Xining climate
Xining (Qinghai, China) has a monsoon-influenced warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwb). The average temperature over the year is 8 °C46 °F, and about 504 mm20 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Xining climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 236 | −1210 | −523 | 30.1 |
| Feb | 643 | −817 | −130 | 30.1 |
| Mar | 1152 | −425 | 439 | 90.4 |
| Apr | 1763 | 133 | 948 | 240.9 |
| May | 2170 | 542 | 1356 | 612.4 |
| Jun | 2576 | 1050 | 1763 | 803.1 |
| Jul | 2679 | 1254 | 1967 | 993.9 |
| Aug | 2577 | 1153 | 1865 | 1084.2 |
| Sep | 2068 | 744 | 1356 | 833.3 |
| Oct | 1559 | 133 | 846 | 271.1 |
| Nov | 847 | −523 | 235 | 60.2 |
| Dec | 338 | −1112 | −425 | 20.1 |
| Year | 2679 | −1210 | 846 | 50420 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55% | 48% | 3.1 | 9:55 |
| Feb | 51% | 54% | 4.0 | 10:48 |
| Mar | 46% | 60% | 5.0 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 44% | 64% | 5.8 | 13:05 |
| May | 49% | 70% | 6.0 | 14:06 |
| Jun | 55% | 73% | 5.9 | 14:39 |
| Jul | 62% | 67% | 5.7 | 14:26 |
| Aug | 66% | 68% | 5.3 | 13:33 |
| Sep | 70% | 71% | 4.3 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 61% | 59% | 3.9 | 11:11 |
| Nov | 54% | 44% | 3.3 | 10:09 |
| Dec | 53% | 41% | 2.9 | 9:40 |
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 Xining is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 26 °C79 °F and a low of 12 °C54 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 2 °C36 °F and lows −12 °C10 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 24.4 °C43.8 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 504 mm20 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 57% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is August (108 mm4.2 in), the driest is December (2 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 44% in April to 70% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 41%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in October to 8 km/h (5 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.7 hours in December to 14.6 hours in June.
Best time to visit Xining
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–July and September: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 26 °C79 °F with 61 mm2.4 in to 99 mm3.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 2 °C36 °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.
Xining weather by month
- January2 °C36 °F / −12 °C10 °F
- February6 °C43 °F / −8 °C17 °F
- March11 °C52 °F / −4 °C25 °F
- April17 °C63 °F / 1 °C33 °F
- May21 °C70 °F / 5 °C42 °F
- June25 °C76 °F / 10 °C50 °F
- July26 °C79 °F / 12 °C54 °F
- August25 °C77 °F / 11 °C53 °F
- September20 °C68 °F / 7 °C44 °F
- October15 °C59 °F / 1 °C33 °F
- November8 °C47 °F / −5 °C23 °F
- December3 °C38 °F / −11 °C12 °F
What to pack for Xining
- Winter (December–February) — highs 236 to 6 °C43 °F, lows −1210 to −8 °C17 °F, about 3 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 21 °C70 °F, lows −425 to 5 °C42 °F, about 31 mm1.2 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 2576 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 1050 to 12 °C54 °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 847 to 20 °C68 °F, lows −523 to 7 °C44 °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 Xining compares
Compared with Lanzhou, about 197 km to the east, Xining is on average 3.5 °C6.3 °F cooler and receives 17% more precipitation (504 mm20 in vs 431 mm17 in). The difference is largest in July (4.7 °C8.4 °F cooler).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Xining is the 476th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 470th 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: Chongjin (North Korea, Dwa), Piatra Neamţ (Romania, Dfb) and Changam-chon (North Korea, Dwa).
Nearby places
- Qiaotou 35 km · 6 °C43 °F · 521 mm21 in
- Nianbo 61 km · 9 °C48 °F · 470 mm19 in
- Tongren 126 km · 8 °C46 °F · 549 mm22 in
- Wuwei 164 km · 10 °C51 °F · 289 mm11 in
- Linxia Chengguanzhen 173 km · 10 °C50 °F · 532 mm21 in
- Lanzhou 197 km · 11 °C52 °F · 431 mm17 in
- Jinchang 212 km · 10 °C49 °F · 185 mm7.3 in
- Baiyin 216 km · 9 °C49 °F · 337 mm13 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Xining?
July is the warmest month in Xining, with an average high of 26 °C (79 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (54 °F).
What is the coldest month in Xining?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 2 °C (36 °F) and an average low of -12 °C (10 °F).
When does it rain the most in Xining?
August is the wettest month with about 108 mm (4.2 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 2 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Xining?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–July 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 2,674 m, while Xining lies at about 2,275 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.