Tianshui climate
Tianshui (Gansu, China) has a monsoon-influenced hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa). The average temperature over the year is 13 °C55 °F, and about 577 mm23 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Tianshui climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 541 | −522 | 032 | 40.2 |
| Feb | 847 | −327 | 337 | 80.3 |
| Mar | 1559 | 134 | 846 | 170.7 |
| Apr | 2271 | 644 | 1457 | 341.4 |
| May | 2678 | 1152 | 1965 | 652.6 |
| Jun | 2985 | 1661 | 2373 | 823.2 |
| Jul | 3187 | 1865 | 2476 | 1084.3 |
| Aug | 2985 | 1763 | 2374 | 983.9 |
| Sep | 2475 | 1355 | 1865 | 943.7 |
| Oct | 1865 | 745 | 1355 | 481.9 |
| Nov | 1254 | 133 | 643 | 140.6 |
| Dec | 643 | −424 | 133 | 30.1 |
| Year | 3187 | −522 | 1355 | 57723 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69% | 61% | 2.6 | 10:05 |
| Feb | 68% | 68% | 3.2 | 10:53 |
| Mar | 62% | 67% | 4.1 | 11:53 |
| Apr | 58% | 67% | 5.1 | 13:01 |
| May | 60% | 71% | 5.4 | 13:57 |
| Jun | 64% | 72% | 5.4 | 14:27 |
| Jul | 70% | 68% | 5.2 | 14:15 |
| Aug | 72% | 67% | 4.7 | 13:26 |
| Sep | 76% | 78% | 3.3 | 12:20 |
| Oct | 76% | 73% | 2.9 | 11:15 |
| Nov | 72% | 60% | 2.6 | 10:18 |
| Dec | 69% | 53% | 2.4 | 9:51 |
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 Tianshui is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 31 °C87 °F and a low of 18 °C65 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 5 °C41 °F and lows −5 °C22 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 24.7 °C44.4 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 577 mm23 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 52% 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 December (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 58% in April to 76% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 53%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in December to 9 km/h (6 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.
Best time to visit Tianshui
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and September and October: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 26 °C78 °F with 34 mm1.4 in to 94 mm3.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 5 °C41 °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 Tianshui
- Winter (December–February) — highs 541 to 8 °C47 °F, lows −522 to −3 °C27 °F, about 5 mm0.2 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 1559 to 26 °C78 °F, lows 134 to 11 °C52 °F, about 39 mm1.5 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 2985 to 31 °C87 °F, lows 1661 to 18 °C65 °F, about 96 mm3.8 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 1254 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 133 to 13 °C55 °F, about 52 mm2.1 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.
How Tianshui compares
Compared with Baoji, about 139 km to the east, Tianshui is on average 2.4 °C4.4 °F cooler and receives 15% less precipitation (577 mm23 in vs 679 mm27 in). The difference is largest in June (3.3 °C5.9 °F cooler).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Tianshui is the 383rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 420th 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: Pueblo (United States, BSk), Denver (United States, Cfa) and Lakewood (United States, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Gangu Chengguanzhen (pop. 103,589). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Tianshui, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Pingliang 137 km · 10 °C51 °F · 568 mm22 in
- Baoji 139 km · 15 °C59 °F · 679 mm27 in
- Dingxi 150 km · 9 °C48 °F · 496 mm20 in
- Guyuan 166 km · 8 °C47 °F · 484 mm19 in
- Hanzhong 205 km · 16 °C62 °F · 1,014 mm40 in
- Qingyang 214 km · 9 °C49 °F · 594 mm23 in
- Chenggu 216 km · 16 °C62 °F · 1,035 mm41 in
- Guangyuan 238 km · 17 °C62 °F · 961 mm38 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Tianshui?
July is the warmest month in Tianshui, with an average high of 31 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (65 °F).
What is the coldest month in Tianshui?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 5 °C (41 °F) and an average low of -5 °C (22 °F).
When does it rain the most in Tianshui?
July is the wettest month with about 108 mm (4.3 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Tianshui?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May and September 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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 1,613 m, while Tianshui lies at about 1,153 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +3 °C5.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.