Yinchuan climate
Yinchuan (Ningxia, China) has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 215 mm8.5 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Yinchuan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 032 | −1112 | −622 | 10.1 |
| Feb | 541 | −719 | −130 | 20.1 |
| Mar | 1254 | −228 | 541 | 40.2 |
| Apr | 2069 | 440 | 1254 | 100.4 |
| May | 2780 | 1152 | 1966 | 210.8 |
| Jun | 3289 | 1762 | 2476 | 341.3 |
| Jul | 3392 | 1967 | 2679 | 431.7 |
| Aug | 3188 | 1763 | 2476 | 441.7 |
| Sep | 2577 | 1253 | 1865 | 361.4 |
| Oct | 1864 | 439 | 1152 | 140.5 |
| Nov | 947 | −326 | 337 | 50.2 |
| Dec | 134 | −1014 | −524 | 10.0 |
| Year | 3392 | −1112 | 1152 | 2158.5 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55% | 43% | 2.8 | 9:46 |
| Feb | 47% | 47% | 3.8 | 10:42 |
| Mar | 37% | 47% | 5.0 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 34% | 51% | 6.1 | 13:09 |
| May | 34% | 54% | 6.7 | 14:15 |
| Jun | 37% | 56% | 6.7 | 14:50 |
| Jul | 45% | 58% | 6.2 | 14:36 |
| Aug | 50% | 55% | 5.6 | 13:39 |
| Sep | 54% | 55% | 4.6 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 50% | 40% | 4.1 | 11:07 |
| Nov | 51% | 35% | 3.0 | 10:01 |
| Dec | 54% | 36% | 2.6 | 9:30 |
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 Yinchuan is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 33 °C92 °F and a low of 19 °C67 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 0 °C32 °F and lows −11 °C12 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 32 °C57.5 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
It is dry, with about 215 mm8.5 in of precipitation per year. 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: October–April. The wettest month is August (44 mm1.7 in), the driest is December (1 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 34% in April to 55% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 35%) are typical of November. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in January to 11 km/h (7 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.8 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 Yinchuan
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and September: average highs of 20 °C69 °F to 27 °C80 °F with 10 mm0.4 in to 36 mm1.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 0 °C32 °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.
Yinchuan weather by month
- January0 °C32 °F / −11 °C12 °F
- February5 °C41 °F / −7 °C19 °F
- March12 °C54 °F / −2 °C28 °F
- April20 °C69 °F / 4 °C40 °F
- May27 °C80 °F / 11 °C52 °F
- June32 °C89 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- July33 °C92 °F / 19 °C67 °F
- August31 °C88 °F / 17 °C63 °F
- September25 °C77 °F / 12 °C53 °F
- October18 °C64 °F / 4 °C39 °F
- November9 °C47 °F / −3 °C26 °F
- December1 °C34 °F / −10 °C14 °F
What to pack for Yinchuan
- Winter (December–February) — highs 032 to 5 °C41 °F, lows −1112 to −7 °C19 °F, about 1 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 1254 to 27 °C80 °F, lows −228 to 11 °C52 °F, about 12 mm0.5 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 3188 to 33 °C92 °F, lows 1762 to 19 °C67 °F, about 41 mm1.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 947 to 25 °C77 °F, lows −326 to 12 °C53 °F, about 18 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.
How Yinchuan compares
Compared with Wuzhong, about 54 km to the south, Yinchuan has practically the same average temperature and receives 6% less precipitation (215 mm8.5 in vs 229 mm9.0 in).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Yinchuan is the 416th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 525th 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: Astrakhan (Russia, BSk), Taldykorgan (Kazakhstan, BSk) and Atyrau (Kazakhstan, BSk).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Xigang (pop. 112,061). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Yinchuan, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Wuzhong 54 km · 11 °C52 °F · 229 mm9.0 in
- Shizuishan 58 km · 11 °C51 °F · 190 mm7.5 in
- Dawukou 65 km · 11 °C51 °F · 190 mm7.5 in
- Huinong 95 km · 10 °C50 °F · 231 mm9.1 in
- Zhongwei 143 km · 11 °C53 °F · 225 mm8.8 in
- Wuhai 143 km · 10 °C50 °F · 200 mm7.9 in
- Bayan Nur 270 km · 9 °C48 °F · 169 mm6.6 in
- Guyuan 274 km · 8 °C47 °F · 484 mm19 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Yinchuan?
July is the warmest month in Yinchuan, with an average high of 33 °C (92 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (67 °F).
What is the coldest month in Yinchuan?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 0 °C (32 °F) and an average low of -11 °C (12 °F).
When does it rain the most in Yinchuan?
August is the wettest month with about 44 mm (1.7 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 1 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Yinchuan?
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 1,353 m, while Yinchuan lies at about 1,117 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.5 °C2.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.