Shangri-La in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Shangri-La sees average daytime highs around 3°C and overnight lows near -8°C, with 87 mm of precipitation over about 17 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs ease from about 6°C in early December to 3°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Shangri-La's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Shangri-La's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 3°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -8°C
- Precipitation
- 87 mm
- 17 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.1
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Shangri-La in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about 6°C in early December to 3°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Shangri-La reaches about 3°C and drops to -8°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Shangri-La
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Shangri-La 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 | 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 Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Shangri-La gets around 87 mm of rain and snow over 17 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 6 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 min in early December to 11 h 24 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 4.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Shangri-La
None of Shangri-La's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Shangri-La's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Shangri-La?
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 a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Shangri-La.
What to pack for Shangri-La in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Shangri-La sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near -8°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: sun protection. About 17 days see rain.
UV index in Shangri-La in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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.