Dandong climate
Dandong (Liaoning, China) has a monsoon-influenced hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa). The average temperature over the year is 9 °C49 °F, and about 1,014 mm40 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Dandong climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −327 | −138 | −818 | 60.2 | 31 |
| Feb | 134 | −1015 | −424 | 180.7 | 28 |
| Mar | 745 | −326 | 235 | 200.8 | 27 |
| Apr | 1558 | 337 | 948 | 552.2 | 6 |
| May | 2271 | 1050 | 1660 | 853.3 | 0 |
| Jun | 2679 | 1661 | 2170 | 1164.6 | 0 |
| Jul | 2882 | 2068 | 2475 | 26110 | 0 |
| Aug | 2882 | 2069 | 2475 | 2529.9 | 0 |
| Sep | 2475 | 1558 | 1967 | 873.4 | 0 |
| Oct | 1763 | 644 | 1253 | 542.1 | 3 |
| Nov | 745 | −229 | 337 | 461.8 | 21 |
| Dec | −130 | −1013 | −622 | 130.5 | 30 |
| Year | 2882 | −138 | 949 | 1,01440 | 146 |
“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 | 76% | 41% | 2.3 | 9:37 |
| Feb | 72% | 46% | 3.0 | 10:37 |
| Mar | 69% | 48% | 4.2 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 68% | 56% | 4.9 | 13:13 |
| May | 70% | 60% | 5.5 | 14:23 |
| Jun | 74% | 70% | 4.9 | 15:01 |
| Jul | 82% | 78% | 4.2 | 14:45 |
| Aug | 83% | 67% | 4.4 | 13:45 |
| Sep | 77% | 55% | 4.3 | 12:24 |
| Oct | 74% | 47% | 3.3 | 11:03 |
| Nov | 74% | 50% | 2.3 | 9:54 |
| Dec | 76% | 43% | 2.0 | 9:20 |
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 Dandong is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 28 °C82 °F and a low of 20 °C69 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −3 °C27 °F and lows −13 °C8 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 32.1 °C57.9 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
It is wet, with about 1,014 mm40 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 62% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December–February. The wettest month is July (261 mm10 in), the driest is January (6 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 68% in April to 83% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 41%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in September to 12 km/h (8 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.0 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 January, about 17 cm).
Best time to visit Dandong
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and September: average highs of 22 °C71 °F to 24 °C75 °F with 85 mm3.3 in to 87 mm3.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −3 °C27 °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.
What to pack for Dandong
- Winter (December–February) — highs −327 to 1 °C34 °F, lows −138 to −10 °C15 °F, about 13 mm0.5 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 745 to 22 °C71 °F, lows −326 to 10 °C50 °F, about 53 mm2.1 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 2679 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 1661 to 20 °C69 °F, about 210 mm8.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 745 to 24 °C75 °F, lows −229 to 15 °C58 °F, about 62 mm2.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Dandong compares
Compared with Benxi, about 139 km to the north, Dandong is on average 1.9 °C3.5 °F warmer and receives 31% more precipitation (1,014 mm40 in vs 776 mm31 in). The difference is largest in January (4.2 °C7.6 °F warmer).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Dandong is the 447th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 252nd 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: Tokchon (North Korea, Dwa), Sunchon (North Korea, Dwa) and Pyongyang (North Korea, Dwa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Sinŭiju (pop. 288,112). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Dandong, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Fengcheng 45 km · 8 °C47 °F · 1,006 mm40 in
- Zhuanghe 129 km · 11 °C52 °F · 835 mm33 in
- Benxi 139 km · 7 °C45 °F · 776 mm31 in
- Sunchon 153 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,065 mm42 in
- Haicheng 161 km · 9 °C48 °F · 651 mm26 in
- Anshan 162 km · 9 °C48 °F · 741 mm29 in
- Liaoyang 164 km · 9 °C48 °F · 676 mm27 in
- Tokchon 164 km · 9 °C49 °F · 1,050 mm41 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Dandong?
August is the warmest month in Dandong, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (69 °F).
What is the coldest month in Dandong?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -3 °C (27 °F) and an average low of -13 °C (8 °F).
When does it rain the most in Dandong?
July is the wettest month with about 261 mm (10.3 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 6 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Dandong?
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 78 m, while Dandong lies at about 10 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.