns in which weather can vary widely from region to region.  For instance, the northeastern region and the central region of China are both in the temperate zone, but the northeastern region of China experiences long, cold winters and summers are almost unknown to the people there.  While in the central part of China, changes in the seasons don’t go unnoticed and weather can vary greatly from summer to winter - making clear distinctions from one season to the next.

The following China weather charts reflect the average monthly high and low temperatures for major cities in China.  Degrees are shown in both Fahrenheit and Celsius.

China Weather Averages

BEIJING

HAIKOU

SHANGHAI

XI’AN

GUANGZHOU

HARBIN

LHASA

URUMQI

Please note that the China weather averages listed on this page may not be accurate, current or complete and are subject to change at any time without notice.