Climate and average weather in Dalian
In Dalian, the summers are muggy, warm, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are very cold, breezy, snowy, and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Dalian typically varies from -3°C to 26°C, and is rarely below -8°C or above 28°C. August is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Dalian for warm-weather activities is from late May to mid October.
- Hottest
- Aug
- 26°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -3°
- Wettest
- Aug
- 140 mm
- Driest
- Jan
- 7 mm
- Rain / yr
- 606 mm
- 62 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.3–14.7 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 33 m
- 38.9°N
- Clearest
- Oct
- 38% cloud
Dalian is city in Liaoning, China.
- Air quality
- Very high
- PM2.5 35.1 µg/m³ · 2018
- Density
- 361/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1904
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Dalian weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late May to mid October.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Dalian, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 3.9 months, from June 8 to October 3, with daily high temperatures above 19°C. The hottest month of the year in Dalian is August, with an average high of 26°C and low of 24°C.
The cool season lasts 3.4 months, from December 6 to March 19, with daily high temperatures below 5°C. The coldest month of the year in Dalian is January, with an average low of -3°C and high of 0°C.
Days typically run about 3°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 0 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 17 | 10 | 3 |
| Avg low (°C) | -3 | -2 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | -3 |
| Feb | 1 | -2 |
| Mar | 5 | 2 |
| Apr | 10 | 7 |
| May | 15 | 13 |
| Jun | 21 | 19 |
| Jul | 25 | 23 |
| Aug | 26 | 24 |
| Sep | 23 | 20 |
| Oct | 17 | 14 |
| Nov | 10 | 6 |
| Dec | 3 | 0 |
How hot and cold Dalian really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -10°C (around January 17), with roughly 128 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) — 18 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 0 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 23 | 17 | 10 | 3 |
| Air high (°C) | 0 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 17 | 10 | 3 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -10 | -8 | -3 | 4 | 13 | 18 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 14 | 2 | -6 |
| Air low (°C) | -3 | -2 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 | -10 | -3 |
| Feb | 1 | 1 | -8 | -2 |
| Mar | 5 | 5 | -3 | 2 |
| Apr | 10 | 10 | 4 | 7 |
| May | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 |
| Jun | 21 | 21 | 18 | 19 |
| Jul | 24 | 25 | 23 | 23 |
| Aug | 26 | 26 | 24 | 24 |
| Sep | 23 | 23 | 20 | 20 |
| Oct | 17 | 17 | 14 | 14 |
| Nov | 10 | 10 | 2 | 6 |
| Dec | 3 | 3 | -6 | 0 |
Average hourly temperature in Dalian
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on August afternoons, near 26°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -3°C.
Dalian weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0° / -3° | 7 | 1.9 | 2 | 9.6 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 1° / -2° | 10 | 2 | 1 | 10.5 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 5° / 2° | 15 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 11.7 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 10° / 7° | 36 | 5.4 | 0.1 | 13 | 2.5 |
| May | 15° / 13° | 59 | 6 | 0 | 14.1 | 5.3 |
| Jun | 21° / 19° | 80 | 6.8 | 0 | 14.7 | 7.0 |
| Jul | 25° / 23° | 136 | 9.5 | 0 | 14.4 | 7.0 |
| Aug | 26° / 24° | 140 | 8.7 | 0 | 13.5 | 7.1 |
| Sep | 23° / 20° | 51 | 5.3 | 0 | 12.3 | 7.8 |
| Oct | 17° / 14° | 33 | 5.6 | 0 | 11 | 6.2 |
| Nov | 10° / 6° | 28 | 4.7 | 0.8 | 9.9 | 2.5 |
| Dec | 3° / -0° | 12 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 9.3 | 0.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Dalian gets about 606 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.0 months, from around Apr 13 to Sep 10, peaking in July at about 36% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 30.
August is the wettest month by volume, with 140 mm over about 9 wet days; January is the driest, with 7 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 6 | 7 | 10 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 31 | 28 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 10 |
| Rain days | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | 2 |
| Feb | 7 | 2 |
| Mar | 10 | 3 |
| Apr | 18 | 5 |
| May | 20 | 6 |
| Jun | 21 | 7 |
| Jul | 31 | 10 |
| Aug | 28 | 9 |
| Sep | 18 | 5 |
| Oct | 17 | 6 |
| Nov | 16 | 5 |
| Dec | 10 | 3 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Dalian collects about 606 mm of rain across 62 wet days — roughly 51 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. August is the wettest month with 140 mm, while January is the driest at just 7 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 59% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 7 | 10 | 15 | 36 | 59 | 80 | 136 | 140 | 51 | 33 | 28 | 12 |
| Rain days | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Snow days | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| Feb | 10 | 2 | 1 |
| Mar | 15 | 3 | 1 |
| Apr | 36 | 5 | 0 |
| May | 59 | 6 | 0 |
| Jun | 80 | 7 | 0 |
| Jul | 136 | 10 | 0 |
| Aug | 140 | 9 | 0 |
| Sep | 51 | 5 | 0 |
| Oct | 33 | 6 | 0 |
| Nov | 28 | 5 | 1 |
| Dec | 12 | 3 | 2 |
Snow in Dalian
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Dalian averages about 7 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 7 to Mar 19 — about 4.4 months.
January is snowiest, with roughly 1.9 days of snow and an estimated 6 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 22 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | 6 |
| Feb | 1 | 6 |
| Mar | 1 | 2 |
| Apr | 0 | 0 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 1 | 3 |
| Dec | 2 | 5 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Dalian, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around September 2 and lasts for 2.6 months, ending around November 18. The clearest month is October, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 70% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around May 4 and lasts for 4.0 months, ending around September 1. The cloudiest month is July, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 47% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 59 | 68 | 68 | 65 | 60 | 56 | 53 | 57 | 64 | 70 | 63 | 56 |
| Cloudier (%) | 41 | 32 | 32 | 35 | 40 | 44 | 47 | 43 | 36 | 30 | 37 | 44 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 41 |
| Feb | 68 | 32 |
| Mar | 68 | 32 |
| Apr | 65 | 35 |
| May | 60 | 40 |
| Jun | 56 | 44 |
| Jul | 53 | 47 |
| Aug | 57 | 43 |
| Sep | 64 | 36 |
| Oct | 70 | 30 |
| Nov | 63 | 37 |
| Dec | 56 | 44 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 10, brings about 14 h 42 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 9 h 18 min — a swing of roughly 5 h 24 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.6 | 10.5 | 11.7 | 13.0 | 14.1 | 14.7 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:16 | 6:54 | 6:13 | 5:23 | 4:46 | 4:32 | 4:45 | 5:12 | 5:40 | 6:10 | 6:44 | 7:11 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:49 | 5:23 | 5:54 | 6:24 | 6:53 | 7:15 | 7:14 | 6:44 | 5:55 | 5:08 | 4:34 | 4:28 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.6 | 7:16 | 4:49 |
| Feb | 10.5 | 6:54 | 5:23 |
| Mar | 11.7 | 6:13 | 5:54 |
| Apr | 13.0 | 5:23 | 6:24 |
| May | 14.1 | 4:46 | 6:53 |
| Jun | 14.7 | 4:32 | 7:15 |
| Jul | 14.4 | 4:45 | 7:14 |
| Aug | 13.5 | 5:12 | 6:44 |
| Sep | 12.3 | 5:40 | 5:55 |
| Oct | 11.0 | 6:10 | 5:08 |
| Nov | 9.9 | 6:44 | 4:34 |
| Dec | 9.3 | 7:11 | 4:28 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Dalian averages about 15 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 11 and 18 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 2.6 months, from around Aug 29 to Nov 15. The sunniest month is October, with roughly 18 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is July, down near 12 sunny days — about 35% fewer than the October peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 14 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 13 |
| Sky | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Mixed |
| Feb | 15 | Bright |
| Mar | 17 | Bright |
| Apr | 16 | Bright |
| May | 14 | Mixed |
| Jun | 13 | Mixed |
| Jul | 12 | Mixed |
| Aug | 14 | Mixed |
| Sep | 16 | Bright |
| Oct | 18 | Bright |
| Nov | 15 | Mixed |
| Dec | 13 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Dalian, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 3.9 months, from around June 4 to October 1. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 100% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around October 2 to June 3, and May is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 98% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 83 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 73 | 98 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 41 | 6 | 6 | 26 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 40 | 25 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oppressive (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 50 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miserable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 83 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 9 | 23 | 41 | 25 | 2 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 | 6 | 40 | 46 | 8 |
| Aug | 1 | 2 | 6 | 25 | 50 | 15 |
| Sep | 22 | 17 | 26 | 26 | 9 | 0 |
| Oct | 73 | 16 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 98 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Dalian is typically light breeze, near 19 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 7.1 months, from around Oct 7 to May 10. The windiest month is December, averaging about 23 km/h (breezy).
The calmer part of the year runs from around May 11 to Oct 6, with August the calmest month at about 15 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 23 |
| Feels | breezy | breezy | breezy | breezy | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | breezy | breezy | breezy |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | breezy |
| Feb | 21 | breezy |
| Mar | 20 | breezy |
| Apr | 20 | breezy |
| May | 19 | light breeze |
| Jun | 16 | light breeze |
| Jul | 15 | light breeze |
| Aug | 15 | light breeze |
| Sep | 17 | light breeze |
| Oct | 20 | breezy |
| Nov | 23 | breezy |
| Dec | 23 | breezy |
Hazard calendar for Dalian
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Dalian sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Dalian's rainy season runs June–August, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Dalian
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Dalian throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early June, Dalian is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Dalian for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to mid October, with a peak score in the second week of September.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 5.3 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 7.7 | 6.2 | 2.5 | 0.1 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | good | good | good | ideal | good | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.0 | poor |
| Mar | 0.2 | poor |
| Apr | 2.5 | poor |
| May | 5.3 | fair |
| Jun | 7.0 | good |
| Jul | 7.0 | good |
| Aug | 7.1 | good |
| Sep | 7.7 | ideal |
| Oct | 6.2 | good |
| Nov | 2.5 | poor |
| Dec | 0.1 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Dalian for hot-weather activities is from late June to mid September, with a peak score in the last week of August.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Dalian, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around August (highs near 26°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 0°C), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and a windbreaker.
In August, Dalian sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 24°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Dalian
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 24°C and coldest in February near 3°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 5 to Oct 4 — about 3 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 9 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Bracing |
| Feb | 3 | Bracing |
| Mar | 4 | Bracing |
| Apr | 7 | Bracing |
| May | 12 | Bracing |
| Jun | 17 | Cool |
| Jul | 22 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 24 | Warm |
| Sep | 23 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 19 | Cool |
| Nov | 14 | Bracing |
| Dec | 9 | Bracing |
UV index (midday) in Dalian by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dalian peaks around August 18 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | High | High | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 7 | High |
| Aug | 7 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Dalian
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in August the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 7 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 3.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 3 | 0 |
| Apr | 5.5 | 0 |
| May | 6.5 | 1 |
| Jun | 7 | 2 |
| Jul | 7.5 | 3 |
| Aug | 7 | 3.5 |
| Sep | 6.5 | 3 |
| Oct | 3 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Dalian by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Dalian is worst in March — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (September, 24 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Dalian's WHO annual average of 35.1 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 36 | 41 | 52 | 49 | 41 | 33 | 30 | 25 | 24 | 29 | 32 | 30 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | Poor |
| Feb | 41 | Poor |
| Mar | 52 | Poor |
| Apr | 49 | Poor |
| May | 41 | Poor |
| Jun | 33 | Moderate |
| Jul | 30 | Moderate |
| Aug | 25 | Moderate |
| Sep | 24 | Moderate |
| Oct | 29 | Moderate |
| Nov | 32 | Moderate |
| Dec | 30 | Moderate |
Growing season
The growing season in Dalian typically lasts about 284 days, from around March 4 to December 12 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from March 22 to November 19.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 15 | 26 | 76 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 91 | 46 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | 31 |
| Feb | 26 | 28 |
| Mar | 76 | 22 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 91 | 12 |
| Dec | 46 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Dalian banks about 1,809 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 127 | 287 | 420 | 454 | 342 | 169 | 7 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 4 |
| May | 127 |
| Jun | 287 |
| Jul | 420 |
| Aug | 454 |
| Sep | 342 |
| Oct | 169 |
| Nov | 7 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Dalian receives about 4.4 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.2 and 6.4 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.7 months, from around Mar 6 to Sep 26. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.2 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 2.2 kWh/m² — roughly 65% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 2.6 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 5.7 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 4.8 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.6 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3.6 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4.9 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.7 | Bright |
| May | 6.2 | Intense |
| Jun | 6.2 | Intense |
| Jul | 5.6 | Bright |
| Aug | 5.2 | Bright |
| Sep | 4.8 | Bright |
| Oct | 3.7 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2.5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2.1 | Moderate |
Where is Dalian?
Dalian sits at 38.9°N, 121.6°E, 33 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Sinŭiju, 274 km away.
What Dalian looks like
Topography around Dalian
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Dalian.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Dalian has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 218 m around an average of 35 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 442 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 677 m.
The land around Dalian is covered by artificial surfaces (77%) within 3 km, water (45%), artificial surfaces (27%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and water (71%) within 80 km.
China travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / I
- 220 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 47% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $13,862
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.1 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Homicide rate
- 0.5
- per 100k, 2020
- Road deaths
- 17.4
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 464
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Dalian (38.9122°, 121.6022°, elevation 33 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).