Shuozhou climate

What the climate of Shuozhou is like

The warmest month is July, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 17 °C62 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −3 °C27 °F and lows −15 °C5 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 32.5 °C58.6 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.

Annual precipitation is moderate at about 456 mm18 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 60% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is July (108 mm4.3 in), the driest is January (3 mm0.1 in).

Relative humidity ranges from 42% in May to 68% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 38%) are typical of November. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in August to 13 km/h (8 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.4 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June.

A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February. In those months the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm. It is deepest in February, at about 16 cm.

Best time to visit Shuozhou

Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June and August and September. Average highs then reach 22 °C72 °F to 29 °C84 °F. Precipitation is 38 mm1.5 in to 98 mm3.9 in per month.

The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −3 °C27 °F.

Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an ideal. That means 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 Shuozhou

• Winter (December–February) — highs −327 to 2 °C35 °F, lows −155 to −11 °C12 °F, about 4 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 24 °C76 °F, lows −523 to 8 °C46 °F, about 23 mm0.9 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 2882 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1457 to 17 °C62 °F, about 90 mm3.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
• Autumn (September–November) — highs 542 to 22 °C72 °F, lows −622 to 9 °C48 °F, about 35 mm1.4 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 Shuozhou compares

The nearest larger place is Xinzhou, about 104 km to the south. Compared with it, Shuozhou is on average 2.9 °C5.3 °F cooler. It receives 5% less precipitation (456 mm18 in vs 481 mm19 in). The difference is largest in January (4.2 °C7.5 °F cooler).

World Climates covers 547 places in China. By annual mean temperature, Shuozhou is the 472nd warmest of them. By annual precipitation, it is the 488th wettest. See all of them on the China climate page.

Some places in other countries have a very similar pattern of temperature and rainfall. The closest matches are Kanggye (North Korea, Dwa), Manpo (North Korea, Dwa) and Sioux Falls (United States, Dfa).