Lijiang weather in September

In September, Lijiang sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 249 mm of rain across 24.5 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in September, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of September to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Lijiang's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lijiang's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
5th warmest
Overnight low
13°
9th coldest
Rainfall
249 mm
24.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
7:09 AM – 7:18 PM
Cloud cover
81%
9th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
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 September

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month.

A typical September day in Lijiang reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 1°C cooler than August and about 2°C warmer than October.

10°15°20°25°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12114
22114
32114
42113
52113
62113
72113
82113
92113
102113
112113
122013
132013
142013
152013
162013
172013
182013
192013
202013
212013
222013
232012
242012
252012
262012
272012
282012
292012
302012

How September really feels in Lijiang

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

September sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Lijiang weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-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 September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11684
21684
31684
41585
51585
61585
71585
81486
91486
101585
111585
121486
131486
141486
151486
161585
171585
181585
191684
201684
211783
221981
232080
242278
252278
262377
272575
282773
292773
302971

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Lijiang gets around 249 mm of rain over 24.5 wet days in September. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 81% and peaks near 88% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
188
288
388
488
587
687
787
887
987
1086
1186
1286
1386
1485
1585
1684
1783
1882
1982
2080
2179
2278
2377
2475
2574
2672
2771
2870
2968
3067

Humidity in September

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, September lands in the comfortable band about 62% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
121763
222753
322753
423743
524733
625723
725723
826713
927703
1027703
1128693
1228693
1329692
1430682
1531672
1633652
1734651
1836631
1937621
2039601
2141581
2243570
2345550
2448520
2551490
2654460
2757430
2859410
2962380
3065350

Wind in September

Winds average 4 km/h in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of September to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 7:02 AM to 7:15 AM, and sunset from 7:36 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.67:027:36
212.57:037:34
312.57:037:33
412.57:037:32
512.57:047:31
612.47:047:30
712.47:057:29
812.47:057:28
912.37:067:26
1012.37:067:25
1112.37:077:24
1212.37:077:23
1312.27:077:22
1412.27:087:21
1512.27:087:19
1612.27:097:18
1712.17:097:17
1812.17:107:16
1912.17:107:15
2012.07:117:13
2112.07:117:12
2212.07:117:11
2312.07:127:10
2411.97:127:09
2511.97:137:07
2611.97:137:06
2711.97:147:05
2811.87:147:04
2911.87:157:03
3011.87:157:02

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 3.98 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 — September's 3.98 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.0Bright
144.0Bright
154.0Bright
164.0Moderate
174.0Moderate
183.9Moderate
193.9Moderate
203.9Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.8Moderate
Planning a trip in September

Hazard calendar for Lijiang

In seasonPeak

In September, Lijiang sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 September a good time to visit Lijiang?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
2.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

September is a reasonable time to visit Lijiang for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lijiang in September

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

In September, Lijiang sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 13°C. Pack rain gear. About 25 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Lijiang in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 12 (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 September

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where September 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
September 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).