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 China's
climate varies from bitter cold in winter to unbearable heat in
summer. The Yangtze River serves as China's official dividing line
between north and south. Given the size and varied landscape of
the country, there is no one time in the year when Chinese weather
is ideal. Of course, the warmest areas in winter are to be found
in the South and Southwest, such as Sichuan, Banna in Yunnan, and
Hainan Island. In summer the coolest spots are in the far northeast.
China has a climate dominated by dry seasons and wet monsoons,
which make for clear temperature differences in winter and summer.
In winter, northern winds coming from high latitude areas are cold
and dry; in summer, southern winds from sea areas at lower latitude
are warm and moist. Climates differ from region to region because
of the country's extensive and complex topography. In the south
of the Nanling Mountains, rains are prolific and the temperature
is high all year round. In the Yangtze and Huaihe river valleys
in the central part of China, there are four distinctive seasons.
In northeast China, summer is short but there is much sunshine,
while winter is long and cold. Precipitation is limited in northwest
China where it is cold in winter and hot in summer. In southwest
China of low latitudes, the land is elevated high, and has characteristically
vertical seasonal zones.
There's not really an 'ideal' time to visit the country, so use
the following information as a rough guide to avoid temperature
extremes.
North
Northern winters, from December to March, can be extremely cold.
Beijing generally experiences temperature of -20°C, dry and
no sun. Further north, temperatures reaching -40°C are not uncommon,
and you'll see the curious sight of sand dunes covered in snow.
During the summer, from May to August, temperatures in Beijing
can hit 38°C (100°F), coinciding with the rainy season for
the city. The best time for visiting the north is spring and autumn.
Daytime temperatures range from 20°C to 30°C (68°F to
86°F) and drop a lot at night. Precipitation is 6370cm (25-28
inches) per year.
Central
The Yangtze River valley has long and humid summer with high temperatures
from April to October. The city of Wuhan, Chongqing and Nanjing
on the Yangtze are China's three famous 'furnaces'.
Winters there, with temperatures dropping well below freezing,
can be as cold as in Beijing, particularly as there is no heating
in public buildings south of the Yangtze.
It can also be wet and miserable at any time apart from summer.
Since it is impossible to choose an ideal time to visit, spring
and autumn are probably best. Precipitation averages around 76 cm
(30 inches) per year.
South
Near Guangzhou, the summer is a season of typhoons between July
and September. Temperatures can rise to around 38C. Winters are
short, between January and March. It's not as cold as in the north,
but you'd better bring warm clothes with you while visiting.
Autumn and spring can be good times to visit, with day temperatures
in the 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 75°F) range. Sometimes,
it can be miserably wet and cold, with rain or drizzle. Precipitation
averages 76 cm (30 inches) per year.
Northwest
It gets hot in summer, dry and sunny. The desert regions can be
scorching in the daytime. Turpan, which sits in a depression 150m
below sea level, is referred as the 'hottest place in China' with
maximums of around 47°C.
In winter this region is as severely cold as the rest of northern
China. Temperatures in Turpan during Winter are only slightly more
favorable to human existence.
This area of China experiences little rain, and as a consequence,
the air is very dry. Summers, however, can exceed 40°C, while
winters may drop to -10°C. Precipitation averages less than
10 cm (4 inches) per year.
Tibet
Undoubtedly, Tibet is one of the harshest places for human existence.
It is cool in summer but freezing cold in winter. In Lhasa, the
mildest city in Tibet, temperature may exceed 29 in summer while
plummeting to minus 16 in winter! Sun radiation is extremely strong
in Tibet. The sunlight in Lhasa is so intense that the city is called
Sunlight City. The thin air can neither block off nor retain heat
so that the temperature extremes can be met in daytime and the same
night respectively in Tibet. However it is not impossible to visit
the holy snow land. April to October is the best time to visit Tibet,
out of the coldest months, which are from December to February usually.
The average temperature in north Tibet is subzero and winter arrives
in October until the following May or June. July and August are
the best time to visit the area, enjoying warm temperature, intense
sunshine, beautiful scenery and festive events.
May, June and September is the tourist season in east Tibet. In
winter, roads are all blocked by heavy snow. Landslides and rock
falls frequently occur, which will make travel difficult.
South Tibet is balmy during May to October. During the period,
there are also great festive events held. Hence it is the best time
to visit Lhasa, Shigatse and Nyingchi.
Most annual rainfall comes in the rainy season which starts from
June to September. Usually it rains at night in Lhasa, Shigatse
and Chamdo area. The rainfall may block roads and make travel difficult
but the scenery at the time will be the best. From November to the
coming May, the wind blows often.
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