Jiayuguan climate
Jiayuguan (Gansu, China) has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk). The average temperature over the year is 9 °C49 °F, and about 111 mm4.4 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Jiayuguan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −327 | −1210 | −818 | 20.1 | 31 |
| Feb | 235 | −916 | −326 | 10.1 | 28 |
| Mar | 949 | −326 | 338 | 40.1 | 22 |
| Apr | 1864 | 338 | 1051 | 50.2 | 6 |
| May | 2474 | 1049 | 1762 | 110.4 | 0 |
| Jun | 2984 | 1660 | 2272 | 240.9 | 0 |
| Jul | 3188 | 1865 | 2576 | 240.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 2985 | 1661 | 2373 | 170.7 | 0 |
| Sep | 2374 | 1051 | 1762 | 130.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 1559 | 337 | 948 | 40.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 643 | −425 | 134 | 20.1 | 23 |
| Dec | −130 | −1013 | −622 | 30.1 | 31 |
| Year | 3188 | −1210 | 949 | 1114.4 | 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 | 45% | 70% | 2.6 | 9:38 |
| Feb | 38% | 71% | 3.5 | 10:38 |
| Mar | 29% | 66% | 4.7 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 25% | 68% | 5.8 | 13:12 |
| May | 25% | 70% | 6.4 | 14:21 |
| Jun | 28% | 70% | 6.4 | 14:58 |
| Jul | 32% | 68% | 6.2 | 14:43 |
| Aug | 33% | 64% | 5.7 | 13:43 |
| Sep | 34% | 60% | 5.0 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 30% | 49% | 4.2 | 11:04 |
| Nov | 35% | 57% | 3.0 | 9:55 |
| Dec | 43% | 69% | 2.3 | 9:22 |
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 Jiayuguan is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 31 °C88 °F and a low of 18 °C65 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −3 °C27 °F and lows −12 °C10 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 32.3 °C58.1 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
It is very dry, with only 111 mm4.4 in of precipitation in an average year. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 59% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: August–May. The wettest month is June (24 mm0.9 in), the driest is February (1 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 25% in May to 45% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 49%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (5 mph) in January to 13 km/h (8 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.4 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 14 cm).
Best time to visit Jiayuguan
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 °C74 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 11 mm0.4 in to 24 mm0.9 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 Jiayuguan
- Winter (December–February) — highs −327 to 2 °C35 °F, lows −1210 to −9 °C16 °F, about 2 mm0.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 949 to 24 °C74 °F, lows −326 to 10 °C49 °F, about 7 mm0.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2984 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 1660 to 18 °C65 °F, about 22 mm0.9 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 643 to 23 °C74 °F, lows −425 to 10 °C51 °F, about 6 mm0.2 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 Jiayuguan compares
Compared with Jiuquan, about 21 km to the east, Jiayuguan is on average 1.8 °C3.3 °F cooler and receives 24% less precipitation (111 mm4.4 in vs 145 mm5.7 in). The difference is largest in January (3.8 °C6.8 °F cooler).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Jiayuguan is the 450th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 540th 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: Atyrau (Kazakhstan, BSk), Astrakhan (Russia, BSk) and Taldykorgan (Kazakhstan, BSk).
Nearby places
- Jiuquan 21 km · 11 °C52 °F · 145 mm5.7 in
- Zhangye 210 km · 11 °C51 °F · 173 mm6.8 in
- Dunhuang 309 km · 13 °C56 °F · 49 mm1.9 in
- Jinchang 367 km · 10 °C49 °F · 185 mm7.3 in
- Wuwei 431 km · 10 °C51 °F · 289 mm11 in
- Qiaotou 435 km · 6 °C43 °F · 521 mm21 in
- Xining 466 km · 8 °C46 °F · 504 mm20 in
- Nianbo 517 km · 9 °C48 °F · 470 mm19 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Jiayuguan?
July is the warmest month in Jiayuguan, with an average high of 31 °C (88 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (65 °F).
What is the coldest month in Jiayuguan?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -3 °C (27 °F) and an average low of -12 °C (10 °F).
When does it rain the most in Jiayuguan?
June is the wettest month with about 24 mm (0.9 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 1 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Jiayuguan?
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 1,562 m, while Jiayuguan lies at about 1,635 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.5 °C0.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.