Sanya in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Sanya sees average daytime highs around 23°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 47 mm of rain over about 8 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 23°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels muggy.
Winter is Sanya's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Sanya's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 23°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 19°C
- Rainfall
- 47 mm
- 8 wet days
- Avg wind
- 16 km/h
- Travel score
- 8.2
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Sanya in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 23°C.
A typical winter day in Sanya reaches about 23°C and drops to 19°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Sanya
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Sanya 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 | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23° / 19° | 12 | 2.3 | 11 | 8.2 |
| Feb | 24° / 19° | 10 | 2.5 | 11.4 | 8.2 |
| Mar | 25° / 22° | 18 | 3.8 | 11.9 | 7.9 |
| Apr | 28° / 24° | 53 | 8.6 | 12.4 | 6.6 |
| May | 29° / 26° | 139 | 19 | 12.8 | 4.3 |
| Jun | 30° / 27° | 212 | 22.2 | 13.1 | 3.4 |
| Jul | 29° / 26° | 280 | 23 | 13 | 3.6 |
| Aug | 29° / 26° | 261 | 24.4 | 12.6 | 3.5 |
| Sep | 29° / 26° | 258 | 22.3 | 12.1 | 3.8 |
| Oct | 28° / 24° | 182 | 14 | 11.6 | 5.7 |
| Nov | 26° / 22° | 54 | 5.6 | 11.1 | 7.5 |
| Dec | 24° / 19° | 26 | 3 | 10.9 | 8.2 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Sanya gets around 47 mm of rain over 8 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 16 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 hours in early December to 11 h 36 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 4.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Sanya
In winter, Sanya overlaps its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Sanya sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
Sanya's monsoon runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Sanya?
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 one of the better times to visit Sanya for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Sanya in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Sanya sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 19°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Sanya in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 24°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 19 km away) is warmest in June at about 29°C and coldest in February near 23°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 23 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 25 |
| Comfort | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | Refreshing |
| Feb | 23 | Refreshing |
| Mar | 24 | Warm |
| Apr | 26 | Warm |
| May | 28 | Tropical |
| Jun | 29 | Tropical |
| Jul | 29 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 28 | Warm |
| Nov | 26 | Warm |
| Dec | 25 | Warm |
UV index in Sanya in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sanya peaks around August 11 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (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) | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Very high |
| Feb | 10 | Very high |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 7 | High |
Air quality in Sanya 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 Sanya is worst in December — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (August, 11 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Sanya's WHO annual average of 15.5 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 20 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 18 | 18 | 23 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | Moderate |
| Feb | 19 | Moderate |
| Mar | 17 | Moderate |
| Apr | 15 | Moderate |
| May | 11 | Good |
| Jun | 12 | Good |
| Jul | 11 | Good |
| Aug | 11 | Good |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 18 | Moderate |
| Nov | 18 | Moderate |
| Dec | 23 | Moderate |
Where is Sanya?
Sanya sits at 18.3°N, 109.5°E, 1 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is An Hải, 278 km away.
Topography around Sanya
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Sanya.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Sanya has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 m around an average of 24 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 610 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,775 m.
The land around Sanya is covered by trees (42%), artificial surfaces (32%) and water (22%) within 3 km, water (45%) and trees (41%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and water (45%) 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 Sanya (18.2543°, 109.5095°, elevation 1 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.