Kunming in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Kunming sees average daytime highs around 15°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 88 mm of precipitation over about 15 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 15°C in early December to 19°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Kunming's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Kunming's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 15°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 5°C
- Precipitation
- 88 mm
- 15 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.5
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Kunming in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 15°C in early December to 19°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Kunming reaches about 15°C and drops to 5°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
Kunming 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 | 15° / 5° | 35 | 5.4 | 1 | 10.6 | 5.1 |
| Feb | 17° / 6° | 30 | 5.3 | 0.5 | 11.1 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 21° / 10° | 42 | 6.7 | 0.3 | 11.8 | 7.3 |
| Apr | 24° / 13° | 69 | 9.4 | 0 | 12.6 | 7.2 |
| May | 24° / 16° | 139 | 15.1 | 0 | 13.2 | 6.2 |
| Jun | 24° / 17° | 278 | 23.8 | 0 | 13.5 | 4.4 |
| Jul | 24° / 18° | 274 | 26.6 | 0 | 13.4 | 4.1 |
| Aug | 24° / 17° | 238 | 24.9 | 0 | 12.9 | 4.4 |
| Sep | 22° / 16° | 165 | 20.3 | 0 | 12.2 | 4.8 |
| Oct | 20° / 13° | 113 | 16.2 | 0 | 11.4 | 5.4 |
| Nov | 17° / 8° | 34 | 6.3 | 0.1 | 10.8 | 6.2 |
| Dec | 15° / 5° | 24 | 4.5 | 0.7 | 10.5 | 5.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Kunming gets around 88 mm of rain and snow over 15 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 10 h 36 min in early December to 11 h 24 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 3.8 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Kunming
In winter, Kunming overlaps its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Kunming sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Kunming's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Kunming?
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 reasonable time to visit Kunming for sightseeing.
What to pack for Kunming in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Kunming sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 5°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.
UV index in Kunming in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kunming peaks around July 12 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 6 (high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 6 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 |
| Level | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | High |
| Feb | 8 | Very high |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Extreme |
| Oct | 9 | Very high |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 6 | High |
Air quality in Kunming 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 Kunming is worst in March — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Kunming's WHO annual average of 29.9 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 29 | 30 | 35 | 34 | 28 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 30 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | Moderate |
| Feb | 30 | Moderate |
| Mar | 35 | Moderate |
| Apr | 34 | Moderate |
| May | 28 | Moderate |
| Jun | 24 | Moderate |
| Jul | 26 | Moderate |
| Aug | 29 | Moderate |
| Sep | 31 | Moderate |
| Oct | 31 | Moderate |
| Nov | 32 | Moderate |
| Dec | 30 | Moderate |
Where is Kunming?
Kunming sits at 25.0°N, 102.7°E, 1,895 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Dali, 259 km away.
Topography around Kunming
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kunming.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Kunming has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 56 m around an average of 1,899 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 665 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,814 m.
The land around Kunming is covered by artificial surfaces (88%) within 3 km, trees (42%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and cropland (21%) 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 Kunming (25.0389°, 102.7183°, elevation 1,895 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.