Shangri-La weather in October

In October, Shangri-La sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 67 mm of precipitation across 12.8 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 11°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of October to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Shangri-La's 6th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shangri-La's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
67 mm
12.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
7:26 AM – 6:46 PM
Cloud cover
60%
6th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 11°C by the end.

A typical October day in Shangri-La reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 3°C cooler than September and about 4°C warmer than November.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1146
2146
3146
4146
5146
6145
7145
8145
9135
10135
11134
12134
13134
14134
15134
16133
17123
18123
19123
20122
21122
22122
23112
24111
25111
26111
27111
28110
29110
30100
31100

How October really feels in Shangri-La

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 10 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
10
wind chill below the day's low

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

Shangri-La weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -9°336.27.810.40.0
Feb / -8°427.79.9110.0
Mar / -4°6311.710.511.80.2
Apr10° / 6614.44.512.61.8
May14° / 99170.913.43.3
Jun17° / 14722.4013.73.5
Jul17° / 10°24828.9013.62.9
Aug17° / 23928.90132.9
Sep15° / 150230.212.23.1
Oct12° / 6712.81.111.33.1
Nov / -3°235.42.610.61.7
Dec / -6°122.83.110.30.2

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22476
32476
42674
52674
62872
73169
83268
93367
103565
113862
124060
134357
144555
154852
165050
175347
185644
195842
206040
216238
226436
236535
246733
256832
267030
277030
287228
297228
307327
317327

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Shangri-La gets around 67 mm of rain and snow over 12.8 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 41% and peaks near 61% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1611
2591
3582
4562
5542
6532
7512
8502
9482
10472
11452
12443
13423
14413
15403
16393
17383
18374
19364
20364
21354
22344
23345
24335
25325
26325
27315
28306
29306
30296
31286

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October 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 October

Winds average 6 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of October to 10 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 7:18 AM to 7:36 AM, and sunset from 7:02 PM to 6:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.77:187:02
211.77:197:01
311.77:197:00
411.77:206:59
511.67:206:58
611.67:216:57
711.67:216:55
811.57:226:54
911.57:226:53
1011.57:236:52
1111.57:236:51
1211.47:246:50
1311.47:256:49
1411.47:256:48
1511.47:266:47
1611.37:266:46
1711.37:276:45
1811.37:286:44
1911.27:286:43
2011.27:296:42
2111.27:306:41
2211.27:306:40
2311.17:316:39
2411.17:326:38
2511.17:326:38
2611.17:336:37
2711.07:346:36
2811.07:346:35
2911.07:356:34
3011.07:366:34
3110.97:366:33

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.19 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.96 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in April across the year — October's 4.19 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.1Bright
44.1Bright
54.1Bright
64.1Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Shangri-La

In seasonPeak

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

Shangri-La'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 October a good time to visit Shangri-La?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Shangri-La.

What to pack for Shangri-La in October

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

In October, Shangri-La sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 3°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Shangri-La in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighExtremeVery highHighJul 10UV 16Dec 23UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5High
Feb8Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun16Extreme
Jul16Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov7Very high
Dec5Moderate
Location & terrain

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.

DanaiMyitkyinaMogaungHpākānKunmingLakang

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.

3 km
384 m
16 km
1,268 m
80 km
3,874 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Lijiang 118 km · Dali 254 km · Danai 338 km · Myitkyina 356 km · Mogaung 393 km · Hpākān 417 km · Kunming 431 km · Lakang 432 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 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).