Wuwei climate
Wuwei (Gansu, China) has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The average temperature over the year is 10 °C51 °F, and about 289 mm11 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Wuwei climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 133 | −915 | −424 | 20.1 |
| Feb | 540 | −621 | −131 | 30.1 |
| Mar | 1152 | −130 | 541 | 60.2 |
| Apr | 1965 | 540 | 1253 | 130.5 |
| May | 2475 | 1050 | 1762 | 311.2 |
| Jun | 2984 | 1559 | 2272 | 441.7 |
| Jul | 3087 | 1864 | 2475 | 602.4 |
| Aug | 2983 | 1661 | 2272 | 622.4 |
| Sep | 2373 | 1152 | 1763 | 481.9 |
| Oct | 1662 | 440 | 1051 | 160.6 |
| Nov | 948 | −229 | 338 | 40.2 |
| Dec | 236 | −818 | −327 | 10.1 |
| Year | 3087 | −915 | 1051 | 28911 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50% | 49% | 2.9 | 9:48 |
| Feb | 45% | 56% | 3.7 | 10:44 |
| Mar | 37% | 61% | 4.7 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 34% | 65% | 5.5 | 13:08 |
| May | 36% | 70% | 5.9 | 14:12 |
| Jun | 40% | 72% | 5.8 | 14:47 |
| Jul | 47% | 66% | 5.6 | 14:33 |
| Aug | 51% | 67% | 5.1 | 13:37 |
| Sep | 55% | 69% | 4.2 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 48% | 54% | 3.8 | 11:08 |
| Nov | 46% | 43% | 3.1 | 10:04 |
| Dec | 47% | 43% | 2.6 | 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 Wuwei is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 30 °C87 °F and a low of 18 °C64 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 1 °C33 °F and lows −9 °C15 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 28.4 °C51.1 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 289 mm11 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 59% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: October–April. The wettest month is August (62 mm2.4 in), the driest is December (1 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 34% in April to 55% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 43%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in December 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 Wuwei
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–June and August and September: average highs of 19 °C65 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 13 mm0.5 in to 62 mm2.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 1 °C33 °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 Wuwei
- Winter (December–February) — highs 133 to 5 °C40 °F, lows −915 to −6 °C21 °F, about 2 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 1152 to 24 °C75 °F, lows −130 to 10 °C50 °F, about 17 mm0.7 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 2983 to 30 °C87 °F, lows 1559 to 18 °C64 °F, about 55 mm2.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 948 to 23 °C73 °F, lows −229 to 11 °C52 °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.
How Wuwei compares
Compared with Xining, about 164 km to the southwest, Wuwei is on average 2.6 °C4.7 °F warmer and receives 43% less precipitation (289 mm11 in vs 504 mm20 in). The difference is largest in July (4.8 °C8.6 °F warmer).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Wuwei is the 428th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 515th 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: Colorado Springs (United States, BSk), Changam-chon (North Korea, Dwa) and Billings (United States, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Jinchang 74 km · 10 °C49 °F · 185 mm7.3 in
- Qiaotou 139 km · 6 °C43 °F · 521 mm21 in
- Nianbo 162 km · 9 °C48 °F · 470 mm19 in
- Xining 164 km · 8 °C46 °F · 504 mm20 in
- Baiyin 205 km · 9 °C49 °F · 337 mm13 in
- Zhangye 220 km · 11 °C51 °F · 173 mm6.8 in
- Zhongwei 230 km · 11 °C53 °F · 225 mm8.8 in
- Lanzhou 234 km · 11 °C52 °F · 431 mm17 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Wuwei?
July is the warmest month in Wuwei, with an average high of 30 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
What is the coldest month in Wuwei?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 1 °C (33 °F) and an average low of -9 °C (15 °F).
When does it rain the most in Wuwei?
August is the wettest month with about 62 mm (2.4 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 1 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Wuwei?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–June and August 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 1,913 m, while Wuwei lies at about 1,542 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.4 °C4.3 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.