Zhaotong climate — normals and trends
Zhaotong (China) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 11.8 °C and it receives 1,039 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 (19.4 °C on average) and the coldest is January (2.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in July.
Zhaotong averages 57 frost days, 1 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 172 rainy days per year.
Zhaotong has warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.13 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 33.2 °C (on 29 May 2023) and the coldest -17.2 °C (on 9 February 1977).
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
ZhaotongYunnan
- coords
- 27.32°, 103.72°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
11.8°C
Average daily high
17.1°C
Average daily low
7.8°C
Annual rainfall
1,039mm
Sunshine / day
7.5h
Mean relative humidity
76%
Average peak wind
11.0km/h
Seasonal range
16.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
57 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
1 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
172 d/yr
Annual snowfall
38.5 cm
Average feels-like high
16.1 °C
Average feels-like low
6.4 °C
Average peak gust
30.4 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
14.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.1 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.22 · 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
33.2 °C
29 May 2023
Coldest day
-17.2 °C
9 February 1977
Wettest day
109 mm
23 July 2019
Windiest day
33.2 km/h
17 June 1946
Strongest gust
86.0 km/h
9 February 1962
Hottest feels-like
34.1 °C
16 July 2022
Coldest feels-like
-21.6 °C
9 February 1977
Snowiest day
17.8 cm
11 January 1999
Sunniest day
13.7 h
12 June 2025
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 | 9.3 °C | +0.3 °C | 29 mm | +13 mm |
| Feb | 10.5 °C | -1.0 °C | 31 mm | +13 mm |
| Mar | 13.3 °C | -3.0 °C | 55 mm | +25 mm |
| Apr | 19.8 °C | +0.4 °C | 51 mm | -3 mm |
| May | 21.3 °C | +0.3 °C | 108 mm | +9 mm |
| Jun | 22.9 °C | +1.2 °C | 193 mm | +18 mm |
| Jul | 25.0 °C | +1.4 °C | 187 mm | -12 mm |
| Aug | 25.1 °C | +1.8 °C | 179 mm | +11 mm |
| Sep | 23.2 °C | +2.7 °C | 225 mm | +85 mm |
| Oct | 18.3 °C | +2.2 °C | 147 mm | +63 mm |
| Nov | 11.4 °C | -1.5 °C | 70 mm | +34 mm |
| Dec | 11.7 °C | +2.2 °C | 12 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 Zhaotong?
Zhaotong has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 11.8 °C and it receives 1,039 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Zhaotong?
The hottest day measured in Zhaotong between 1940 and 2025 was 29 May 2023, reaching 33.2 °C.
What is the coldest day in Zhaotong?
The coldest day measured in Zhaotong between 1940 and 2025 was 9 February 1977, at -17.2 °C.
Does it snow in Zhaotong?
Yes. Zhaotong gets on average 38.5 cm of snow per year and has around 57 frost days.
Has the climate of Zhaotong warmed?
Yes: Zhaotong warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Zhaotong?
The wettest day measured in Zhaotong between 1940 and 2025 was 23 July 2019, with 109 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Zhaotong?
The windiest day measured in Zhaotong between 1940 and 2025 was 17 June 1946, with winds reaching 33.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Zhaotong?
The warmest month in Zhaotong is July (19.4 °C on average); the coldest is January (2.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Zhaotong?
Zhaotong receives on average 1,039 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 172 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Zhaotong?
Zhaotong gets on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 2,738 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Zhaotong?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Zhaotong between 1940 and 2025 was 11 January 1999, with 17.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Zhaotong?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Zhaotong.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Zhaotong?
In Zhaotong, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 34.1 °C on 16 July 2022, and the lowest was -21.6 °C on 9 February 1977.
Compare Zhaotong with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Zhaotong