Yushu climate
Yushu (Jilin, China) has a monsoon-influenced hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa). The average temperature over the year is 5 °C40 °F, and about 576 mm23 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Yushu climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −139 | −23−9 | −180 | 50.2 | 31 |
| Feb | −720 | −19−2 | −139 | 70.3 | 28 |
| Mar | 337 | −915 | −326 | 130.5 | 30 |
| Apr | 1457 | 031 | 744 | 230.9 | 17 |
| May | 2271 | 846 | 1559 | 622.4 | 0 |
| Jun | 2781 | 1458 | 2169 | 1034.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 2984 | 1864 | 2374 | 1355.3 | 0 |
| Aug | 2781 | 1661 | 2271 | 1214.8 | 0 |
| Sep | 2271 | 948 | 1560 | 572.2 | 0 |
| Oct | 1254 | −131 | 642 | 251.0 | 16 |
| Nov | 031 | −1014 | −523 | 170.7 | 29 |
| Dec | −1113 | −20−4 | −154 | 90.3 | 31 |
| Year | 2984 | −23−9 | 540 | 57623 | 183 |
“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 | 86% | 49% | 2.2 | 9:09 |
| Feb | 80% | 49% | 3.3 | 10:21 |
| Mar | 66% | 53% | 4.3 | 11:47 |
| Apr | 55% | 58% | 5.0 | 13:26 |
| May | 57% | 62% | 5.5 | 14:49 |
| Jun | 65% | 64% | 5.6 | 15:34 |
| Jul | 73% | 67% | 5.2 | 15:16 |
| Aug | 74% | 62% | 4.8 | 14:03 |
| Sep | 68% | 48% | 4.4 | 12:27 |
| Oct | 67% | 45% | 3.1 | 10:52 |
| Nov | 74% | 51% | 2.0 | 9:29 |
| Dec | 84% | 51% | 1.8 | 8:48 |
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 Yushu is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 18 °C64 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −13 °C9 °F and lows −23 °C−9 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 41.1 °C73.9 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 576 mm23 in. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 62% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–March. The wettest month is July (135 mm5.3 in), the driest is January (5 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 55% in April to 86% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 45%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in August to 14 km/h (9 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 8.8 hours in December to 15.6 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in November–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 18 cm).
Best time to visit Yushu
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and September: average highs of 22 °C71 °F to 22 °C71 °F with 57 mm2.2 in to 62 mm2.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −13 °C9 °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 Yushu
- Winter (December–February) — highs −139 to −7 °C20 °F, lows −23−9 to −19 °C−2 °F, about 7 mm0.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack heavy insulated clothing, thermal base layers, a warm hat, mittens and insulated boots and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 337 to 22 °C71 °F, lows −915 to 8 °C46 °F, about 32 mm1.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2781 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 1458 to 18 °C64 °F, about 120 mm4.7 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 031 to 22 °C71 °F, lows −1014 to 9 °C48 °F, about 33 mm1.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
How Yushu compares
Compared with Shuangcheng, about 64 km to the north, Yushu has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in February (0.6 °C1.2 °F warmer).
Of the 547 places in China covered by World Climates, Yushu is the 510th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 423rd 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: Ussuriysk (Russia, Dwa), Hyesan (North Korea, Dwb) and Kyzyl (Russia, BSk).
Nearby places
- Jishu 60 km · 5 °C40 °F · 674 mm27 in
- Shuangcheng 64 km · 4 °C40 °F · 549 mm22 in
- Dehui 74 km · 5 °C41 °F · 577 mm23 in
- Acheng 86 km · 4 °C40 °F · 593 mm23 in
- Jiutai 94 km · 6 °C42 °F · 632 mm25 in
- Harbin 103 km · 4 °C39 °F · 576 mm23 in
- Jilin 109 km · 5 °C42 °F · 669 mm26 in
- Shangzhi 122 km · 5 °C40 °F · 688 mm27 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Yushu?
July is the warmest month in Yushu, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
What is the coldest month in Yushu?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -13 °C (9 °F) and an average low of -23 °C (-9 °F).
When does it rain the most in Yushu?
July is the wettest month with about 135 mm (5.3 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 5 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Yushu?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are 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.