Taiyuan climate
Taiyuan (Shanxi, China) has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 487 mm19 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Taiyuan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 235 | −1113 | −424 | 30.1 |
| Feb | 642 | −719 | −131 | 70.3 |
| Mar | 1355 | −229 | 542 | 90.4 |
| Apr | 2169 | 439 | 1254 | 251.0 |
| May | 2781 | 1152 | 1966 | 381.5 |
| Jun | 3188 | 1662 | 2475 | 612.4 |
| Jul | 3290 | 1967 | 2678 | 1204.7 |
| Aug | 3085 | 1763 | 2474 | 1044.1 |
| Sep | 2576 | 1253 | 1865 | 742.9 |
| Oct | 1865 | 540 | 1152 | 301.2 |
| Nov | 949 | −327 | 338 | 130.5 |
| Dec | 236 | −915 | −426 | 30.1 |
| Year | 3290 | −1113 | 1152 | 48719 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61% | 46% | 2.6 | 9:49 |
| Feb | 58% | 49% | 3.3 | 10:44 |
| Mar | 47% | 47% | 4.6 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 45% | 53% | 5.5 | 13:08 |
| May | 43% | 57% | 6.1 | 14:12 |
| Jun | 50% | 62% | 5.6 | 14:46 |
| Jul | 62% | 67% | 5.1 | 14:32 |
| Aug | 67% | 63% | 4.8 | 13:37 |
| Sep | 66% | 60% | 4.1 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 62% | 46% | 3.5 | 11:08 |
| Nov | 62% | 39% | 2.8 | 10:04 |
| Dec | 62% | 39% | 2.5 | 9:33 |
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 Taiyuan is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 19 °C67 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 2 °C35 °F and lows −11 °C13 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 30.1 °C54.2 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 487 mm19 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 61% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is July (120 mm4.7 in), the driest is January (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 43% in May to 67% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 39%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in August to 11 km/h (7 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Taiyuan
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and September: average highs of 21 °C69 °F to 27 °C81 °F with 25 mm1.0 in to 74 mm2.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 2 °C35 °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.
Taiyuan weather by month
- January2 °C35 °F / −11 °C13 °F
- February6 °C42 °F / −7 °C19 °F
- March13 °C55 °F / −2 °C29 °F
- April21 °C69 °F / 4 °C39 °F
- May27 °C81 °F / 11 °C52 °F
- June31 °C88 °F / 16 °C62 °F
- July32 °C90 °F / 19 °C67 °F
- August30 °C85 °F / 17 °C63 °F
- September25 °C76 °F / 12 °C53 °F
- October18 °C65 °F / 5 °C40 °F
- November9 °C49 °F / −3 °C27 °F
- December2 °C36 °F / −9 °C15 °F
What to pack for Taiyuan
- Winter (December–February) — highs 235 to 6 °C42 °F, lows −1113 to −7 °C19 °F, about 4 mm0.2 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 1355 to 27 °C81 °F, lows −229 to 11 °C52 °F, about 24 mm0.9 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 1662 to 19 °C67 °F, about 95 mm3.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 949 to 25 °C76 °F, lows −327 to 12 °C53 °F, about 39 mm1.5 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 Taiyuan compares
Compared with Shijiazhuang, about 169 km to the east, Taiyuan is on average 3.3 °C6 °F cooler and receives 9% less precipitation (487 mm19 in vs 533 mm21 in). The difference is largest in May (4.1 °C7.3 °F cooler).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Taiyuan is the 410th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 476th 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 Hamhŭng (North Korea, Dwa).
Nearby places
- Jinzhong 27 km · 11 °C53 °F · 504 mm20 in
- Xinzhou 62 km · 11 °C52 °F · 481 mm19 in
- Yangquan 88 km · 11 °C52 °F · 541 mm21 in
- Jiexiu 110 km · 12 °C54 °F · 542 mm21 in
- Lüliang 131 km · 11 °C51 °F · 511 mm20 in
- Shuozhou 161 km · 8 °C47 °F · 456 mm18 in
- Shijiazhuang 169 km · 15 °C58 °F · 533 mm21 in
- Luancheng 183 km · 15 °C58 °F · 533 mm21 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Taiyuan?
July is the warmest month in Taiyuan, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (67 °F).
What is the coldest month in Taiyuan?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 2 °C (35 °F) and an average low of -11 °C (13 °F).
When does it rain the most in Taiyuan?
July is the wettest month with about 120 mm (4.7 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Taiyuan?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May 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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 1,201 m, while Taiyuan lies at about 795 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.6 °C4.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.