Jiuquan climate
Jiuquan (Gansu, China) has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 145 mm5.7 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Jiuquan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 134 | −916 | −425 | 20.1 |
| Feb | 541 | −522 | 032 | 10.1 |
| Mar | 1152 | 032 | 642 | 40.1 |
| Apr | 1865 | 542 | 1254 | 60.2 |
| May | 2475 | 1151 | 1763 | 140.6 |
| Jun | 2984 | 1661 | 2373 | 291.2 |
| Jul | 3188 | 1966 | 2577 | 351.4 |
| Aug | 2985 | 1763 | 2374 | 251.0 |
| Sep | 2475 | 1254 | 1864 | 190.7 |
| Oct | 1762 | 541 | 1152 | 50.2 |
| Nov | 948 | −130 | 439 | 20.1 |
| Dec | 337 | −720 | −228 | 30.1 |
| Year | 3188 | −916 | 1152 | 1455.7 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42% | 70% | 2.6 | 9:39 |
| Feb | 38% | 71% | 3.5 | 10:38 |
| Mar | 32% | 66% | 4.7 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 29% | 68% | 5.8 | 13:12 |
| May | 31% | 70% | 6.4 | 14:21 |
| Jun | 35% | 70% | 6.4 | 14:58 |
| Jul | 41% | 68% | 6.2 | 14:43 |
| Aug | 43% | 64% | 5.7 | 13:43 |
| Sep | 43% | 60% | 5.0 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 35% | 49% | 4.2 | 11:04 |
| Nov | 36% | 57% | 3.0 | 9:55 |
| Dec | 40% | 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 Jiuquan is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 31 °C88 °F and a low of 19 °C66 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 1 °C34 °F and lows −9 °C16 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 28.5 °C51.4 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is very dry, with only 145 mm5.7 in of precipitation in an average 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: September–May. The wettest month is July (35 mm1.4 in), the driest is February (1 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 29% in April to 43% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 49%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in January to 10 km/h (6 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.4 hours in December to 15.0 hours in June.
Best time to visit Jiuquan
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–June and August and September: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 6 mm0.2 in to 29 mm1.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 1 °C34 °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 Jiuquan
- Winter (December–February) — highs 134 to 5 °C41 °F, lows −916 to −5 °C22 °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 1152 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 032 to 11 °C51 °F, about 8 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 1661 to 19 °C66 °F, about 30 mm1.2 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 948 to 24 °C75 °F, lows −130 to 12 °C54 °F, about 9 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.
How Jiuquan compares
Compared with Zhangye, about 189 km to the southeast, Jiuquan is on average 0.5 °C0.8 °F warmer and receives 16% less precipitation (145 mm5.7 in vs 173 mm6.8 in). The difference is largest in December (1.3 °C2.4 °F warmer).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Jiuquan is the 415th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 534th 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), Zhanaozen (Kazakhstan, BWk) and Colorado Springs (United States, BSk).
Nearby places
- Jiayuguan 21 km · 9 °C49 °F · 111 mm4.4 in
- Zhangye 189 km · 11 °C51 °F · 173 mm6.8 in
- Dunhuang 330 km · 13 °C56 °F · 49 mm1.9 in
- Jinchang 346 km · 10 °C49 °F · 185 mm7.3 in
- Wuwei 410 km · 10 °C51 °F · 289 mm11 in
- Qiaotou 416 km · 6 °C43 °F · 521 mm21 in
- Xining 448 km · 8 °C46 °F · 504 mm20 in
- Nianbo 498 km · 9 °C48 °F · 470 mm19 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Jiuquan?
July is the warmest month in Jiuquan, with an average high of 31 °C (88 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (66 °F).
What is the coldest month in Jiuquan?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 1 °C (34 °F) and an average low of -9 °C (16 °F).
When does it rain the most in Jiuquan?
July is the wettest month with about 35 mm (1.4 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 1 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Jiuquan?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–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 2,129 m, while Jiuquan lies at about 1,464 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +4.3 °C7.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.