Jinchang climate
Jinchang (Gansu, China) has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk). The average temperature over the year is 10 °C49 °F, and about 185 mm7.3 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Jinchang climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −229 | −1210 | −720 | 20.1 | 31 |
| Feb | 337 | −817 | −327 | 20.1 | 28 |
| Mar | 1050 | −327 | 439 | 40.2 | 22 |
| Apr | 1865 | 338 | 1152 | 90.3 | 6 |
| May | 2476 | 1049 | 1762 | 200.8 | 0 |
| Jun | 2985 | 1560 | 2272 | 251.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 3188 | 1864 | 2576 | 381.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 2984 | 1661 | 2373 | 391.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 2374 | 1151 | 1762 | 321.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 1661 | 338 | 949 | 110.4 | 4 |
| Nov | 744 | −425 | 135 | 30.1 | 24 |
| Dec | −131 | −1013 | −522 | 10.0 | 31 |
| Year | 3188 | −1210 | 1049 | 1857.3 | 145 |
“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 | 49% | 59% | 2.7 | 9:45 |
| Feb | 42% | 58% | 3.8 | 10:42 |
| Mar | 33% | 51% | 5.0 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 29% | 56% | 6.1 | 13:09 |
| May | 29% | 58% | 6.7 | 14:15 |
| Jun | 32% | 60% | 6.8 | 14:50 |
| Jul | 38% | 56% | 6.4 | 14:36 |
| Aug | 43% | 55% | 5.8 | 13:39 |
| Sep | 46% | 57% | 4.8 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 41% | 41% | 4.1 | 11:07 |
| Nov | 43% | 39% | 3.1 | 10:01 |
| Dec | 48% | 54% | 2.6 | 9:29 |
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 Jinchang is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 31 °C88 °F and a low of 18 °C64 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −2 °C29 °F and lows −12 °C10 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 31.5 °C56.7 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
It is dry, with about 185 mm7.3 in of precipitation per year. 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: October–April. The wettest month is August (39 mm1.5 in), the driest is December (1 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 29% in April to 49% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 39%) are typical of November. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (5 mph) in January to 12 km/h (7 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.8 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in January and February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 13 cm).
Best time to visit Jinchang
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 20 mm0.8 in to 39 mm1.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −2 °C29 °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 Jinchang
- Winter (December–February) — highs −229 to 3 °C37 °F, lows −1210 to −8 °C17 °F, about 2 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 1050 to 24 °C76 °F, lows −327 to 10 °C49 °F, about 11 mm0.4 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 1560 to 18 °C64 °F, about 34 mm1.3 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 744 to 23 °C74 °F, lows −425 to 11 °C51 °F, about 15 mm0.6 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 Jinchang compares
Compared with Wuwei, about 74 km to the southeast, Jinchang is on average 0.9 °C1.7 °F cooler and receives 36% less precipitation (185 mm7.3 in vs 289 mm11 in). The difference is largest in December (2.7 °C4.8 °F cooler).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Jinchang is the 442nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 530th 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: Astrakhan (Russia, BSk), Taldykorgan (Kazakhstan, BSk) and Atyrau (Kazakhstan, BSk).
Nearby places
- Wuwei 74 km · 10 °C51 °F · 289 mm11 in
- Zhangye 159 km · 11 °C51 °F · 173 mm6.8 in
- Qiaotou 180 km · 6 °C43 °F · 521 mm21 in
- Xining 212 km · 8 °C46 °F · 504 mm20 in
- Nianbo 226 km · 9 °C48 °F · 470 mm19 in
- Baiyin 279 km · 9 °C49 °F · 337 mm13 in
- Zhongwei 285 km · 11 °C53 °F · 225 mm8.8 in
- Lanzhou 308 km · 11 °C52 °F · 431 mm17 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Jinchang?
July is the warmest month in Jinchang, with an average high of 31 °C (88 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
What is the coldest month in Jinchang?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -2 °C (29 °F) and an average low of -12 °C (10 °F).
When does it rain the most in Jinchang?
August is the wettest month with about 39 mm (1.5 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 1 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Jinchang?
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 1,479 m, while Jinchang lies at about 1,553 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.5 °C0.9 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.