Qiaotou climate
Qiaotou (Qinghai, China) has a monsoon-influenced warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwb). The average temperature over the year is 6 °C43 °F, and about 521 mm21 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Qiaotou climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 133 | −138 | −621 | 20.1 |
| Feb | 440 | −1014 | −327 | 30.1 |
| Mar | 948 | −523 | 236 | 90.4 |
| Apr | 1559 | 032 | 745 | 230.9 |
| May | 1967 | 439 | 1253 | 602.4 |
| Jun | 2373 | 847 | 1660 | 843.3 |
| Jul | 2476 | 1151 | 1864 | 1074.2 |
| Aug | 2373 | 1050 | 1762 | 1144.5 |
| Sep | 1865 | 642 | 1254 | 873.4 |
| Oct | 1355 | 032 | 643 | 261.0 |
| Nov | 744 | −621 | 032 | 60.2 |
| Dec | 235 | −1210 | −523 | 20.1 |
| Year | 2476 | −138 | 643 | 52121 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57% | 48% | 3.1 | 9:53 |
| Feb | 55% | 54% | 4.0 | 10:47 |
| Mar | 49% | 60% | 5.0 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 48% | 64% | 5.8 | 13:06 |
| May | 52% | 70% | 6.0 | 14:08 |
| Jun | 58% | 73% | 5.9 | 14:41 |
| Jul | 65% | 67% | 5.7 | 14:27 |
| Aug | 69% | 68% | 5.3 | 13:34 |
| Sep | 71% | 71% | 4.3 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 64% | 59% | 3.9 | 11:10 |
| Nov | 57% | 44% | 3.3 | 10:08 |
| Dec | 56% | 41% | 2.9 | 9:38 |
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 Qiaotou is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 24 °C76 °F and a low of 11 °C51 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 1 °C33 °F and lows −13 °C8 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 23.7 °C42.7 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 521 mm21 in. 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: November–March. The wettest month is August (114 mm4.5 in), the driest is December (2 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 48% in April to 71% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 41%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in October to 8 km/h (5 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.6 hours in December to 14.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Qiaotou
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–July: average highs of 19 °C67 °F to 24 °C76 °F with 60 mm2.4 in to 107 mm4.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 1 °C33 °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 Qiaotou
- Winter (December–February) — highs 133 to 4 °C40 °F, lows −138 to −10 °C14 °F, about 3 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 948 to 19 °C67 °F, lows −523 to 4 °C39 °F, about 30 mm1.2 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 2373 to 24 °C76 °F, lows 847 to 11 °C51 °F, about 101 mm4.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 744 to 18 °C65 °F, lows −621 to 6 °C42 °F, about 39 mm1.5 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.
How Qiaotou compares
Compared with Xining, about 35 km to the south, Qiaotou is on average 1.5 °C2.7 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in May (1.8 °C3.2 °F cooler).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Qiaotou is the 488th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 462nd 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: Calgary (Canada, Dfb), Lethbridge (Canada, Dfb) and Red Deer (Canada, Dfb).
Nearby places
- Xining 35 km · 8 °C46 °F · 504 mm20 in
- Nianbo 83 km · 9 °C48 °F · 470 mm19 in
- Wuwei 139 km · 10 °C51 °F · 289 mm11 in
- Tongren 161 km · 8 °C46 °F · 549 mm22 in
- Jinchang 180 km · 10 °C49 °F · 185 mm7.3 in
- Linxia Chengguanzhen 202 km · 10 °C50 °F · 532 mm21 in
- Lanzhou 217 km · 11 °C52 °F · 431 mm17 in
- Baiyin 227 km · 9 °C49 °F · 337 mm13 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Qiaotou?
July is the warmest month in Qiaotou, with an average high of 24 °C (76 °F) and an average low of 11 °C (51 °F).
What is the coldest month in Qiaotou?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 1 °C (33 °F) and an average low of -13 °C (8 °F).
When does it rain the most in Qiaotou?
August is the wettest month with about 114 mm (4.5 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 2 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Qiaotou?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–July.
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 2,976 m, while Qiaotou lies at about 2,487 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +3.2 °C5.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.