Suzhou climate
Suzhou (Jiangsu, China) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 16 °C61 °F, and about 1,208 mm48 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Suzhou climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 846 | −130 | 338 | 602.3 | 19 |
| Feb | 1050 | 133 | 542 | 702.8 | 12 |
| Mar | 1559 | 440 | 1049 | 763.0 | 4 |
| Apr | 2170 | 1050 | 1560 | 953.7 | 0 |
| May | 2680 | 1660 | 2170 | 923.6 | 0 |
| Jun | 3085 | 2068 | 2577 | 1797.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 3290 | 2577 | 2883 | 1887.4 | 0 |
| Aug | 3289 | 2476 | 2883 | 1596.3 | 0 |
| Sep | 2882 | 2067 | 2475 | 1164.6 | 0 |
| Oct | 2374 | 1356 | 1865 | 662.6 | 0 |
| Nov | 1763 | 745 | 1254 | 642.5 | 1 |
| Dec | 1050 | 133 | 541 | 431.7 | 13 |
| Year | 3290 | −130 | 1661 | 1,20848 | 48 |
“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 | 79% | 65% | 2.2 | 10:19 |
| Feb | 80% | 68% | 2.6 | 11:02 |
| Mar | 78% | 65% | 3.7 | 11:54 |
| Apr | 76% | 66% | 4.4 | 12:54 |
| May | 74% | 71% | 4.6 | 13:44 |
| Jun | 78% | 79% | 4.2 | 14:10 |
| Jul | 82% | 71% | 4.9 | 13:00 |
| Aug | 81% | 66% | 4.8 | 13:17 |
| Sep | 80% | 63% | 3.9 | 12:19 |
| Oct | 76% | 57% | 3.3 | 11:21 |
| Nov | 78% | 57% | 2.5 | 10:31 |
| Dec | 77% | 56% | 2.2 | 10:07 |
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 Suzhou is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 8 °C46 °F and lows −1 °C30 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 25.2 °C45.3 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,208 mm48 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 44% of the annual total. The wettest month is July (188 mm7.4 in), the driest is December (43 mm1.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 74% in May to 82% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 56%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in October to 11 km/h (7 mph) in May. Daylight lasts from about 10.1 hours in December to 14.2 hours in June.
Best time to visit Suzhou
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and October: average highs of 21 °C70 °F to 26 °C80 °F with 66 mm2.6 in to 95 mm3.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 8 °C46 °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.
Suzhou weather by month
- January8 °C46 °F / −1 °C30 °F
- February10 °C50 °F / 1 °C33 °F
- March15 °C59 °F / 4 °C40 °F
- April21 °C70 °F / 10 °C50 °F
- May26 °C80 °F / 16 °C60 °F
- June30 °C85 °F / 20 °C68 °F
- July32 °C90 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- August32 °C89 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- September28 °C82 °F / 20 °C67 °F
- October23 °C74 °F / 13 °C56 °F
- November17 °C63 °F / 7 °C45 °F
- December10 °C50 °F / 1 °C33 °F
What to pack for Suzhou
- Winter (December–February) — highs 846 to 10 °C50 °F, lows −130 to 1 °C33 °F, about 58 mm2.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1559 to 26 °C80 °F, lows 440 to 16 °C60 °F, about 88 mm3.4 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 3085 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 2068 to 25 °C77 °F, about 175 mm6.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1763 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 745 to 20 °C67 °F, about 82 mm3.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
How Suzhou compares
Compared with Shanghai, about 83 km to the east, Suzhou is on average 0.5 °C0.9 °F cooler and receives 6% less precipitation (1,208 mm48 in vs 1,286 mm51 in). The difference is largest in December (1.4 °C2.5 °F cooler).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Suzhou is the 242nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 189th 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: Fayetteville (United States, Cfa), Tulsa (United States, Cfa) and Raleigh (United States, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Changshu (pop. 1,677,050). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Suzhou, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Kunshan 35 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,242 mm49 in
- Wuxi 41 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,220 mm48 in
- Zhangjiagang 63 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,146 mm45 in
- Jiaxing 63 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,316 mm52 in
- Huzhou 68 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,334 mm53 in
- Yixing 74 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,220 mm48 in
- Jiangyin 74 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,145 mm45 in
- Changzhou 80 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,145 mm45 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Suzhou?
July is the warmest month in Suzhou, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Suzhou?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 8 °C (46 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (30 °F).
When does it rain the most in Suzhou?
July is the wettest month with about 188 mm (7.4 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 43 mm (1.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Suzhou?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May and October.
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.