Shanhaiguan climate
Shanhaiguan (Hebei, China) has a monsoon-influenced hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 611 mm24 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Shanhaiguan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −130 | −720 | −425 | 30.1 | 31 |
| Feb | 134 | −523 | −229 | 60.2 | 27 |
| Mar | 744 | −131 | 337 | 110.4 | 18 |
| Apr | 1457 | 541 | 949 | 281.1 | 1 |
| May | 2069 | 1254 | 1661 | 512.0 | 0 |
| Jun | 2576 | 1864 | 2170 | 923.6 | 0 |
| Jul | 2882 | 2272 | 2577 | 1415.6 | 0 |
| Aug | 2882 | 2272 | 2577 | 1656.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 2476 | 1864 | 2170 | 572.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 1864 | 1151 | 1457 | 351.4 | 0 |
| Nov | 948 | 337 | 642 | 170.7 | 7 |
| Dec | 134 | −425 | −130 | 50.2 | 28 |
| Year | 2882 | −720 | 1152 | 61124 | 111 |
“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 | 63% | 34% | 2.6 | 9:37 |
| Feb | 64% | 39% | 3.4 | 10:38 |
| Mar | 62% | 41% | 4.7 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 61% | 51% | 5.4 | 13:13 |
| May | 63% | 54% | 6.0 | 14:22 |
| Jun | 73% | 66% | 5.4 | 14:00 |
| Jul | 79% | 67% | 4.9 | 14:44 |
| Aug | 77% | 61% | 4.9 | 13:44 |
| Sep | 69% | 50% | 4.5 | 12:24 |
| Oct | 65% | 39% | 3.5 | 11:04 |
| Nov | 63% | 38% | 2.6 | 9:54 |
| Dec | 63% | 33% | 2.3 | 9:20 |
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 Shanhaiguan is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 28 °C82 °F and a low of 22 °C72 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −1 °C30 °F and lows −7 °C20 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 28.8 °C51.8 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 611 mm24 in. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 65% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is August (165 mm6.5 in), the driest is January (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 61% in April to 79% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 33%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in July to 16 km/h (10 mph) in November. Daylight lasts from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.0 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 14 cm).
Best time to visit Shanhaiguan
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June and September: average highs of 20 °C69 °F to 25 °C76 °F with 51 mm2.0 in to 92 mm3.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −1 °C30 °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 Shanhaiguan
- Winter (December–February) — highs −130 to 1 °C34 °F, lows −720 to −4 °C25 °F, about 5 mm0.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 744 to 20 °C69 °F, lows −131 to 12 °C54 °F, about 30 mm1.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2576 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 1864 to 22 °C72 °F, about 133 mm5.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 948 to 24 °C76 °F, lows 337 to 18 °C64 °F, about 36 mm1.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Shanhaiguan compares
Compared with Qinhuangdao, about 16 km to the southwest, Shanhaiguan has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in May (2.3 °C4.1 °F cooler).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Shanhaiguan is the 413th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 394th 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: Changam-chon (North Korea, Dwa), Nampo (North Korea, Dwa) and Mangyongdae-ri (North Korea, Dwa).
Nearby places
- Qinhuangdao 16 km · 11 °C52 °F · 621 mm24 in
- Linxi 116 km · 11 °C52 °F · 597 mm24 in
- Huludao 124 km · 10 °C51 °F · 513 mm20 in
- Tangshan 140 km · 12 °C53 °F · 577 mm23 in
- Lingyuan 141 km · 9 °C48 °F · 511 mm20 in
- Nanpiao 148 km · 10 °C50 °F · 513 mm20 in
- Jinzhou 170 km · 10 °C50 °F · 555 mm22 in
- Chaoyang 184 km · 9 °C49 °F · 478 mm19 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Shanhaiguan?
August is the warmest month in Shanhaiguan, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (72 °F).
What is the coldest month in Shanhaiguan?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -1 °C (30 °F) and an average low of -7 °C (20 °F).
When does it rain the most in Shanhaiguan?
August is the wettest month with about 165 mm (6.5 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Shanhaiguan?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and 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.