Lhasa, China climate
Cwb Subtropical highland (dry winter)
Lhasa has a seasonal cool-temperate climate (Subtropical highland (dry winter), Köppen Cwb). The hottest month is July with an average daily high near 23°C, while the coldest is January averaging around −7°C at night. Precipitation totals about 487 mm a year and is strongly seasonal — July alone averages 144 mm while December barely receives 0 mm.
Temperature & precipitation
Daily high–low temperature range with the monthly average, plus monthly precipitation · 1991–2020 normals · hover a month for the exact figuresHours of sunshine per day
Estimated sunny hours each month — daylight length × clear-sky fraction · 1991–2020 monthly cloud cover (NASA POWER)Lhasa climate normals (1991–2020)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 13 | 10 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 2 |
| Avg low (°C) | −7 | −5 | −1 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 3 | −3 | −7 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 32 | 88 | 144 | 133 | 69 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 21 | 24 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 17 |
| Avg low (°C) | −7 | −5 | −1 | 3 | 7 | 11 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 32 | 88 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 23 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 13 | 10 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 17 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 2 |
| Avg low (°C) | 12 | 11 | 9 | 3 | −3 | −7 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 144 | 133 | 69 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
How often — frequency of weather events
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 19 | 13 | 3 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Days with low ≤ 0°C (days) | 30 | 25 | 19 | 3 | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 27 | 30 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 14 |
| Days with low ≤ 0°C (days) | 30 | 25 | 19 | 3 | 0.1 | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 20 | 19 | 13 | 3 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Days with low ≤ 0°C (days) | — | — | — | 5 | 27 | 30 |
Sky & atmosphere
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 39 | 48 | 59 | 66 | 68 | 74 | 82 | 81 | 70 | 42 | 31 | 30 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 31 | 28 | 28 | 33 | 41 | 53 | 63 | 67 | 66 | 53 | 38 | 32 |
| Wind speed (m/s) | 2.2 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 39 | 48 | 59 | 66 | 68 | 74 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 31 | 28 | 28 | 33 | 41 | 53 |
| Wind speed (m/s) | 2.2 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 82 | 81 | 70 | 42 | 31 | 30 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 63 | 67 | 66 | 53 | 38 | 32 |
| Wind speed (m/s) | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.9 |
Methodology & sources
Temperature & precipitation — 1991–2020 normals computed from 25 years of daily observations at Lhasa, a weather station, about 4 km from the city centre. The underlying daily records come from NOAA's global station network.
Cloud, humidity, wind & sunshine — modelled estimates from NASA POWER, NASA's satellite-and-reanalysis climatology. This is the standard global source for atmospheric variables, which are not measured at most weather stations.