Datong weather in January

In January, Datong sees average daytime highs of -3°C and overnight lows near -15°C, with 3 mm of precipitation across 0.9 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -3°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Datong's 3rd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Datong's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-3°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-15°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3 mm
0.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:53 AM – 5:19 PM
Cloud cover
32%
3rd clearest
Wind
9 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Datong is prefecture-level city in Shanxi, China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 36.6 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
132/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -3°C through the month.

A typical January day in Datong reaches about -3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -15°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -9°C and 2°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 5°C cooler than February.

-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-3-15
2-3-15
3-3-15
4-3-15
5-3-15
6-3-15
7-3-15
8-3-15
9-3-15
10-3-15
11-3-15
12-3-16
13-3-16
14-3-16
15-3-16
16-3-16
17-3-16
18-3-16
19-3-16
20-3-16
21-3-16
22-3-16
23-3-15
24-3-15
25-3-15
26-2-15
27-2-15
28-2-15
29-2-15
30-2-15
31-2-15

How January really feels in Datong

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Datong weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -15°30.91.19.50.0
Feb / -11°51.81.810.40.0
Mar / -4°143.62.111.72.1
Apr17° / 274.70.9136.0
May23° / 3960.114.27.4
Jun27° / 15°599.4014.86.6
Jul28° / 18°9611.8014.65.6
Aug27° / 16°8810.5013.66.5
Sep22° / 10°678.8012.36.9
Oct15° / 325.40.210.95.2
Nov / -5°1331.59.80.9
Dec-1° / -12°30.81.29.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27822
37822
47822
57822
67723
77624
87624
97624
107525
117525
127525
137525
147525
157525
167525
177525
187525
197525
207525
217525
227525
237525
247525
257525
267525
277624
287525
297525
307525
317525

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Datong gets around 3 mm of rain and snow over 0.9 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 3% and peaks near 3% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
133
233
333
433
533
633
733
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2334
2434
2534
2634
2734
2834
2934
3034
3134

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:54 AM to 7:44 AM, and sunset from 5:06 PM to 5:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:545:06
29.27:545:07
39.27:545:07
49.27:545:08
59.27:555:09
69.37:555:10
79.37:545:11
89.37:545:12
99.37:545:13
109.37:545:13
119.37:545:14
129.47:545:15
139.47:545:16
149.47:535:17
159.47:535:18
169.47:535:19
179.57:525:21
189.57:525:22
199.57:525:23
209.57:515:24
219.67:515:25
229.67:505:26
239.67:505:27
249.77:495:28
259.77:485:29
269.77:485:30
279.77:475:32
289.87:465:33
299.87:465:34
309.87:455:35
319.97:445:36

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.34 kWh/m² to a high of 6.37 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.8 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.7Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Datong

In seasonPeak

None of Datong's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Datong sees seasonal dust haze (April–June), heaviest in May.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Datong?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Datong.

What to pack for Datong in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Datong sees daytime highs around -3°C and nights near -15°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Datong in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Datong peaks around May 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowMay 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Datong in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Datong is worst in March — around 47 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.9× the cleanest month (August, 25 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Datong's WHO annual average of 36.6 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorMar 1746 µg/m³Aug 1725 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan40Poor
Feb40Poor
Mar47Poor
Apr41Poor
May36Poor
Jun31Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct39Poor
Nov47Poor
Dec38Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Datong?

Datong sits at 40.1°N, 113.3°E, 1,054 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Beijing, 265 km away.

TianjinChengdeJinanSaynshandZhengzhouLuoyangSongyang

Topography around Datong

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Datong.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Datong has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 58 m around an average of 1,055 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 563 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,552 m.

The land around Datong is covered by artificial surfaces (81%) within 3 km, grassland (41%), artificial surfaces (27%) and cropland (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (53%) and cropland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
58 m
16 km
563 m
80 km
1,552 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Beijing 265 km · Tianjin 349 km · Chengde 406 km · Jinan 499 km · Saynshand 593 km · Zhengzhou 594 km · Luoyang 607 km · Songyang 627 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
unaffiliated 52%folk religion 22%Buddhist 18%Christian 5%

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 Datong (40.0936°, 113.2914°, elevation 1,054 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. 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).