Datong climate
Datong (Shanxi, China) has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The average temperature over the year is 8 °C46 °F, and about 431 mm17 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Datong climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −326 | −163 | −1014 | 30.1 | 31 |
| Feb | 135 | −1211 | −523 | 50.2 | 28 |
| Mar | 948 | −522 | 235 | 90.4 | 30 |
| Apr | 1763 | 133 | 948 | 220.9 | 16 |
| May | 2576 | 846 | 1661 | 361.4 | 2 |
| Jun | 2984 | 1457 | 2170 | 622.4 | 0 |
| Jul | 3087 | 1762 | 2475 | 1034.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 2883 | 1559 | 2271 | 883.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 2373 | 948 | 1660 | 652.6 | 0 |
| Oct | 1559 | 134 | 846 | 261.0 | 15 |
| Nov | 541 | −620 | −131 | 100.4 | 29 |
| Dec | −327 | −146 | −817 | 30.1 | 31 |
| Year | 3087 | −163 | 846 | 43117 | 183 |
“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 | 67% | 46% | 2.6 | 9:37 |
| Feb | 57% | 48% | 3.5 | 10:37 |
| Mar | 47% | 45% | 4.9 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 43% | 51% | 5.9 | 13:13 |
| May | 41% | 53% | 6.5 | 14:23 |
| Jun | 49% | 61% | 6.1 | 15:00 |
| Jul | 59% | 59% | 5.8 | 14:45 |
| Aug | 63% | 54% | 5.5 | 13:44 |
| Sep | 61% | 51% | 4.7 | 12:24 |
| Oct | 61% | 38% | 3.8 | 11:03 |
| Nov | 62% | 37% | 2.8 | 9:54 |
| Dec | 66% | 41% | 2.3 | 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 Datong is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 30 °C87 °F and a low of 17 °C62 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −3 °C26 °F and lows −16 °C3 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 33.4 °C60.2 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 431 mm17 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 59% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is July (103 mm4.1 in), the driest is January (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 41% in May to 67% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 37%) are typical of November. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in August to 13 km/h (8 mph) in April. 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 February, about 16 cm).
Best time to visit Datong
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June and August and September: average highs of 23 °C73 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 36 mm1.4 in to 88 mm3.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −3 °C26 °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.
Datong weather by month
- January−3 °C26 °F / −16 °C3 °F
- February1 °C35 °F / −12 °C11 °F
- March9 °C48 °F / −5 °C22 °F
- April17 °C63 °F / 1 °C33 °F
- May25 °C76 °F / 8 °C46 °F
- June29 °C84 °F / 14 °C57 °F
- July30 °C87 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- August28 °C83 °F / 15 °C59 °F
- September23 °C73 °F / 9 °C48 °F
- October15 °C59 °F / 1 °C34 °F
- November5 °C41 °F / −6 °C20 °F
- December−3 °C27 °F / −14 °C6 °F
What to pack for Datong
- Winter (December–February) — highs −326 to 1 °C35 °F, lows −163 to −12 °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 °C76 °F, lows −522 to 8 °C46 °F, about 23 mm0.9 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 2883 to 30 °C87 °F, lows 1457 to 17 °C62 °F, about 84 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 541 to 23 °C73 °F, lows −620 to 9 °C48 °F, about 34 mm1.3 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 Datong compares
Compared with Hohhot, about 160 km to the northwest, Datong is on average 0.4 °C0.8 °F warmer and receives 16% more precipitation (431 mm17 in vs 373 mm15 in). The difference is largest in February (1.1 °C2 °F warmer).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Datong is the 475th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 493rd 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
- Ulanqab 101 km · 5 °C41 °F · 378 mm15 in
- Jining 105 km · 5 °C41 °F · 378 mm15 in
- Shuozhou 114 km · 8 °C47 °F · 456 mm18 in
- Zhangjiakou 154 km · 8 °C47 °F · 411 mm16 in
- Hohhot 160 km · 7 °C45 °F · 373 mm15 in
- Xuanhua 161 km · 10 °C49 °F · 439 mm17 in
- Xinzhou 193 km · 11 °C52 °F · 481 mm19 in
- Dingzhou 228 km · 14 °C57 °F · 524 mm21 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Datong?
July is the warmest month in Datong, with an average high of 30 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (62 °F).
What is the coldest month in Datong?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -3 °C (26 °F) and an average low of -16 °C (3 °F).
When does it rain the most in Datong?
July is the wettest month with about 103 mm (4.1 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Datong?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and June and August 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 1,245 m, while Datong lies at about 1,054 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.2 °C2.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.