Harbin climate
Harbin (Heilongjiang, China) has a monsoon-influenced hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa). The average temperature over the year is 4 °C39 °F, and about 576 mm23 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Harbin climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −147 | −24−12 | −19−2 | 60.2 | 31 |
| Feb | −817 | −21−5 | −146 | 60.3 | 28 |
| Mar | 235 | −1014 | −425 | 130.5 | 30 |
| Apr | 1355 | 031 | 643 | 241.0 | 17 |
| May | 2171 | 846 | 1558 | 602.4 | 0 |
| Jun | 2781 | 1558 | 2169 | 1064.2 | 0 |
| Jul | 2984 | 1865 | 2374 | 1395.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 2780 | 1661 | 2271 | 1164.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 2171 | 948 | 1559 | 582.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 1152 | −131 | 542 | 240.9 | 17 |
| Nov | −129 | −1113 | −621 | 160.6 | 29 |
| Dec | −1210 | −21−6 | −172 | 90.4 | 31 |
| Year | 2984 | −24−12 | 439 | 57623 | 185 |
“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 | 88% | 46% | 2.1 | 9:03 |
| Feb | 84% | 45% | 3.2 | 10:18 |
| Mar | 69% | 50% | 4.2 | 11:46 |
| Apr | 57% | 58% | 4.9 | 13:28 |
| May | 58% | 63% | 5.5 | 14:54 |
| Jun | 65% | 64% | 5.6 | 15:42 |
| Jul | 72% | 67% | 5.2 | 15:22 |
| Aug | 74% | 63% | 4.7 | 14:07 |
| Sep | 68% | 49% | 4.3 | 12:28 |
| Oct | 68% | 45% | 3.0 | 10:50 |
| Nov | 75% | 49% | 1.9 | 9:24 |
| Dec | 86% | 46% | 1.6 | 8:41 |
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 Harbin is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 18 °C65 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −14 °C7 °F and lows −24 °C−12 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 42.5 °C76.4 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 576 mm23 in. 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: November–March. The wettest month is July (139 mm5.5 in), the driest is January (6 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 57% in April to 88% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 45%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in August to 14 km/h (9 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 8.7 hours in December to 15.7 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in November–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 18 cm).
Best time to visit Harbin
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and September: average highs of 21 °C71 °F to 21 °C71 °F with 58 mm2.3 in to 60 mm2.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −14 °C7 °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.
Harbin weather by month
- January−14 °C7 °F / −24 °C−12 °F
- February−8 °C17 °F / −21 °C−5 °F
- March2 °C35 °F / −10 °C14 °F
- April13 °C55 °F / 0 °C31 °F
- May21 °C71 °F / 8 °C46 °F
- June27 °C81 °F / 15 °C58 °F
- July29 °C84 °F / 18 °C65 °F
- August27 °C80 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- September21 °C71 °F / 9 °C48 °F
- October11 °C52 °F / −1 °C31 °F
- November−1 °C29 °F / −11 °C13 °F
- December−12 °C10 °F / −21 °C−6 °F
What to pack for Harbin
- Winter (December–February) — highs −147 to −8 °C17 °F, lows −24−12 to −21 °C−5 °F, about 7 mm0.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack heavy insulated clothing, thermal base layers, a warm hat, mittens and insulated boots and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 235 to 21 °C71 °F, lows −1014 to 8 °C46 °F, about 32 mm1.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2780 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 1558 to 18 °C65 °F, about 120 mm4.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs −129 to 21 °C71 °F, lows −1113 to 9 °C48 °F, about 32 mm1.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
How Harbin compares
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Harbin is the 521st warmest by annual mean temperature and the 422nd 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: Kyzyl (Russia, BSk), Ussuriysk (Russia, Dwa) and Khakasskaya (Abakan) (Russia, Dfb).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Hulan (pop. 109,104). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Harbin, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Acheng 33 km · 4 °C40 °F · 593 mm23 in
- Shuangcheng 49 km · 4 °C40 °F · 549 mm22 in
- Zhaodong 63 km · 4 °C39 °F · 537 mm21 in
- Suihua 103 km · 3 °C38 °F · 571 mm22 in
- Yushu 103 km · 5 °C40 °F · 576 mm23 in
- Zhaozhou 108 km · 5 °C41 °F · 487 mm19 in
- Shangzhi 122 km · 5 °C40 °F · 688 mm27 in
- Honggang 154 km · 4 °C40 °F · 481 mm19 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Harbin?
July is the warmest month in Harbin, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (65 °F).
What is the coldest month in Harbin?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -14 °C (7 °F) and an average low of -24 °C (-12 °F).
When does it rain the most in Harbin?
July is the wettest month with about 139 mm (5.5 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 6 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Harbin?
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.