Climate averages 1991–2020
Dunhuang weather
in January.
A freezing month with very little precipitation: the coolest and the driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
January is a freezing month in Dunhuang: daytime highs average -1.3°C and nights cool to about -10.5°C. By daytime temperature it is the coolest month of the year.
Precipitation is very rare: less than 1 mm falls in a typical January (the driest month of the year). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 9 h 40 min on an average January day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Laojunmiao (262 km away). In January its highs average -4.0°C, 2.7°C cooler than Dunhuang, with 4.1 mm of precipitation.
Among the 884 cities listed in China, Dunhuang ranks 721st of 884 for the warmest January highs and 2nd of 884 for the driest January (precipitation, lowest first). The mean January high of those 884 cities is 5.9°C; Dunhuang is 7.2°C cooler than that mean.
From January to February, average highs rise by 6.6°C to 5.3°C, and monthly precipitation stays under 1 mm.
The annual picture
January 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, selected | -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 | -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
January in nearby cities
- Laojunmiao in JanuaryChina · 262 kmHigh -4.0°C · Low -13.6°C · 4.1 mm precipitation
- Jiayuguan in JanuaryChina · 309 kmHigh -3.4°C · Low -11.9°C · 3.1 mm precipitation
- Hami in JanuaryChina · 312 kmHigh -3.2°C · Low -12.8°C · 1.2 mm precipitation
- Jiuquan in JanuaryChina · 330 kmHigh -3.1°C · Low -11.5°C · 2.5 mm precipitation
- Zhangye in JanuaryChina · 513 kmHigh -0.3°C · Low -13.0°C · 1.6 mm precipitation
- Turpan in JanuaryChina · 552 kmHigh 0.4°C · Low -8.1°C · 0.7 mm precipitation
- Jinchang in JanuaryChina · 672 kmHigh -0.9°C · Low -11.8°C · 1.1 mm precipitation
- Qiaotou in JanuaryChina · 706 kmHigh -1.7°C · Low -17.2°C · 5.0 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.