Lijiang weather in March

In March, Lijiang sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 29 mm of precipitation across 6.5 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of March to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Lijiang's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lijiang's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
8th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
29 mm
6.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
7:35 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
43%
5th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Lijiang is prefecture-level city in Yunnan, China.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 17.7 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
10/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical March day in Lijiang reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 3°C warmer than February and about 3°C cooler than April.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1162
2162
3162
4162
5162
6172
7172
8172
9173
10173
11173
12173
13173
14173
15183
16183
17183
18184
19184
20184
21184
22184
23184
24184
25184
26185
27185
28185
29185
30185
31195

How March really feels in Lijiang

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 7 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
7
wind chill below the day's low

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

Lijiang weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan13° / -1°163.31.410.54.4
Feb15° / 173.80.8115.3
Mar17° / 296.50.511.86.4
Apr20° / 459.20.112.66.5
May22° / 11°11513.2013.36.1
Jun23° / 15°24821.6013.74.6
Jul22° / 15°31727.8013.53.7
Aug22° / 14°27727.9012.93.8
Sep20° / 13°24924.5012.24.0
Oct19° / 11314.60.111.45.4
Nov16° / 295.20.210.75.7
Dec13° / -0°102.50.610.34.8

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 23%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18614
28614
38614
48614
58614
68614
78614
88614
98515
108515
118515
128416
138416
148218
158218
168020
177822
187624
197426
207426
217228
227030
236832
246733
256634
266535
276436
286436
296436
306436
316436

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Lijiang gets around 29 mm of rain and snow over 6.5 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 21% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1173
2172
3172
4162
5162
6162
7152
8152
9151
10151
11151
12151
13151
14161
15171
16171
17191
18201
19211
20231
21241
22251
23262
24282
25282
26292
27302
28312
29312
30311
31311

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March 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 March

Winds average 8 km/h in March, the windiest month of the year.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of March to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:50 AM to 7:18 AM, and sunset from 7:14 PM to 7:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.47:507:14
211.47:497:15
311.57:487:16
411.57:477:16
511.57:467:17
611.57:457:17
711.67:447:18
811.67:437:19
911.67:427:19
1011.67:417:20
1111.77:407:20
1211.77:397:21
1311.77:387:21
1411.77:377:22
1511.87:367:22
1611.87:357:23
1711.87:347:23
1811.97:327:24
1911.97:317:24
2011.97:307:25
2111.97:297:25
2212.07:287:26
2312.07:277:26
2412.07:267:27
2512.07:257:27
2612.17:237:28
2712.17:227:28
2812.17:217:29
2912.27:207:29
3012.27:197:30
3112.27:187:30

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.75 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in April across the year — March's 5.72 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Lijiang

In seasonPeak

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

Lijiang's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is March a good time to visit Lijiang?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
1.7
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Lijiang for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lijiang in March

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

In March, Lijiang sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 3°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Lijiang in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lijiang peaks around July 10 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 5 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighJul 10UV 15Dec 23UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5High
Feb8Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun15Extreme
Jul15Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec5High

Air quality in Lijiang in March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Lijiang is worst in March — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (June, 14 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Lijiang's WHO annual average of 17.7 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2022 µg/m³Jun 1914 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan19Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec18Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lijiang?

Lijiang sits at 26.9°N, 100.2°E, 2,397 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Shangri-La, 118 km away.

DanaiPanglongMogaungLaukkai

Topography around Lijiang

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lijiang has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 294 m around an average of 2,400 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,641 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,216 m.

The land around Lijiang is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) within 3 km, trees (65%) within 16 km, and trees (74%) within 80 km.

3 km
294 m
16 km
1,641 m
80 km
4,216 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Shangri-La 118 km · Dali 143 km · Kunming 322 km · Myitkyina 327 km · Danai 353 km · Panglong 363 km · Mogaung 371 km · Laukkai 382 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 Lijiang (26.8688°, 100.2207°, elevation 2,397 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).