Baotou climate
Baotou (Inner Mongolia, China) has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The average temperature over the year is 8 °C47 °F, and about 336 mm13 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Baotou climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −424 | −163 | −1014 | 20.1 | 31 |
| Feb | 134 | −1111 | −523 | 40.2 | 28 |
| Mar | 948 | −523 | 236 | 70.3 | 29 |
| Apr | 1865 | 235 | 1050 | 130.5 | 13 |
| May | 2578 | 947 | 1762 | 281.1 | 1 |
| Jun | 3086 | 1559 | 2373 | 481.9 | 0 |
| Jul | 3290 | 1864 | 2577 | 773.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 3086 | 1661 | 2373 | 742.9 | 0 |
| Sep | 2475 | 1049 | 1762 | 542.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 1560 | 134 | 847 | 160.6 | 13 |
| Nov | 541 | −621 | −131 | 90.4 | 29 |
| Dec | −326 | −146 | −916 | 20.1 | 31 |
| Year | 3290 | −163 | 847 | 33613 | 174 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64% | 45% | 2.5 | 9:34 |
| Feb | 52% | 45% | 3.6 | 10:36 |
| Mar | 41% | 42% | 5.1 | 11:49 |
| Apr | 36% | 46% | 6.2 | 13:14 |
| May | 34% | 50% | 6.9 | 14:26 |
| Jun | 40% | 55% | 6.7 | 15:04 |
| Jul | 47% | 55% | 6.3 | 14:48 |
| Aug | 52% | 51% | 5.7 | 13:47 |
| Sep | 54% | 47% | 4.9 | 12:24 |
| Oct | 53% | 33% | 4.1 | 11:02 |
| Nov | 56% | 35% | 2.9 | 9:51 |
| Dec | 63% | 41% | 2.3 | 9:16 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Baotou is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 18 °C64 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −4 °C24 °F and lows −16 °C3 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 35.3 °C63.6 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
It is dry, with about 336 mm13 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 61% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: October–April. The wettest month is July (77 mm3.0 in), the driest is January (2 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 34% in May to 64% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 33%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in August to 13 km/h (8 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.1 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 16 cm).
Best time to visit Baotou
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and September: average highs of 24 °C75 °F to 25 °C78 °F with 28 mm1.1 in to 54 mm2.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −4 °C24 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
Baotou weather by month
- January−4 °C24 °F / −16 °C3 °F
- February1 °C34 °F / −11 °C11 °F
- March9 °C48 °F / −5 °C23 °F
- April18 °C65 °F / 2 °C35 °F
- May25 °C78 °F / 9 °C47 °F
- June30 °C86 °F / 15 °C59 °F
- July32 °C90 °F / 18 °C64 °F
- August30 °C86 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- September24 °C75 °F / 10 °C49 °F
- October15 °C60 °F / 1 °C34 °F
- November5 °C41 °F / −6 °C21 °F
- December−3 °C26 °F / −14 °C6 °F
What to pack for Baotou
- Winter (December–February) — highs −424 to 1 °C34 °F, lows −163 to −11 °C11 °F, about 3 mm0.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 948 to 25 °C78 °F, lows −523 to 9 °C47 °F, about 16 mm0.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3086 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1559 to 18 °C64 °F, about 67 mm2.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 541 to 24 °C75 °F, lows −621 to 10 °C49 °F, about 26 mm1.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Baotou compares
Compared with Hohhot, about 153 km to the east, Baotou is on average 1 °C1.8 °F warmer and receives 10% less precipitation (336 mm13 in vs 373 mm15 in). The difference is largest in June (1.4 °C2.5 °F warmer).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Baotou is the 467th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 510th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the China climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Kanggye (North Korea, Dwa), Manpo (North Korea, Dwa) and Sioux Falls (United States, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Salaqi 58 km · 9 °C48 °F · 378 mm15 in
- Dongsheng 94 km · 6 °C43 °F · 361 mm14 in
- Ordos 116 km · 2 °C36 °F · 387 mm15 in
- Hohhot 153 km · 7 °C45 °F · 373 mm15 in
- Bayan Nur 207 km · 9 °C48 °F · 169 mm6.6 in
- Shuozhou 265 km · 8 °C47 °F · 456 mm18 in
- Jining 278 km · 5 °C41 °F · 378 mm15 in
- Wuhai 279 km · 10 °C50 °F · 200 mm7.9 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Baotou?
July is the warmest month in Baotou, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
What is the coldest month in Baotou?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -4 °C (24 °F) and an average low of -16 °C (3 °F).
When does it rain the most in Baotou?
July is the wettest month with about 77 mm (3.0 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 2 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Baotou?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 1,169 m, while Baotou lies at about 1,064 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.7 °C1.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.