Climate and average weather in Dunhuang
In Dunhuang, the summers are sweltering, dry, and mostly clear and the winters are very cold and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Dunhuang typically varies from -12°C to 34°C, and is rarely below -17°C or above 38°C. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Dunhuang for warm-weather activities are from late March to late May and early September to late October.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 34°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -12°
- Wettest
- Jun
- 8 mm
- Driest
- Jan
- 1 mm
- Rain / yr
- 34 mm
- 8 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.1–14.9 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 1,131 m
- 40.2°N
- Clearest
- Oct
- 29% cloud
Dunhuang 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 March to late May.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Dunhuang, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.7 months, from May 4 to September 24, with daily high temperatures above 25°C. The hottest month of the year in Dunhuang is July, with an average high of 34°C and low of 21°C.
The cool season lasts 2.7 months, from November 24 to February 14, with daily high temperatures below 6°C. The coldest month of the year in Dunhuang is January, with an average low of -12°C and high of -1°C.
Days typically run about 13°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 15°C) in September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | -1 | 6 | 14 | 22 | 27 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 27 | 19 | 9 | 0 |
| Avg low (°C) | -12 | -7 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 12 | 4 | -4 | -10 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | -1 | -12 |
| Feb | 6 | -7 |
| Mar | 14 | 0 |
| Apr | 22 | 7 |
| May | 27 | 13 |
| Jun | 32 | 19 |
| Jul | 34 | 21 |
| Aug | 32 | 19 |
| Sep | 27 | 12 |
| Oct | 19 | 4 |
| Nov | 9 | -4 |
| Dec | 0 | -10 |
How hot and cold Dunhuang 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 hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Dunhuang feels like about 34°C (around July 21). About 63 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in July.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -18°C (around January 5), with roughly 165 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) — 93 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | -1 | 6 | 14 | 22 | 27 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 27 | 19 | 8 | 0 |
| Air high (°C) | -1 | 6 | 14 | 22 | 27 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 27 | 19 | 9 | 0 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -18 | -12 | -5 | 4 | 13 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 11 | 1 | -8 | -16 |
| Air low (°C) | -12 | -7 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 12 | 4 | -4 | -10 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -1 | -1 | -18 | -12 |
| Feb | 6 | 6 | -12 | -7 |
| Mar | 14 | 14 | -5 | 0 |
| Apr | 22 | 22 | 4 | 7 |
| May | 27 | 27 | 13 | 13 |
| Jun | 32 | 32 | 19 | 19 |
| Jul | 34 | 34 | 21 | 21 |
| Aug | 32 | 32 | 19 | 19 |
| Sep | 27 | 27 | 11 | 12 |
| Oct | 19 | 19 | 1 | 4 |
| Nov | 8 | 9 | -8 | -4 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 | -16 | -10 |
Average hourly temperature in Dunhuang
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 July afternoons, near 34°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -12°C.
Dunhuang 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 | -1° / -12° | 1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 9.5 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 6° / -7° | 1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 10.4 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 14° / -1° | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 11.7 | 5.0 |
| Apr | 22° / 7° | 2 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 13 | 8.2 |
| May | 27° / 13° | 5 | 1 | 0 | 14.2 | 7.7 |
| Jun | 32° / 19° | 8 | 1.6 | 0 | 14.8 | 5.1 |
| Jul | 34° / 21° | 7 | 1.4 | 0 | 14.6 | 3.9 |
| Aug | 32° / 19° | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13.6 | 4.9 |
| Sep | 27° / 12° | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 12.3 | 8.1 |
| Oct | 19° / 4° | 1 | 0.4 | 0 | 10.9 | 7.7 |
| Nov | 9° / -4° | 1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 9.8 | 2.2 |
| Dec | 0° / -10° | 1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 9.2 | 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.
Dunhuang gets about 34 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, and that barely changes with the seasons — rain is spread fairly evenly through the year.
June is the wettest month by volume, with 8 mm over about 2 wet days; January is the driest, with 1 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Rain days | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 1 | 0 |
| Mar | 2 | 1 |
| Apr | 2 | 1 |
| May | 3 | 1 |
| Jun | 5 | 2 |
| Jul | 4 | 1 |
| Aug | 3 | 1 |
| Sep | 2 | 1 |
| Oct | 1 | 0 |
| Nov | 1 | 0 |
| Dec | 1 | 0 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Dunhuang collects about 34 mm of rain across 8 wet days — roughly 3 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. June is the wettest month with 8 mm, while January is the driest at just 1 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 56% 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) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Rain days | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Snow days | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Apr | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| May | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Jul | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Aug | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Dunhuang, 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 July 8 and lasts for 4.5 months, ending around November 21. The clearest month is October, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 78% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around January 10 and lasts for 5.9 months, ending around July 7. The cloudiest month is March, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 39% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 66 | 62 | 61 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 73 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 71 | 68 |
| Cloudier (%) | 34 | 38 | 39 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 27 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 29 | 32 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66 | 34 |
| Feb | 62 | 38 |
| Mar | 61 | 39 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 |
| May | 62 | 38 |
| Jun | 62 | 38 |
| Jul | 73 | 27 |
| Aug | 76 | 24 |
| Sep | 77 | 23 |
| Oct | 78 | 22 |
| Nov | 71 | 29 |
| Dec | 68 | 32 |
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 18, brings about 14 h 54 min of light; the shortest, around December 18, only 9 h 06 min — a swing of roughly 5 h 48 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.4 | 11.7 | 13.0 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.3 | 10.9 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 9:07 | 8:43 | 8:01 | 7:10 | 6:31 | 6:16 | 6:29 | 6:57 | 7:28 | 7:59 | 8:34 | 9:03 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:34 | 7:08 | 7:41 | 8:13 | 8:44 | 9:07 | 9:05 | 8:33 | 7:43 | 6:54 | 6:19 | 6:12 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.5 | 9:07 | 6:34 |
| Feb | 10.4 | 8:43 | 7:08 |
| Mar | 11.7 | 8:01 | 7:41 |
| Apr | 13.0 | 7:10 | 8:13 |
| May | 14.2 | 6:31 | 8:44 |
| Jun | 14.8 | 6:16 | 9:07 |
| Jul | 14.6 | 6:29 | 9:05 |
| Aug | 13.6 | 6:57 | 8:33 |
| Sep | 12.3 | 7:28 | 7:43 |
| Oct | 10.9 | 7:59 | 6:54 |
| Nov | 9.8 | 8:34 | 6:19 |
| Dec | 9.2 | 9:03 | 6:12 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Dunhuang averages about 17 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 14 and 21 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 4.9 months, from around Jul 9 to Dec 3. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 21 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is March, down near 14 sunny days — about 31% fewer than the September peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 16 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 17 |
| Sky | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Bright |
| Feb | 13 | Mixed |
| Mar | 15 | Mixed |
| Apr | 15 | Mixed |
| May | 15 | Mixed |
| Jun | 15 | Bright |
| Jul | 18 | Bright |
| Aug | 20 | Bright |
| Sep | 20 | Bright |
| Oct | 21 | Bright |
| Nov | 18 | Bright |
| Dec | 17 | Bright |
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 Dunhuang, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in August, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 1% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 95 | 97 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 98 | 1 | 1 |
| Jul | 95 | 4 | 0 |
| Aug | 97 | 3 | 1 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 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 Dunhuang is typically light breeze, near 12 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 6.6 months, from around Mar 1 to Sep 17. The windiest month is April, averaging about 15 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Sep 18 to Feb 28, with January the calmest month at about 10 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 10 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| Feels | calm | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | calm |
| Feb | 12 | calm |
| Mar | 13 | light breeze |
| Apr | 15 | light breeze |
| May | 14 | light breeze |
| Jun | 14 | light breeze |
| Jul | 13 | light breeze |
| Aug | 13 | light breeze |
| Sep | 12 | light breeze |
| Oct | 11 | calm |
| Nov | 10 | calm |
| Dec | 10 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Dunhuang
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Dunhuang sees dust haze year-round, heaviest in May.
Best time to visit Dunhuang
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Dunhuang throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid May, Dunhuang is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
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 times of year to visit Dunhuang for general outdoor tourist activities run from late March to late May and again from early September to late October, with a peak score in the last 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 | 0.8 | 5.0 | 8.2 | 7.7 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 8.1 | 7.6 | 2.2 | 0.0 |
| Rating | poor | poor | fair | ideal | ideal | fair | fair | fair | ideal | ideal | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.8 | poor |
| Mar | 5.0 | fair |
| Apr | 8.2 | ideal |
| May | 7.7 | ideal |
| Jun | 5.1 | fair |
| Jul | 3.9 | fair |
| Aug | 4.9 | fair |
| Sep | 8.1 | ideal |
| Oct | 7.6 | ideal |
| Nov | 2.2 | poor |
| Dec | 0.0 | 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 Dunhuang for hot-weather activities is from late April to late September, with a peak score in the first week of September.
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 Dunhuang, 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 July (highs near 34°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near -1°C), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.
In July, Dunhuang sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
UV index (midday) in Dunhuang 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 Dunhuang peaks around July 16 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 2 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | High | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Dunhuang
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 July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6 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 | 1 | 5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 9 | 8 | 6.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 6 | 6 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 1 | 0 |
| Mar | 5 | 0 |
| Apr | 6.5 | 2.5 |
| May | 7.5 | 3.5 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 9 | 6 |
| Aug | 8 | 5.5 |
| Sep | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| Oct | 4.5 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Dunhuang 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 Dunhuang is worst in March — around 276 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 125 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 179 | 180 | 276 | 222 | 218 | 139 | 136 | 169 | 133 | 167 | 145 | 125 |
| Level | Very unhealthy | Very unhealthy | Very unhealthy | Very unhealthy | Very unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Very unhealthy | Unhealthy | Very unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 179 | Very unhealthy |
| Feb | 180 | Very unhealthy |
| Mar | 276 | Very unhealthy |
| Apr | 222 | Very unhealthy |
| May | 218 | Very unhealthy |
| Jun | 139 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 136 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 169 | Very unhealthy |
| Sep | 133 | Unhealthy |
| Oct | 167 | Very unhealthy |
| Nov | 145 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 125 | Unhealthy |
Growing season
The growing season in Dunhuang typically lasts about 227 days, from around March 19 to October 31 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 8 to October 14.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 0 | 4 | 45 | 94 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 83 | 18 | 0 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 30 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 31 |
| Feb | 4 | 28 |
| Mar | 45 | 31 |
| Apr | 94 | 9 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 83 | 17 |
| Nov | 18 | 30 |
| Dec | 0 | 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. Dunhuang banks about 2,256 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 128 | 315 | 452 | 538 | 482 | 286 | 54 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 1 |
| Apr | 128 |
| May | 315 |
| Jun | 452 |
| Jul | 538 |
| Aug | 482 |
| Sep | 286 |
| Oct | 54 |
| Nov | 0 |
| 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.
Dunhuang receives about 5.3 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.4 and 7.6 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.5 months, from around Mar 14 to Sep 26. The brightest month is June, averaging about 7.5 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 2.5 kWh/m² — roughly 67% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 2.8 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 6.7 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 7.3 | 6.7 | 5.7 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.8 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4.0 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5.4 | Bright |
| Apr | 6.7 | Intense |
| May | 7.4 | Intense |
| Jun | 7.5 | Intense |
| Jul | 7.3 | Intense |
| Aug | 6.7 | Intense |
| Sep | 5.7 | Bright |
| Oct | 4.3 | Bright |
| Nov | 3.0 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2.4 | Moderate |
Where is Dunhuang?
Dunhuang sits at 40.2°N, 94.7°E, 1,131 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Jiayuguan, 309 km away.
Topography around Dunhuang
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Dunhuang.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Dunhuang has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 1,129 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 582 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,435 m.
The land around Dunhuang is covered by cropland (54%) within 3 km, bare terrain (56%) and cropland (31%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (95%) 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 Dunhuang (40.1667°, 94.6833°, elevation 1,131 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).