Beijing climate — normals and trends
Beijing (China) has a hot-summer humid continental, dry winter climate (Dwa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 12.3 °C and it receives 681 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (27.0 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-4.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in July.
Beijing averages 129 frost days, 72 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 69 rainy days per year.
Beijing has warmed by +3.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.35 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 139 to 119 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 43.4 °C (on 10 June 1961) and the coldest -29.4 °C (on 10 January 1951).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
BeijingBeijing Municipality
- coords
- 39.91°, 116.40°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
12.3°C
Average daily high
18.2°C
Average daily low
6.9°C
Annual rainfall
681mm
Sunshine / day
9.3h
Mean relative humidity
56%
Average peak wind
13.2km/h
Seasonal range
31.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
129 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
72 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
69 d/yr
Annual snowfall
15.2 cm
Average feels-like high
16.6 °C
Average feels-like low
5.1 °C
Average peak gust
28.7 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
67 d/yr
Solar radiation
15.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+3.0 °C
since 1940
+0.4 °C per decade · r² = 0.53 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
43.4 °C
10 June 1961
Coldest day
-29.4 °C
10 January 1951
Wettest day
223 mm
4 August 1946
Windiest day
42.1 km/h
12 April 2025
Strongest gust
82.1 km/h
27 June 1986
Hottest feels-like
45.9 °C
24 July 1999
Coldest feels-like
-34.7 °C
10 January 1951
Snowiest day
13.4 cm
25 February 1959
Sunniest day
14.1 h
10 July 1981
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.4 °C | +3.3 °C | 1 mm | -3 mm |
| Feb | 5.9 °C | +1.2 °C | 0 mm | -7 mm |
| Mar | 15.2 °C | +3.0 °C | 9 mm | -4 mm |
| Apr | 23.8 °C | +2.7 °C | 16 mm | -9 mm |
| May | 27.2 °C | -0.6 °C | 53 mm | +10 mm |
| Jun | 34.0 °C | +2.5 °C | 44 mm | -41 mm |
| Jul | 33.0 °C | +1.5 °C | 199 mm | -2 mm |
| Aug | 30.8 °C | +0.9 °C | 223 mm | +35 mm |
| Sep | 28.0 °C | +1.9 °C | 20 mm | -47 mm |
| Oct | 17.7 °C | -1.6 °C | 81 mm | +50 mm |
| Nov | 13.5 °C | +3.5 °C | 4 mm | -10 mm |
| Dec | 4.4 °C | +1.7 °C | 3 mm | -1 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Beijing?
Beijing has a hot-summer humid continental, dry winter climate (Köppen Dwa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 12.3 °C and it receives 681 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Beijing?
The hottest day measured in Beijing between 1940 and 2025 was 10 June 1961, reaching 43.4 °C.
What is the coldest day in Beijing?
The coldest day measured in Beijing between 1940 and 2025 was 10 January 1951, at -29.4 °C.
Does it snow in Beijing?
Yes. Beijing gets on average 15.2 cm of snow per year and has around 129 frost days.
Has the climate of Beijing warmed?
Yes: Beijing warmed by +3.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Beijing?
The wettest day measured in Beijing between 1940 and 2025 was 4 August 1946, with 223 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Beijing?
The windiest day measured in Beijing between 1940 and 2025 was 12 April 2025, with winds reaching 42.1 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Beijing?
The warmest month in Beijing is July (27.0 °C on average); the coldest is January (-4.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Beijing?
Beijing receives on average 681 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 69 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Beijing?
Beijing gets on average 9.3 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,395 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Beijing?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Beijing between 1940 and 2025 was 25 February 1959, with 13.4 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Beijing?
Yes: Beijing has on average 67 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Beijing?
In Beijing, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 45.9 °C on 24 July 1999, and the lowest was -34.7 °C on 10 January 1951.
Compare Beijing with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Beijing