Lijiang climate

Lijiang is warmest in June, with average highs of 23 °C, and coldest in January, when nights average -0.3 °C. July is the wettest month (319 mm) and December the driest (11 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.

Across a full year Lijiang averages 1,514 mm of rain, 15 days above 25 °C and 36 days below freezing.

China · population 211,151 · 1991–2020 normals

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar 10°
  4. Apr 13°
  5. May 17°
  6. Jun 18°
  7. Jul 18°
  8. Aug 17°
  9. Sep 16°
  10. Oct 14°
  11. Nov 10°
  12. Dec

Temperature below 0 °C to above 30 °C Rain band height is that month’s share of the wettest month

What to expectLijiang through the year

Lijiang has a clear annual cycle: average daily highs run from 12 °C in January to 23 °C in June, a swing of 12 °C in mean temperature across the year.

Counted across a normal year, 15 days a year reach 25 °C, 0 of them reach 30 °C, 36 nights drop below freezing. The warmest reading in the 1991–2020 record is 31 °C, in June.

Rain is strongly seasonal. July averages 319 mm against 11 mm in December — 29 times as much. Planning around the dry months matters more here than planning around temperature.

Month by month

Month Avg high Rainfall Cloud
January 12.3 °C 17 mm 24 %
February 14.2 °C 18 mm 28 %
March 17.3 °C 34 mm 36 %
April 20.3 °C 49 mm 46 %
May 22.3 °C 120 mm 60 %
June 22.9 °C 261 mm 84 %
July 21.9 °C 319 mm 92 %
August 21.5 °C 274 mm 88 %
September 20.1 °C 261 mm 83 %
October 18.3 °C 121 mm 58 %
November 15.4 °C 29 mm 35 %
December 13.0 °C 11 mm 23 %

Temperature month by month

MonthAvg highAvg lowMeanRecord highRecord lowDays above 25 °CDays above 30 °CDays below 0 °C
January12.3 °C-0.3 °C5.8 °C19.7 °C-8.2 °C0017
February14.2 °C0.6 °C7.3 °C22.0 °C-7.6 °C0010
March17.3 °C3.0 °C10.2 °C26.0 °C-1.3 °C001
April20.3 °C6.6 °C13.4 °C28.4 °C0.0 °C100
May22.3 °C10.8 °C16.5 °C30.2 °C5.4 °C700
June22.9 °C14.2 °C18.1 °C30.7 °C9.4 °C600
July21.9 °C14.6 °C17.7 °C27.5 °C9.4 °C100
August21.5 °C14.1 °C17.3 °C26.8 °C10.1 °C100
September20.1 °C12.9 °C16.0 °C25.4 °C6.3 °C000
October18.3 °C9.5 °C13.7 °C23.9 °C-0.4 °C000
November15.4 °C4.2 °C9.8 °C21.0 °C-0.9 °C000
December13.0 °C1.0 °C6.9 °C18.6 °C-14.8 °C008

Rain, sun and wind month by month

MonthRainfallWet daysDaylightCloud coverHumidityWind
January17 mm311 h/day24 %61 %12 km/h
February18 mm411 h/day28 %60 %14 km/h
March34 mm712 h/day36 %61 %14 km/h
April49 mm913 h/day46 %62 %13 km/h
May120 mm1313 h/day60 %67 %11 km/h
June261 mm2114 h/day84 %79 %8.5 km/h
July319 mm2714 h/day92 %87 %7.1 km/h
August274 mm2713 h/day88 %88 %6.7 km/h
September261 mm2512 h/day83 %87 %7.0 km/h
October121 mm1512 h/day58 %79 %8.0 km/h
November29 mm511 h/day35 %70 %9.1 km/h
December11 mm310 h/day23 %64 %9.8 km/h

How Lijiang compares

The same four figures for nearby destinations, so the numbers above have something to be read against. Summer high is the warmest month's average high; winter low is the coldest month's average low.

Destination Summer high Winter low Rain per year Days above 25 °C
Lijiang 23 °C -0.3 °C 1,514 mm 15
Shangri-La · China 18 °C -8.1 °C 1,162 mm 0
Dali · China 24 °C 4.6 °C 1,249 mm 47
Panzhihua · China 31 °C 8.2 °C 1,632 mm 215
Lushui · China 30 °C 9.5 °C 2,590 mm 253
Baoshan · China 24 °C 4.3 °C 1,432 mm 57
Xichang · China 26 °C 2.5 °C 1,169 mm 105

Where Lijiang ranks

Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Lijiang.

QuestionsCommon questions about Lijiang’s climate

When is the best time to visit Lijiang?

That depends on what you want, so the honest answer is a comparison rather than a single month. June, July, August sit closest to 20 °C on average, June is the warmest month and December the driest. The month-by-month table above has the full picture.

How hot does Lijiang get?

In June, the warmest month, daily highs average 23 °C. About 0 days a year pass 30 °C. The highest value in the 1991–2020 record is 31 °C.

How cold does it get in winter?

Nights average -0.3 °C in January, the coldest month. A normal year has 36 nights below freezing.

Which month is wettest in Lijiang?

July, averaging 319 mm over 27 days with rain. The driest month is December with 11 mm. The year as a whole averages 1,514 mm.

Are these figures a forecast?

No. They are 1991–2020 climate normals: the average of thirty years, which describes what a month is usually like in Lijiang rather than what any particular week will bring. Individual years can differ substantially from the normal.

Data sources and method

Normal period
1991–2020
Dataset version
era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
Last processed

Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: monthly rankings, daylight hours, beach and comfort scores. Full formulas are on the methodology page.

Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.