Lanzhou climate — normals and trends
Lanzhou (China) has a warm-summer humid continental, dry winter climate (Dwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 8.4 °C and it receives 496 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 (20.8 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-5.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.
Lanzhou averages 145 frost days, 13 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 87 rainy days per year.
Lanzhou has warmed by +1.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.23 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 154 to 136 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 38.7 °C (on 30 July 2010) and the coldest -25.6 °C (on 28 January 2008).
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
LanzhouGansu
- coords
- 36.06°, 103.84°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
8.4°C
Average daily high
14.5°C
Average daily low
3.2°C
Annual rainfall
496mm
Sunshine / day
9.6h
Mean relative humidity
55%
Average peak wind
11.7km/h
Seasonal range
26.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
145 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
13 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
87 d/yr
Annual snowfall
31.4 cm
Average feels-like high
12.1 °C
Average feels-like low
0.6 °C
Average peak gust
27.4 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
2 d/yr
Solar radiation
17.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.9 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.52 · 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
38.7 °C
30 July 2010
Coldest day
-25.6 °C
28 January 2008
Wettest day
149 mm
18 July 1946
Windiest day
37.6 km/h
8 April 2001
Strongest gust
84.2 km/h
11 April 1979
Hottest feels-like
39.0 °C
24 July 2000
Coldest feels-like
-30.4 °C
28 January 2008
Snowiest day
12.8 cm
17 April 1970
Sunniest day
14.0 h
20 May 1940
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 | 2.4 °C | +1.9 °C | 10 mm | +6 mm |
| Feb | 3.6 °C | -0.3 °C | 6 mm | -2 mm |
| Mar | 9.3 °C | -1.4 °C | 12 mm | -4 mm |
| Apr | 18.7 °C | +1.8 °C | 10 mm | -17 mm |
| May | 23.9 °C | +2.5 °C | 24 mm | -19 mm |
| Jun | 25.9 °C | +1.1 °C | 60 mm | -1 mm |
| Jul | 29.0 °C | +2.5 °C | 104 mm | +2 mm |
| Aug | 25.2 °C | +0.1 °C | 164 mm | +60 mm |
| Sep | 22.2 °C | +2.2 °C | 98 mm | +21 mm |
| Oct | 13.5 °C | -1.0 °C | 96 mm | +56 mm |
| Nov | 8.2 °C | +0.6 °C | 16 mm | +6 mm |
| Dec | 4.5 °C | +2.8 °C | 2 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 Lanzhou?
Lanzhou has a warm-summer humid continental, dry winter climate (Köppen Dwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 8.4 °C and it receives 496 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Lanzhou?
The hottest day measured in Lanzhou between 1940 and 2025 was 30 July 2010, reaching 38.7 °C.
What is the coldest day in Lanzhou?
The coldest day measured in Lanzhou between 1940 and 2025 was 28 January 2008, at -25.6 °C.
Does it snow in Lanzhou?
Yes. Lanzhou gets on average 31.4 cm of snow per year and has around 145 frost days.
Has the climate of Lanzhou warmed?
Yes: Lanzhou warmed by +1.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Lanzhou?
The wettest day measured in Lanzhou between 1940 and 2025 was 18 July 1946, with 149 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Lanzhou?
The windiest day measured in Lanzhou between 1940 and 2025 was 8 April 2001, with winds reaching 37.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Lanzhou?
The warmest month in Lanzhou is July (20.8 °C on average); the coldest is January (-5.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Lanzhou?
Lanzhou receives on average 496 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 87 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Lanzhou?
Lanzhou gets on average 9.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,504 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Lanzhou?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Lanzhou between 1940 and 2025 was 17 April 1970, with 12.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Lanzhou?
Yes: Lanzhou has on average 2 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Lanzhou?
In Lanzhou, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 39.0 °C on 24 July 2000, and the lowest was -30.4 °C on 28 January 2008.
Compare Lanzhou with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Lanzhou