Harbin in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Harbin sees average daytime highs around -10°C and overnight lows near -20°C, with 18 mm of precipitation over about 5 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about -7°C in early December to -3°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Harbin's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Harbin's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- -10°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -20°C
- Precipitation
- 18 mm
- 5 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Harbin in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about -7°C in early December to -3°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Harbin reaches about -10°C and drops to -20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Harbin
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Harbin weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -13° / -23° | 4 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 8.9 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -7° / -18° | 6 | 1.7 | 2 | 10.1 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 3° / -8° | 15 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 11.6 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 13° / 1° | 30 | 5.6 | 0.6 | 13.3 | 4.0 |
| May | 21° / 9° | 65 | 9.3 | 0.1 | 14.7 | 6.5 |
| Jun | 26° / 16° | 99 | 12.2 | 0 | 15.4 | 6.2 |
| Jul | 28° / 19° | 155 | 14.9 | 0 | 15.1 | 5.7 |
| Aug | 26° / 17° | 138 | 13.5 | 0 | 13.9 | 6.1 |
| Sep | 21° / 10° | 67 | 8.5 | 0 | 12.3 | 6.8 |
| Oct | 12° / 1° | 38 | 6.5 | 0.7 | 10.7 | 3.7 |
| Nov | -0° / -10° | 18 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 9.3 | 0.0 |
| Dec | -10° / -20° | 9 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 8.5 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Harbin gets around 18 mm of rain and snow over 5 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 12 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 min in early December to 10 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Harbin
None of Harbin's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Harbin's rainy season runs June–August, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Harbin?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Harbin.
What to pack for Harbin in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Harbin sees daytime highs around -10°C and nights near -20°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.
UV index in Harbin in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Harbin peaks around August 16 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Low |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 5 | Moderate |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 6 | High |
| Aug | 7 | Very high |
| Sep | 5 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Harbin in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Harbin is worst in January — around 62 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.1× the cleanest month (August, 29 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Harbin's WHO annual average of 43.2 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 62 | 58 | 58 | 45 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 29 | 32 | 37 | 46 | 51 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 58 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 58 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 45 | Poor |
| May | 33 | Moderate |
| Jun | 33 | Moderate |
| Jul | 33 | Moderate |
| Aug | 29 | Moderate |
| Sep | 32 | Moderate |
| Oct | 37 | Poor |
| Nov | 46 | Poor |
| Dec | 51 | Poor |
Where is Harbin?
Harbin sits at 45.8°N, 126.7°E, 140 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Hainan, 167 km away.
Topography around Harbin
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Harbin.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Harbin has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 45 m around an average of 139 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 727 m.
The land around Harbin is covered by artificial surfaces (91%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (44%) and cropland (24%) within 16 km, and cropland (76%) 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 Harbin (45.75°, 126.65°, elevation 140 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.