Lanzhou climate
Lanzhou (Gansu, China) has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 431 mm17 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Lanzhou climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 338 | −817 | −228 | 40.1 |
| Feb | 745 | −523 | 134 | 60.2 |
| Mar | 1356 | −131 | 643 | 110.4 |
| Apr | 2068 | 440 | 1254 | 251.0 |
| May | 2577 | 1050 | 1763 | 522.1 |
| Jun | 2984 | 1559 | 2271 | 642.5 |
| Jul | 3188 | 1762 | 2475 | 833.3 |
| Aug | 2985 | 1661 | 2373 | 863.4 |
| Sep | 2475 | 1152 | 1864 | 612.4 |
| Oct | 1865 | 541 | 1153 | 301.2 |
| Nov | 1151 | −229 | 440 | 80.3 |
| Dec | 440 | −719 | −130 | 20.1 |
| Year | 3188 | −817 | 1152 | 43117 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60% | 48% | 2.9 | 9:58 |
| Feb | 57% | 54% | 3.8 | 10:49 |
| Mar | 51% | 58% | 4.8 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 47% | 62% | 5.6 | 13:04 |
| May | 49% | 67% | 6.0 | 14:04 |
| Jun | 53% | 69% | 6.0 | 14:36 |
| Jul | 58% | 63% | 5.8 | 14:23 |
| Aug | 62% | 63% | 5.3 | 13:31 |
| Sep | 66% | 67% | 4.2 | 12:21 |
| Oct | 63% | 55% | 3.8 | 11:12 |
| Nov | 58% | 41% | 3.2 | 10:12 |
| Dec | 59% | 39% | 2.8 | 9:43 |
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 Lanzhou is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 31 °C88 °F and a low of 17 °C62 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 3 °C38 °F and lows −8 °C17 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 26.4 °C47.5 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 431 mm17 in. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 54% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is August (86 mm3.4 in), the driest is December (2 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 47% in April to 66% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 39%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in November to 9 km/h (6 mph) in May. Daylight lasts from about 9.7 hours in December to 14.6 hours in June.
Best time to visit Lanzhou
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–June and September: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 25 mm1.0 in to 64 mm2.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 3 °C38 °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.
Lanzhou weather by month
- January3 °C38 °F / −8 °C17 °F
- February7 °C45 °F / −5 °C23 °F
- March13 °C56 °F / −1 °C31 °F
- April20 °C68 °F / 4 °C40 °F
- May25 °C77 °F / 10 °C50 °F
- June29 °C84 °F / 15 °C59 °F
- July31 °C88 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- August29 °C85 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- September24 °C75 °F / 11 °C52 °F
- October18 °C65 °F / 5 °C41 °F
- November11 °C51 °F / −2 °C29 °F
- December4 °C40 °F / −7 °C19 °F
What to pack for Lanzhou
- Winter (December–February) — highs 338 to 7 °C45 °F, lows −817 to −5 °C23 °F, about 4 mm0.1 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.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1356 to 25 °C77 °F, lows −131 to 10 °C50 °F, about 29 mm1.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2984 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 1559 to 17 °C62 °F, about 78 mm3.1 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 1151 to 24 °C75 °F, lows −229 to 11 °C52 °F, about 33 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 Lanzhou compares
Compared with Wuzhong, about 300 km to the northeast, Lanzhou has practically the same average temperature and receives 88% more precipitation (431 mm17 in vs 229 mm9.0 in). The difference is largest in December (3.1 °C5.5 °F warmer).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Lanzhou is the 408th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 494th 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: Colorado Springs (United States, BSk), Pueblo (United States, BSk) and Lakewood (United States, Cfa).
Nearby places
- Baiyin 62 km · 9 °C49 °F · 337 mm13 in
- Linxia Chengguanzhen 76 km · 10 °C50 °F · 532 mm21 in
- Dingxi 89 km · 9 °C48 °F · 496 mm20 in
- Nianbo 136 km · 9 °C48 °F · 470 mm19 in
- Tongren 175 km · 8 °C46 °F · 549 mm22 in
- Xining 197 km · 8 °C46 °F · 504 mm20 in
- Zhongwei 202 km · 11 °C53 °F · 225 mm8.8 in
- Qiaotou 217 km · 6 °C43 °F · 521 mm21 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Lanzhou?
July is the warmest month in Lanzhou, with an average high of 31 °C (88 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (62 °F).
What is the coldest month in Lanzhou?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 3 °C (38 °F) and an average low of -8 °C (17 °F).
When does it rain the most in Lanzhou?
August is the wettest month with about 86 mm (3.4 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 2 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Lanzhou?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–June 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 2,068 m, while Lanzhou lies at about 1,521 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +3.6 °C6.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.