Dali climate
Dali (Yunnan, China) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 15 °C60 °F, and about 905 mm36 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Dali climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1558 | 134 | 846 | 230.9 | 10 |
| Feb | 1763 | 338 | 1050 | 180.7 | 2 |
| Mar | 2169 | 644 | 1456 | 190.7 | 0 |
| Apr | 2374 | 1050 | 1762 | 361.4 | 0 |
| May | 2678 | 1355 | 1967 | 843.3 | 0 |
| Jun | 2679 | 1560 | 2169 | 1104.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 2577 | 1660 | 2069 | 1847.2 | 0 |
| Aug | 2576 | 1660 | 2068 | 1957.7 | 0 |
| Sep | 2374 | 1458 | 1966 | 1285.0 | 0 |
| Oct | 2169 | 1152 | 1660 | 853.3 | 0 |
| Nov | 1864 | 643 | 1253 | 130.5 | 0 |
| Dec | 1559 | 337 | 948 | 100.4 | 4 |
| Year | 2679 | 134 | 1560 | 90536 | 16 |
“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 | 66% | 28% | 4.3 | 10:42 |
| Feb | 60% | 31% | 5.1 | 11:16 |
| Mar | 56% | 41% | 5.5 | 11:57 |
| Apr | 58% | 55% | 5.7 | 12:44 |
| May | 63% | 65% | 5.5 | 13:23 |
| Jun | 73% | 83% | 5.1 | 13:43 |
| Jul | 79% | 91% | 4.4 | 13:35 |
| Aug | 81% | 85% | 4.5 | 13:02 |
| Sep | 82% | 78% | 4.2 | 12:16 |
| Oct | 81% | 62% | 4.0 | 11:30 |
| Nov | 76% | 34% | 4.3 | 10:51 |
| Dec | 73% | 29% | 4.0 | 10:33 |
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 Dali is like
The warmest month is June, with an average high of 26 °C79 °F and a low of 15 °C60 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 15 °C58 °F and lows 1 °C34 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 13 °C23.4 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 905 mm36 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 56% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: February and March and November and December. The wettest month is August (195 mm7.7 in), the driest is December (10 mm0.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 56% in March to 82% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 28%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 2 km/h (1 mph) in August to 3 km/h (2 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 10.5 hours in December to 13.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Dali
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–May and October: average highs of 21 °C69 °F to 26 °C78 °F with 19 mm0.7 in to 85 mm3.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is very wet (184 mm7.2 in) and humid (79% relative humidity).
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.
What to pack for Dali
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1558 to 17 °C63 °F, lows 134 to 3 °C38 °F, about 17 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 2169 to 26 °C78 °F, lows 644 to 13 °C55 °F, about 46 mm1.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2576 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 1560 to 16 °C60 °F, about 163 mm6.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1864 to 23 °C74 °F, lows 643 to 14 °C58 °F, about 75 mm3.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
How Dali compares
Compared with Baoshan, about 118 km to the southwest, Dali is on average 1.9 °C3.3 °F cooler and receives 14% less precipitation (905 mm36 in vs 1,053 mm41 in). The difference is largest in March (2.3 °C4.2 °F cooler).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Dali is the 290th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 273rd 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 (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Queenstown (South Africa, Cfb), Maseru (Lesotho, Cwa) and Ermelo (South Africa, Cwb).
Nearby places
- Xiangcheng 38 km · 16 °C60 °F · 841 mm33 in
- Baoshan 118 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,053 mm41 in
- Lushui 138 km · 22 °C72 °F · 1,007 mm40 in
- Lijiang 143 km · 13 °C55 °F · 953 mm38 in
- Chuxiong 147 km · 17 °C63 °F · 823 mm32 in
- Jianshui 178 km · 16 °C61 °F · 832 mm33 in
- Tengyue 183 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,111 mm44 in
- Panzhihua 187 km · 22 °C71 °F · 969 mm38 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Dali?
June is the warmest month in Dali, with an average high of 26 °C (79 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (60 °F).
What is the coldest month in Dali?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 15 °C (58 °F) and an average low of 1 °C (34 °F).
When does it rain the most in Dali?
August is the wettest month with about 195 mm (7.7 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 10 mm (0.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Dali?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March–May and October.
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 2,143 m, while Dali lies at about 1,977 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.1 °C1.9 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.