The climate in China

China has a vast geography that results in a wide variety of different climates, including subtropical, tropical, temperate, and arid.

The southern region of China, which includes the provinces of Guangdong, Hainan and Fujian, has a subtropical climate with high humidity and abundant rainfall. Summers are hot and humid, while winters are mild and rainy, with occasional snowfall in higher mountainous regions.

The central and eastern regions of China, including Henan and Jiangsu provinces, have a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and cold winters. During the summer months, the region experiences significant rainfall and occasional typhoons and thunderstorms.

The northern region of China, including Beijing, has a temperate climate with hot and humid summers and cold and dry winters. Here, there are significant temperature fluctuations between day and night, especially in spring and autumn.

The western region of China, including Tibet, Xinjiang and Qinghai, has a predominantly arid and semi-arid climate due to the high altitude. Summers are hot and dry, while winters are cold and dry with little precipitation throughout the year.

Temperature records of the last 74 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1949 to January 2023 was reported by the Karamay weather station. In July 2015, the record temperature of 44.0 °C was reported here. The hottest summer from July to September, based on all 104 weather stations in China below 1,810 meters altitude, was recorded in 2022 with an average temperature of 24.6 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every four to six hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 23.6 degrees Celsius. The average maximum daily temperature at that time was 30.3 °C.

The coldest day in these 74 years was reported by the Hailar weather station. Here the temperature dropped to -42.9 °C in January 2001. Hailar lies at an altitude of 650 meters above sea level. The coldest winter (January to March) was in 1969 with an average temperature of -14.1 °C. In China, it is usual to have about 16.8 degrees more at 2.7 °C for this three-month period.

The most precipitation fell in March 2004. With 322.5 mm per day, the Tianjin weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 74 years. Incidentally, the region with the most rainfall for the whole year is around Guangzhou. The driest region is near Tazhong.

Long-term development of temperatures from 1985 - 2022

In contrast to single record values, long-term development cannot simply be brought about by all weather stations in the country. Both the number and the locations are constantly changing. An average value would give a distorted result. If several measuring stations in particularly cold mountain or coastal regions are added in one year, the average would decrease as a result of this alone. If a station fails during the summer or winter months, it does not provide any values and distorts the average again. The subsequent long-term development was therefore reduced to only 3 measuring points in order to have comparable data over as long a period as possible.

In the years 1985 to 2022, there were only these 3 weather stations in the whole country, which reported continuous temperature values (Yinchuan, Wu Lu Mu Qi, Beijing). From these weather reports, we have created a long-term development that shows the monthly average temperatures. The hottest month in this entire period was July 2021 at 26.9 °C. January 2011 was the coldest month with an average temperature of -11.3 °C.

The average annual temperature was about 9.2 °C in the years after 1985 and about 10.9 °C in the last years before 2022. So in less than 38 years, it has increased by about 1.7 °C. This trend only applies to the selected 3 weather stations in China. A considerably more comprehensive evaluation of global warming has been provided separately.

Data basis and methodology

The data from the individual measuring stations are based on the archives of the German Weather Service, individual values averaged and supplemented by own elements. In order to determine a representative national average, average values were first calculated for each part of the country, which were then summarized at the national level. Thus, if a disproportionate number of weather stations are located in a small area, their number does not affect the national average. There are 104 stations in China itself. In 49 cases, neighboring but nearby weather stations were also used to obtain more accurate values.