Yushu climate — normals and trends
Yushu (China) has a tundra climate (ET) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is -4.0 °C and it receives 758 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 (9.6 °C on average) and the coldest is December (-17.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in June.
Yushu averages 259 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 147 rainy days per year.
Yushu has warmed by +2.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.26 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 272 to 246 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 22.9 °C (on 21 August 2016) and the coldest -41.4 °C (on 1 January 1953).
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
YushuQinghai
- coords
- 33.00°, 97.01°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
-4.0°C
Average daily high
2.2°C
Average daily low
-10.6°C
Annual rainfall
758mm
Sunshine / day
10.3h
Mean relative humidity
70%
Average peak wind
8.5km/h
Seasonal range
27.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
259 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
147 d/yr
Annual snowfall
173.7 cm
Average feels-like high
-0.4 °C
Average feels-like low
-14.5 °C
Average peak gust
35.0 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.3 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.2 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.34 · 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
22.9 °C
21 August 2016
Coldest day
-41.4 °C
1 January 1953
Wettest day
34 mm
27 July 2011
Windiest day
29.5 km/h
5 February 2025
Strongest gust
95.0 km/h
5 February 2025
Hottest feels-like
23.8 °C
9 August 2022
Coldest feels-like
-46.7 °C
1 January 1953
Snowiest day
18.4 cm
16 October 1983
Sunniest day
13.9 h
29 June 1942
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 | -1.8 °C | +8.6 °C | 7 mm | -2 mm |
| Feb | -3.0 °C | +4.5 °C | 23 mm | +11 mm |
| Mar | -4.3 °C | -0.5 °C | 33 mm | +12 mm |
| Apr | 3.7 °C | +2.3 °C | 59 mm | +27 mm |
| May | 9.0 °C | +0.9 °C | 80 mm | +5 mm |
| Jun | 11.9 °C | -0.3 °C | 158 mm | +18 mm |
| Jul | 16.4 °C | +2.0 °C | 84 mm | -56 mm |
| Aug | 15.5 °C | +1.3 °C | 145 mm | +22 mm |
| Sep | 13.9 °C | +2.7 °C | 97 mm | -24 mm |
| Oct | 7.0 °C | +3.8 °C | 70 mm | +9 mm |
| Nov | -5.3 °C | +0.9 °C | 18 mm | +5 mm |
| Dec | -4.8 °C | +5.2 °C | 1 mm | -6 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 Yushu?
Yushu has a tundra climate (Köppen ET). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is -4.0 °C and it receives 758 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Yushu?
The hottest day measured in Yushu between 1940 and 2025 was 21 August 2016, reaching 22.9 °C.
What is the coldest day in Yushu?
The coldest day measured in Yushu between 1940 and 2025 was 1 January 1953, at -41.4 °C.
Does it snow in Yushu?
Yes. Yushu gets on average 173.7 cm of snow per year and has around 259 frost days.
Has the climate of Yushu warmed?
Yes: Yushu warmed by +2.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Yushu?
The wettest day measured in Yushu between 1940 and 2025 was 27 July 2011, with 34 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Yushu?
The windiest day measured in Yushu between 1940 and 2025 was 5 February 2025, with winds reaching 29.5 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Yushu?
The warmest month in Yushu is July (9.6 °C on average); the coldest is December (-17.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Yushu?
Yushu receives on average 758 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 147 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Yushu?
Yushu gets on average 10.3 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,760 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Yushu?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Yushu between 1940 and 2025 was 16 October 1983, with 18.4 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Yushu?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Yushu.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Yushu?
In Yushu, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 23.8 °C on 9 August 2022, and the lowest was -46.7 °C on 1 January 1953.
Compare Yushu with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Yushu