Xining, China climate

Dwb Monsoon-influenced warm-summer humid continental

Xining has a seasonal cold-temperate climate (Monsoon-influenced warm-summer humid continental, Köppen Dwb). The hottest month is July with an average daily high near 25°C, while the coldest is January averaging around −15°C at night. Precipitation totals about 431 mm a year and is strongly seasonal — August alone averages 92 mm while December barely receives 2 mm.

☀️ Summers

Mild

Highs near 25°C in July.

About 1 days a year above 32 °C

❄️ Winters

Very cold

Lows near −15°C in January.

About 164 freezing nights a year

🌧️ Rain

Fairly dry

About 431 mm of rain a year.

Wettest in August

⛅ Sky & trend

Partly cloudy

A roughly even mix of sun and cloud.

+0.1 °C vs 50 years ago

Temperature & precipitation

Daily high–low temperature range with the monthly average, plus monthly precipitation · 1991–2020 normals · hover a month for the exact figures

Clear vs cloudy days

Share of days each month that are clear, partly cloudy or cloudy · 1991–2020 · hover a month for the day counts

Xining climate normals (1991–2020)

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg high (°C)	2	6	11	17	20	23	25	24	20	14	9	3
Avg temp (°C)	−6	−2	3	9	13	16	18	17	14	8	1	−5
Avg low (°C)	−15	−10	−5	1	6	9	11	11	7	1	−6	−13
Precipitation (mm)	2	2	10	20	54	68	82	92	71	22	5	2

Jan – Jun	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Avg high (°C)	2	6	11	17	20	23
Avg temp (°C)	−6	−2	3	9	13	16
Avg low (°C)	−15	−10	−5	1	6	9
Precipitation (mm)	2	2	10	20	54	68

Jul – Dec	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg high (°C)	25	24	20	14	9	3
Avg temp (°C)	18	17	14	8	1	−5
Avg low (°C)	11	11	7	1	−6	−13
Precipitation (mm)	82	92	71	22	5	2

How often — frequency of weather events

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Days with measurable rain (days)	3	2	4	7	11	14	15	15	14	7	3	2
Days with high ≥ 32°C (days)	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.7	0.5	—	—	—	—
Days with low ≤ 0°C (days)	29	27	26	11	0.9	—	—	—	0.2	13	27	29

Jan – Jun	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Days with measurable rain (days)	3	2	4	7	11	14
Days with high ≥ 32°C (days)	—	—	—	—	—	—
Days with low ≤ 0°C (days)	29	27	26	11	0.9	—

Jul – Dec	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Days with measurable rain (days)	15	15	14	7	3	2
Days with high ≥ 32°C (days)	0.7	0.5	—	—	—	—
Days with low ≤ 0°C (days)	—	—	0.2	13	27	29

Sky & atmosphere

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Cloud cover (%)	47	54	63	67	72	74	69	69	71	60	45	43
Clear days (≤ 30% cloud)	10	6	4	3	2	2	4	4	3	5	10	12
Partly cloudy days (30–70%)	14	14	14	12	11	10	10	10	9	13	14	13
Cloudy days (≥ 70%)	7	9	14	15	18	18	18	18	18	13	6	6
Relative humidity (%)	51	47	43	42	47	54	60	63	66	59	50	50
Wind speed (m/s)	1.8	2.0	2.2	2.2	2.0	1.7	1.6	1.5	1.4	1.5	1.7	1.8

Jan – Jun	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Cloud cover (%)	47	54	63	67	72	74
Clear days (≤ 30% cloud)	10	6	4	3	2	2
Partly cloudy days (30–70%)	14	14	14	12	11	10
Cloudy days (≥ 70%)	7	9	14	15	18	18
Relative humidity (%)	51	47	43	42	47	54
Wind speed (m/s)	1.8	2.0	2.2	2.2	2.0	1.7

Jul – Dec	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Cloud cover (%)	69	69	71	60	45	43
Clear days (≤ 30% cloud)	4	4	3	5	10	12
Partly cloudy days (30–70%)	10	10	9	13	14	13
Cloudy days (≥ 70%)	18	18	18	13	6	6
Relative humidity (%)	60	63	66	59	50	50
Wind speed (m/s)	1.6	1.5	1.4	1.5	1.7	1.8

Methodology & sources

Temperature & precipitation — 1991–2020 normals computed from 25 years of daily observations at Xining, a weather station, about 1 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.

How we build these numbers →