Shangri-La climate
Shangri-La (Yunnan, China) has a monsoon-influenced warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwb). The average temperature over the year is 8 °C46 °F, and about 768 mm30 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Shangri-La climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 642 | −818 | −130 | 60.2 |
| Feb | 846 | −522 | 134 | 110.4 |
| Mar | 1151 | −326 | 439 | 271.1 |
| Apr | 1559 | 032 | 745 | 421.7 |
| May | 1966 | 440 | 1253 | 582.3 |
| Jun | 2170 | 847 | 1558 | 1084.3 |
| Jul | 2068 | 1049 | 1559 | 1917.5 |
| Aug | 1967 | 949 | 1458 | 1626.4 |
| Sep | 1864 | 745 | 1254 | 1004.0 |
| Oct | 1458 | 236 | 847 | 491.9 |
| Nov | 1050 | −326 | 338 | 90.4 |
| Dec | 745 | −621 | 033 | 30.1 |
| Year | 2170 | −818 | 846 | 76830 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68% | 44% | 4.0 | 10:33 |
| Feb | 67% | 56% | 4.3 | 11:11 |
| Mar | 67% | 69% | 4.5 | 11:56 |
| Apr | 67% | 78% | 4.6 | 12:48 |
| May | 66% | 79% | 5.0 | 13:31 |
| Jun | 72% | 87% | 4.7 | 13:54 |
| Jul | 79% | 94% | 4.3 | 13:44 |
| Aug | 81% | 90% | 4.5 | 13:07 |
| Sep | 82% | 87% | 4.0 | 12:17 |
| Oct | 78% | 64% | 4.1 | 11:27 |
| Nov | 72% | 41% | 4.2 | 10:44 |
| Dec | 69% | 35% | 4.0 | 10:23 |
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 Shangri-La is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 20 °C68 °F and a low of 10 °C49 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 6 °C42 °F and lows −8 °C18 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 15.8 °C28.4 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 768 mm30 in. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 60% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–February. The wettest month is July (191 mm7.5 in), the driest is December (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 66% in May to 82% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 35%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in August to 10 km/h (6 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 10.4 hours in December to 13.9 hours in June.
Best time to visit Shangri-La
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 21 °C70 °F with 58 mm2.3 in to 108 mm4.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 6 °C42 °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 Shangri-La
- Winter (December–February) — highs 642 to 8 °C46 °F, lows −818 to −5 °C22 °F, about 7 mm0.3 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 1151 to 19 °C66 °F, lows −326 to 4 °C40 °F, about 42 mm1.7 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 1967 to 21 °C70 °F, lows 847 to 10 °C49 °F, about 154 mm6.1 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 1050 to 18 °C64 °F, lows −326 to 7 °C45 °F, about 53 mm2.1 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 Shangri-La compares
Compared with Lijiang, about 118 km to the southeast, Shangri-La is on average 5.3 °C9.5 °F cooler and receives 19% less precipitation (768 mm30 in vs 953 mm38 in). The difference is largest in March (5.9 °C10.6 °F cooler).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Shangri-La is the 479th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 318th 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: Wałbrzych (Poland, Dfb), Augsburg (Germany, Dfb) and Jönköping (Sweden, Dfb).
Nearby places
- Lijiang 118 km · 13 °C55 °F · 953 mm38 in
- Lushui 238 km · 22 °C72 °F · 1,007 mm40 in
- Panzhihua 242 km · 22 °C71 °F · 969 mm38 in
- Xichang 251 km · 17 °C63 °F · 999 mm39 in
- Dali 254 km · 15 °C60 °F · 905 mm36 in
- Xiangcheng 276 km · 16 °C60 °F · 841 mm33 in
- Baoshan 306 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,053 mm41 in
- Kangding 326 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,016 mm40 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Shangri-La?
July is the warmest month in Shangri-La, with an average high of 20 °C (68 °F) and an average low of 10 °C (49 °F).
What is the coldest month in Shangri-La?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 6 °C (42 °F) and an average low of -8 °C (18 °F).
When does it rain the most in Shangri-La?
July is the wettest month with about 191 mm (7.5 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Shangri-La?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and June.
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 3,552 m, while Shangri-La lies at about 3,283 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.7 °C3.1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.