Shangri-La in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Shangri-La sees average daytime highs around 12°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 240 mm of precipitation over about 41 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 16°C in early September to 7°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Shangri-La's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Shangri-La's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 12°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 3°C
- Precipitation
- 240 mm
- 41 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 km/h
- Travel score
- 2.6
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Shangri-La in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 16°C in early September to 7°C by late November.
A typical fall day in Shangri-La reaches about 12°C and drops to 3°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
How fall really feels in Shangri-La
Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 40 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Shangri-La weather by month
How the three fall months (September, October and November) 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 | 2° / -9° | 33 | 6.2 | 7.8 | 10.4 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 2° / -8° | 42 | 7.7 | 9.9 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 5° / -4° | 63 | 11.7 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 10° / 0° | 66 | 14.4 | 4.5 | 12.6 | 1.8 |
| May | 14° / 5° | 99 | 17 | 0.9 | 13.4 | 3.3 |
| Jun | 17° / 9° | 147 | 22.4 | 0 | 13.7 | 3.5 |
| Jul | 17° / 10° | 248 | 28.9 | 0 | 13.6 | 2.9 |
| Aug | 17° / 9° | 239 | 28.9 | 0 | 13 | 2.9 |
| Sep | 15° / 8° | 150 | 23 | 0.2 | 12.2 | 3.1 |
| Oct | 12° / 3° | 67 | 12.8 | 1.1 | 11.3 | 3.1 |
| Nov | 8° / -3° | 23 | 5.4 | 2.6 | 10.6 | 1.7 |
| Dec | 5° / -6° | 12 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 10.3 | 0.2 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Shangri-La gets around 240 mm of rain and snow over 41 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 6 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min in early September to 10 h 24 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Shangri-La
In fall, Shangri-La overlaps its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Shangri-La's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is fall a good time to visit Shangri-La?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Shangri-La.
What to pack for Shangri-La in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Shangri-La sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 41 days see rain.
UV index in Shangri-La in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Shangri-La peaks around July 10 at about 16 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 5 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Level | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | High |
| Feb | 8 | Very high |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 13 | Extreme |
| Jun | 16 | Extreme |
| Jul | 16 | Extreme |
| Aug | 14 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 7 | Very high |
| Dec | 5 | Moderate |
Where is Shangri-La?
Shangri-La sits at 27.8°N, 99.7°E, 3,283 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Lijiang, 118 km away.
Topography around Shangri-La
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Shangri-La.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Shangri-La has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 384 m around an average of 3,317 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,268 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,874 m.
The land around Shangri-La is covered by grassland (30%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 3 km, trees (69%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (78%) 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 Shangri-La (27.8251°, 99.7078°, elevation 3,283 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.