Xian climate
Xian (Shaanxi, China) has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa). The average temperature over the year is 16 °C60 °F, and about 692 mm27 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Xian climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 643 | −425 | 134 | 90.3 | 30 |
| Feb | 1151 | −130 | 541 | 130.5 | 19 |
| Mar | 1864 | 439 | 1152 | 230.9 | 6 |
| Apr | 2576 | 1050 | 1763 | 401.6 | 0 |
| May | 2985 | 1560 | 2272 | 692.7 | 0 |
| Jun | 3493 | 2069 | 2781 | 843.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 3594 | 2373 | 2984 | 1244.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 3391 | 2271 | 2781 | 1144.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 2781 | 1661 | 2271 | 1254.9 | 0 |
| Oct | 2170 | 1050 | 1660 | 592.3 | 0 |
| Nov | 1457 | 337 | 847 | 271.1 | 8 |
| Dec | 745 | −327 | 236 | 60.2 | 28 |
| Year | 3594 | −425 | 1660 | 69227 | 92 |
“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 | 61% | 60% | 2.5 | 10:06 |
| Feb | 60% | 68% | 3.0 | 10:54 |
| Mar | 54% | 67% | 4.0 | 11:53 |
| Apr | 52% | 69% | 4.9 | 13:00 |
| May | 51% | 73% | 5.2 | 13:56 |
| Jun | 53% | 73% | 5.4 | 14:26 |
| Jul | 61% | 69% | 5.1 | 14:14 |
| Aug | 64% | 68% | 4.5 | 13:25 |
| Sep | 69% | 71% | 3.5 | 12:20 |
| Oct | 67% | 65% | 3.0 | 11:15 |
| Nov | 65% | 54% | 2.6 | 10:19 |
| Dec | 61% | 54% | 2.4 | 9:53 |
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 Xian is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 35 °C94 °F and a low of 23 °C73 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 6 °C43 °F and lows −4 °C25 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 27.5 °C49.6 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 692 mm27 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: December–February. The wettest month is September (125 mm4.9 in), the driest is December (6 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 51% in May to 69% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 54%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in October to 6 km/h (4 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.9 hours in December to 14.4 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in January, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 11 cm).
Best time to visit Xian
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 29 °C85 °F with 40 mm1.6 in to 69 mm2.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 6 °C43 °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.
Xian weather by month
- January6 °C43 °F / −4 °C25 °F
- February11 °C51 °F / −1 °C30 °F
- March18 °C64 °F / 4 °C39 °F
- April25 °C76 °F / 10 °C50 °F
- May29 °C85 °F / 15 °C60 °F
- June34 °C93 °F / 20 °C69 °F
- July35 °C94 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- August33 °C91 °F / 22 °C71 °F
- September27 °C81 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- October21 °C70 °F / 10 °C50 °F
- November14 °C57 °F / 3 °C37 °F
- December7 °C45 °F / −3 °C27 °F
What to pack for Xian
- Winter (December–February) — highs 643 to 11 °C51 °F, lows −425 to −1 °C30 °F, about 9 mm0.4 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 1864 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 439 to 15 °C60 °F, about 44 mm1.7 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 3391 to 35 °C94 °F, lows 2069 to 23 °C73 °F, about 107 mm4.2 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 1457 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 337 to 16 °C61 °F, about 70 mm2.8 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 Xian compares
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Xian is the 271st warmest by annual mean temperature and the 340th 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: Amarillo (United States, BSk), Lubbock (United States, Cfa) and Oklahoma City (United States, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Xianyang (pop. 1,034,081). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Xian, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Weinan 60 km · 16 °C61 °F · 720 mm28 in
- Tongchuan 71 km · 14 °C56 °F · 655 mm26 in
- Tongchuanshi 92 km · 12 °C54 °F · 656 mm26 in
- Shangluo 102 km · 14 °C57 °F · 807 mm32 in
- Huayin 110 km · 16 °C60 °F · 725 mm29 in
- Yongji 154 km · 15 °C59 °F · 607 mm24 in
- Baoji 156 km · 15 °C59 °F · 679 mm27 in
- Ankang 176 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,022 mm40 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Xian?
July is the warmest month in Xian, with an average high of 35 °C (94 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (73 °F).
What is the coldest month in Xian?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 6 °C (43 °F) and an average low of -4 °C (25 °F).
When does it rain the most in Xian?
September is the wettest month with about 125 mm (4.9 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 6 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Xian?
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 593 m, while Xian lies at about 416 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.1 °C2.1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.