Jiuquan climate — normals and trends
Jiuquan (China) has a cold desert climate (BWk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 7.9 °C and it receives 119 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 (22.3 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-8.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.
Jiuquan averages 158 frost days, 26 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 29 rainy days per year.
No statistically significant temperature trend emerges for Jiuquan between 1940 and 2025: over this span, year-to-year swings outweigh the climate signal.
The hottest day of the period reached 40.1 °C (on 16 July 1944) and the coldest -29.7 °C (on 26 December 2002).
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
JiuquanGansu
- coords
- 39.74°, 98.52°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
7.9°C
Average daily high
14.1°C
Average daily low
2.2°C
Annual rainfall
119mm
Sunshine / day
10.5h
Mean relative humidity
43%
Average peak wind
14.2km/h
Seasonal range
30.8°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
158 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
26 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
29 d/yr
Annual snowfall
19.5 cm
Average feels-like high
10.9 °C
Average feels-like low
-1.4 °C
Average peak gust
28.1 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
6 d/yr
Solar radiation
18.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
No clear trend over this period
Over a short window, year-to-year swings outweigh the climate signal. Try 86 years.
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
40.1 °C
16 July 1944
Coldest day
-29.7 °C
26 December 2002
Wettest day
54 mm
24 August 1955
Windiest day
57.0 km/h
24 April 2010
Strongest gust
102.2 km/h
24 April 2010
Hottest feels-like
39.1 °C
27 July 2010
Coldest feels-like
-34.8 °C
26 December 2002
Snowiest day
9.7 cm
11 April 2010
Sunniest day
14.8 h
24 June 1957
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 | 0.0 °C | +2.9 °C | 2 mm | -2 mm |
| Feb | 2.2 °C | +1.1 °C | 2 mm | -3 mm |
| Mar | 8.7 °C | -0.2 °C | 6 mm | -2 mm |
| Apr | 19.1 °C | +2.3 °C | 6 mm | -1 mm |
| May | 24.8 °C | +2.1 °C | 14 mm | +4 mm |
| Jun | 28.5 °C | +1.7 °C | 11 mm | -2 mm |
| Jul | 29.6 °C | +1.2 °C | 26 mm | +6 mm |
| Aug | 27.5 °C | +0.4 °C | 35 mm | +11 mm |
| Sep | 23.3 °C | +1.4 °C | 5 mm | -8 mm |
| Oct | 13.8 °C | -1.0 °C | 5 mm | 0 mm |
| Nov | 7.2 °C | +1.7 °C | 2 mm | -4 mm |
| Dec | 1.0 °C | +2.6 °C | 8 mm | +4 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 Jiuquan?
Jiuquan has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 7.9 °C and it receives 119 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Jiuquan?
The hottest day measured in Jiuquan between 1940 and 2025 was 16 July 1944, reaching 40.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Jiuquan?
The coldest day measured in Jiuquan between 1940 and 2025 was 26 December 2002, at -29.7 °C.
Does it snow in Jiuquan?
Yes. Jiuquan gets on average 19.5 cm of snow per year and has around 158 frost days.
Has the climate of Jiuquan warmed?
Between 1940 and 2025, no statistically significant temperature trend emerges in Jiuquan.
What is the wettest day in Jiuquan?
The wettest day measured in Jiuquan between 1940 and 2025 was 24 August 1955, with 54 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Jiuquan?
The windiest day measured in Jiuquan between 1940 and 2025 was 24 April 2010, with winds reaching 57.0 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Jiuquan?
The warmest month in Jiuquan is July (22.3 °C on average); the coldest is January (-8.5 °C).
How much does it rain in Jiuquan?
Jiuquan receives on average 119 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 29 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Jiuquan?
Jiuquan gets on average 10.5 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,833 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Jiuquan?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Jiuquan between 1940 and 2025 was 11 April 2010, with 9.7 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Jiuquan?
Yes: Jiuquan has on average 6 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Jiuquan?
In Jiuquan, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 39.1 °C on 27 July 2010, and the lowest was -34.8 °C on 26 December 2002.
Compare Jiuquan with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Jiuquan