Zhangye climate — normals and trends
Zhangye (China) has a cold desert climate (BWk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 7.9 °C and it receives 164 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 (21.6 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-8.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.
Zhangye averages 164 frost days, 28 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 34 rainy days per year.
No statistically significant temperature trend emerges for Zhangye between 1940 and 2025: over this span, year-to-year swings outweigh the climate signal.
The hottest day of the period reached 41.1 °C (on 16 July 1944) and the coldest -30.6 °C (on 14 January 1958).
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
ZhangyeGansu
- coords
- 38.93°, 100.45°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
7.9°C
Average daily high
15.1°C
Average daily low
1.5°C
Annual rainfall
164mm
Sunshine / day
10.4h
Mean relative humidity
44%
Average peak wind
12.5km/h
Seasonal range
29.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
164 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
28 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
34 d/yr
Annual snowfall
15.2 cm
Average feels-like high
12.3 °C
Average feels-like low
-1.9 °C
Average peak gust
27.0 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
2 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
41.1 °C
16 July 1944
Coldest day
-30.6 °C
14 January 1958
Wettest day
85 mm
15 July 1946
Windiest day
48.2 km/h
9 April 1952
Strongest gust
86.8 km/h
9 April 1952
Hottest feels-like
41.2 °C
16 July 1944
Coldest feels-like
-36.1 °C
14 January 1958
Snowiest day
7.5 cm
24 October 2010
Sunniest day
14.4 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 | 2.4 °C | +2.7 °C | 6 mm | +4 mm |
| Feb | 4.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 2 mm | -1 mm |
| Mar | 9.8 °C | -0.5 °C | 3 mm | -4 mm |
| Apr | 19.5 °C | +2.2 °C | 6 mm | -3 mm |
| May | 24.9 °C | +2.0 °C | 15 mm | +3 mm |
| Jun | 28.4 °C | +1.6 °C | 13 mm | -9 mm |
| Jul | 30.7 °C | +2.4 °C | 35 mm | -2 mm |
| Aug | 27.8 °C | +0.8 °C | 39 mm | +2 mm |
| Sep | 25.0 °C | +2.7 °C | 8 mm | -14 mm |
| Oct | 16.1 °C | +0.4 °C | 8 mm | +1 mm |
| Nov | 8.7 °C | +1.5 °C | 4 mm | +0 mm |
| Dec | 3.9 °C | +3.1 °C | 9 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 Zhangye?
Zhangye has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 7.9 °C and it receives 164 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Zhangye?
The hottest day measured in Zhangye between 1940 and 2025 was 16 July 1944, reaching 41.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Zhangye?
The coldest day measured in Zhangye between 1940 and 2025 was 14 January 1958, at -30.6 °C.
Does it snow in Zhangye?
Yes. Zhangye gets on average 15.2 cm of snow per year and has around 164 frost days.
Has the climate of Zhangye warmed?
Between 1940 and 2025, no statistically significant temperature trend emerges in Zhangye.
What is the wettest day in Zhangye?
The wettest day measured in Zhangye between 1940 and 2025 was 15 July 1946, with 85 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Zhangye?
The windiest day measured in Zhangye between 1940 and 2025 was 9 April 1952, with winds reaching 48.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Zhangye?
The warmest month in Zhangye is July (21.6 °C on average); the coldest is January (-8.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Zhangye?
Zhangye receives on average 164 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 34 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Zhangye?
Zhangye gets on average 10.4 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,796 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Zhangye?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Zhangye between 1940 and 2025 was 24 October 2010, with 7.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Zhangye?
Yes: Zhangye has on average 2 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Zhangye?
In Zhangye, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 41.2 °C on 16 July 1944, and the lowest was -36.1 °C on 14 January 1958.
Compare Zhangye with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Zhangye