Qingdao weather in January

In January, Qingdao sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near 0°C, with 13 mm of precipitation across 2.8 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 4°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Qingdao's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Qingdao's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
13 mm
2.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:14 AM – 5:02 PM
Cloud cover
49%
6th clearest
Wind
21 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Qingdao is prefecture-level city in Shandong, China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 37.3 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
636/km²
people per km²
Founded
1898

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 4°C through the month.

A typical January day in Qingdao reaches about 4°C in the afternoon and slips back to 0°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -0°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
151
251
341
441
541
641
741
841
941
1040
1140
1240
1340
1440
1530
1630
1730
1830
1930
2030
2130
2230
2330
2430
2530
2630
2730
2830
2930
3030
3130

How January really feels in Qingdao

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

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

Qingdao weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 132.819.80.0
Feb / 203.5110.60.0
Mar / 284.70.311.71.0
Apr11° / 445.50.112.93.1
May16° / 14°715.9013.95.5
Jun20° / 19°805.9014.46.9
Jul25° / 23°15810.5014.26.7
Aug26° / 25°16311.2013.46.5
Sep24° / 22°856.1012.27.6
Oct19° / 16°445011.17.0
Nov13° / 10°3950.110.14.1
Dec / 203.60.69.60.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25545
35545
45545
55545
65446
75446
85446
95446
105347
115347
125446
135446
145545
155644
165644
175743
185842
195842
205842
216040
226040
236139
246139
256238
266238
276238
286337
296238
306238
316238

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Qingdao gets around 13 mm of rain and snow over 2.8 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 9% and peaks near 10% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1103
2103
3103
4103
5103
6103
7103
8103
9103
10103
11103
12104
13104
14104
1594
1694
1794
1893
1993
2083
2183
2283
2383
2483
2583
2683
2783
2883
2983
3084
3194

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January 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 January

Winds average 21 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820breezy
1920breezy
2021breezy
2120breezy
2220breezy
2320breezy
2420breezy
2520breezy
2620breezy
2720breezy
2820breezy
2920breezy
3020breezy
3120breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:14 AM to 7:07 AM, and sunset from 4:49 PM to 5:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:144:49
29.67:144:50
39.67:144:51
49.67:144:51
59.67:154:52
69.67:154:53
79.77:154:54
89.77:154:55
99.77:154:55
109.77:154:56
119.77:154:57
129.77:144:58
139.77:144:59
149.87:145:00
159.87:145:01
169.87:145:02
179.87:145:03
189.87:135:04
199.97:135:05
209.97:135:06
219.97:125:07
229.97:125:08
2310.07:115:09
2410.07:115:10
2510.07:105:11
2610.07:105:12
2710.17:095:13
2810.17:095:14
2910.17:085:15
3010.17:085:16
3110.27:075:17

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.05 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.81 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Qingdao

In seasonPeak

In January, Qingdao sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Qingdao sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Qingdao's rainy season runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Pacific typhoon
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Qingdao?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Qingdao.

What to pack for Qingdao in January

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

In January, Qingdao sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near 0°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker.

a warm layera heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Qingdao in January

The nearest coast averages about 7°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 5°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 23 to Oct 22 — about 4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb5Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May14Bracing
Jun19Cool
Jul24Refreshing
Aug26Warm
Sep24Warm
Oct21Refreshing
Nov16Cool
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Qingdao in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Qingdao peaks around July 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateModerateHighVery highModerateJul 19UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Qingdao in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Qingdao is worst in March — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.3× the cleanest month (September, 23 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Qingdao's WHO annual average of 37.3 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorMar 1652 µg/m³Sep 1023 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan48Poor
Feb48Poor
Mar52Poor
Apr48Poor
May41Poor
Jun31Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug24Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct30Moderate
Nov34Moderate
Dec41Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Qingdao?

Qingdao sits at 36.1°N, 120.4°E, 16 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Jinan, 310 km away.

JinanDalianTianjinNanjingChangyŏnKwail-ŭpOngjinT’aet’an-ŭp

Topography around Qingdao

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Qingdao has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 168 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 401 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,092 m.

The land around Qingdao is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) and water (28%) within 3 km, water (65%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 16 km, and water (46%) and cropland (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
168 m
16 km
401 m
80 km
1,092 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Jinan 310 km · Dalian 334 km · Tianjin 443 km · Nanjing 469 km · Changyŏn 483 km · Kwail-ŭp 488 km · Ongjin 489 km · T’aet’an-ŭp 491 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 Qingdao (36.0649°, 120.3804°, elevation 16 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).