China Travel:What’s the weather and climate like in China?

Located mainly in the northern Temperate Zone, China is featuring for a continental climate under the predominance of monsoon. The climate varies widely from region to region due to its vast territory and complex topography (The latitudes span nearly 50 degrees). For example, the northern part of Heilongjiang Province in northeast China has no summer while the Hainan Island has a long summer but no winter; the western part of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is covered by snow all the year, but the Kunming City is spring-like all year round. However, the majority parts of China enjoy a distinct and clear four seasons. In winter, the monsoon wind arrives from Siberia and the Mongolia Plateau into the northern part and keep the area cold and dry, while in summer, the monsoon from southern coastal areas bring warm and abundant rainfall.

Different Climates in Different Areas of China

In north China, such as Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, summer is dry and sunny while winter is extremely cold with the temperature dropping well below freezing.

In central China, such as Shanghai, Wuhan, Chongqing and Nanjing, summer is long, hot and humid, and winter is short and cold

In the far south of China, such as Guangzhou, from April to September, the climate is hot and humid when the temperature could rise to 40 degrees centigrade. That is also called the rainy season and the typhoons often attack the southeast coast especially between July and September. The winter is quite short in Guangzhou and also not as cold as in northern China.

Before you travel to China, it is strongly recommended to check the weather and climate of China first. The following list helps you to know the weather and climate of major tourist cities in China as well as the best time to visit each city.