Climate averages 1991–2020
Dunhuang weather
in December.
A freezing month with very little precipitation: the 11th warmest and the 5th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a freezing month in Dunhuang: daytime highs average -0.3°C and nights cool to about -8.7°C. By daytime temperature it is the 11th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 1.3 mm of precipitation on fewer than one day, which makes December a month with very little precipitation (the 5th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 9 h 22 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Laojunmiao (262 km away). In December its highs average -2.1°C, 1.9°C cooler than Dunhuang, with 4.6 mm of precipitation.
Among the 884 cities listed in China, Dunhuang ranks 729th of 884 for the warmest December highs and joint 17th of 884 for the driest December (precipitation, lowest first). The mean December high of those 884 cities is 7.5°C; Dunhuang is 7.8°C cooler than that mean.
From December to January, average highs fall by 1.1°C to -1.3°C, and monthly precipitation falls from 1.3 mm to under 1 mm.
The annual picture
December in context
Monthly precipitation
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Dunhuang climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Precipitation mm/month | Wet days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -1.3°C-10.5°C | -10.5°C | 0.5 | 0.1 | 9.710 h |
| February | 5.3°C-6.0°C | -6.0°C | 0.6 | 0.3 | 10.611 h |
| March | 13.8°C-0.3°C | -0.3°C | 1.7 | 0.5 | 11.912 h |
| April | 22.0°C6.9°C | 6.9°C | 2.2 | 0.7 | 13.213 h |
| May | 27.6°C12.6°C | 12.6°C | 4.7 | 1.0 | 14.414 h |
| June | 32.4°C18.2°C | 18.2°C | 8.0 | 1.6 | 15.015 h |
| July | 34.8°C21.1°C | 21.1°C | 6.5 | 1.4 | 14.715 h |
| August | 33.4°C19.4°C | 19.4°C | 4.6 | 1.0 | 13.814 h |
| September | 27.4°C13.1°C | 13.1°C | 2.5 | 0.5 | 12.512 h |
| October | 18.3°C4.8°C | 4.8°C | 0.8 | 0.4 | 11.211 h |
| November | 7.9°C-2.8°C | -2.8°C | 1.1 | 0.3 | 10.010 h |
| December, selected | -0.3°C-8.7°C | -8.7°C | 1.3 | 0.4 | 9.49 h |
Precipitation (rain or snow, as water) is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A wet day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
December in nearby cities
- Laojunmiao in DecemberChina · 262 kmHigh -2.1°C · Low -11.7°C · 4.6 mm precipitation
- Jiayuguan in DecemberChina · 309 kmHigh -1.8°C · Low -10.2°C · 3.7 mm precipitation
- Hami in DecemberChina · 312 kmHigh -2.3°C · Low -10.7°C · 1.7 mm precipitation
- Jiuquan in DecemberChina · 330 kmHigh -1.6°C · Low -9.8°C · 3.3 mm precipitation
- Zhangye in DecemberChina · 513 kmHigh 1.1°C · Low -10.7°C · 2.5 mm precipitation
- Turpan in DecemberChina · 552 kmHigh 1.3°C · Low -6.5°C · 0.8 mm precipitation
- Jinchang in DecemberChina · 672 kmHigh 0.7°C · Low -10.2°C · 0.8 mm precipitation
- Qiaotou in DecemberChina · 706 kmHigh -0.9°C · Low -16.4°C · 3.8 mm precipitation
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Dunhuang) is explained once on the Dunhuang year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.