Climate and average weather in Turpan
In Turpan, the summers are sweltering, dry, and mostly clear and the winters are very cold and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Turpan typically varies from -9°C to 35°C, and is rarely below -14°C or above 40°C. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Turpan for warm-weather activities are from late March to mid May and mid September to late October.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 35°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -9°
- Wettest
- Jul
- 10 mm
- Driest
- Jan
- 1 mm
- Rain / yr
- 55 mm
- 13 wet days
- Daylight
- 8.8–15.2 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 41 m
- 42.9°N
- Clearest
- Oct
- 28% cloud
- Air quality
- Severe
- PM2.5 62.5 µg/m³ · 2018
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Turpan weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late March to mid May.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Turpan, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.8 months, from April 30 to September 23, with daily high temperatures above 26°C. The hottest month of the year in Turpan is July, with an average high of 35°C and low of 26°C.
The cool season lasts 2.9 months, from November 23 to February 18, with daily high temperatures below 5°C. The coldest month of the year in Turpan is January, with an average low of -9°C and high of -2°C.
Days typically run about 9°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 11°C) in April.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | -2 | 4 | 13 | 23 | 29 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 28 | 19 | 8 | -1 |
| Avg low (°C) | -9 | -5 | 3 | 12 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 24 | 18 | 9 | 0 | -7 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | -2 | -9 |
| Feb | 4 | -5 |
| Mar | 13 | 3 |
| Apr | 23 | 12 |
| May | 29 | 18 |
| Jun | 34 | 23 |
| Jul | 35 | 26 |
| Aug | 34 | 24 |
| Sep | 28 | 18 |
| Oct | 19 | 9 |
| Nov | 8 | 0 |
| Dec | -1 | -7 |
How hot and cold Turpan really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Turpan feels like about 36°C (around July 18). About 90 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in July.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -13°C (around January 7), with roughly 125 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) — 53 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | -2 | 4 | 13 | 23 | 29 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 28 | 19 | 8 | -1 |
| Air high (°C) | -2 | 4 | 13 | 23 | 29 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 28 | 19 | 8 | -1 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -13 | -8 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 24 | 18 | 8 | -2 | -10 |
| Air low (°C) | -9 | -5 | 3 | 12 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 24 | 18 | 9 | 0 | -7 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -2 | -2 | -13 | -9 |
| Feb | 4 | 4 | -8 | -5 |
| Mar | 13 | 13 | 1 | 3 |
| Apr | 23 | 23 | 12 | 12 |
| May | 29 | 29 | 18 | 18 |
| Jun | 34 | 34 | 23 | 23 |
| Jul | 35 | 35 | 26 | 26 |
| Aug | 34 | 34 | 24 | 24 |
| Sep | 28 | 28 | 18 | 18 |
| Oct | 19 | 19 | 8 | 9 |
| Nov | 8 | 8 | -2 | 0 |
| Dec | -1 | -1 | -10 | -7 |
Average hourly temperature in Turpan
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 35°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -9°C.
Turpan weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -2° / -9° | 1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 9.2 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 4° / -5° | 2 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 10.2 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 13° / 3° | 2 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 11.6 | 4.6 |
| Apr | 23° / 12° | 4 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 13.1 | 8.2 |
| May | 29° / 18° | 7 | 1.6 | 0 | 14.4 | 6.7 |
| Jun | 34° / 23° | 9 | 2.2 | 0 | 15.1 | 3.8 |
| Jul | 35° / 26° | 10 | 1.9 | 0 | 14.8 | 2.8 |
| Aug | 34° / 24° | 7 | 1.2 | 0 | 13.8 | 3.8 |
| Sep | 28° / 18° | 4 | 0.8 | 0 | 12.3 | 7.5 |
| Oct | 19° / 9° | 5 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 10.8 | 7.5 |
| Nov | 8° / 0° | 2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 9.5 | 1.8 |
| Dec | -1° / -7° | 1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 8.9 | 0.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Turpan gets about 55 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, and that barely changes with the seasons — rain is spread fairly evenly through the year.
July is the wettest month by volume, with 10 mm over about 2 wet days; January is the driest, with 1 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Rain days | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | 0 |
| Feb | 2 | 1 |
| Mar | 3 | 1 |
| Apr | 5 | 1 |
| May | 5 | 2 |
| Jun | 7 | 2 |
| Jul | 6 | 2 |
| Aug | 4 | 1 |
| Sep | 3 | 1 |
| Oct | 4 | 1 |
| Nov | 2 | 1 |
| Dec | 1 | 0 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Turpan collects about 55 mm of rain across 13 wet days — roughly 5 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. July is the wettest month with 10 mm, while January is the driest at just 1 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 49% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Rain days | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Snow days | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Mar | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Apr | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| May | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Jun | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Jul | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Aug | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Dec | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Turpan, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around July 27 and lasts for 6.4 months, ending around February 6. The clearest month is October, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 82% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around February 7 and lasts for 5.6 months, ending around July 26. The cloudiest month is June, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 45% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 76 | 70 | 67 | 64 | 59 | 55 | 66 | 73 | 80 | 82 | 80 | 76 |
| Cloudier (%) | 24 | 30 | 33 | 36 | 41 | 45 | 34 | 27 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 24 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76 | 24 |
| Feb | 70 | 30 |
| Mar | 67 | 33 |
| Apr | 64 | 36 |
| May | 59 | 41 |
| Jun | 55 | 45 |
| Jul | 66 | 34 |
| Aug | 73 | 27 |
| Sep | 80 | 20 |
| Oct | 82 | 18 |
| Nov | 80 | 20 |
| Dec | 76 | 24 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 17, brings about 15 h 12 min of light; the shortest, around December 16, only 8 h 48 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 24 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.2 | 10.2 | 11.6 | 13.1 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.3 | 10.8 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:38 | 7:10 | 6:24 | 5:28 | 4:46 | 4:29 | 4:43 | 5:14 | 5:49 | 6:24 | 7:04 | 7:34 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:47 | 5:25 | 6:02 | 6:39 | 7:13 | 7:38 | 7:35 | 7:00 | 6:06 | 5:12 | 4:33 | 4:25 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.2 | 7:38 | 4:47 |
| Feb | 10.2 | 7:10 | 5:25 |
| Mar | 11.6 | 6:24 | 6:02 |
| Apr | 13.1 | 5:28 | 6:39 |
| May | 14.4 | 4:46 | 7:13 |
| Jun | 15.1 | 4:29 | 7:38 |
| Jul | 14.8 | 4:43 | 7:35 |
| Aug | 13.8 | 5:14 | 7:00 |
| Sep | 12.3 | 5:49 | 6:06 |
| Oct | 10.8 | 6:24 | 5:12 |
| Nov | 9.5 | 7:04 | 4:33 |
| Dec | 8.9 | 7:34 | 4:25 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Turpan averages about 16 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 8 and 21 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 7.3 months, from around Aug 13 to Mar 23. The sunniest month is October, with roughly 21 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is June, down near 9 sunny days — about 57% fewer than the October peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 19 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 20 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Bright |
| Feb | 16 | Bright |
| Mar | 17 | Bright |
| Apr | 14 | Mixed |
| May | 12 | Mixed |
| Jun | 9 | Mixed |
| Jul | 12 | Mixed |
| Aug | 17 | Bright |
| Sep | 19 | Bright |
| Oct | 21 | Bright |
| Nov | 20 | Bright |
| Dec | 20 | Bright |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Turpan, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in July, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 4% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 94 | 85 | 93 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 94 | 5 | 1 |
| Jul | 85 | 11 | 4 |
| Aug | 93 | 5 | 2 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Turpan is steady company: average speeds sit near 7 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | calm |
| Feb | 7 | calm |
| Mar | 8 | calm |
| Apr | 9 | calm |
| May | 9 | calm |
| Jun | 8 | calm |
| Jul | 8 | calm |
| Aug | 8 | calm |
| Sep | 8 | calm |
| Oct | 7 | calm |
| Nov | 6 | calm |
| Dec | 6 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Turpan
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Turpan sees seasonal dust haze (April–June), heaviest in May.
Best time to visit Turpan
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Turpan throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early May, Turpan is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Turpan for general outdoor tourist activities run from late March to mid May and again from mid September to late October, with a peak score in the last week of September.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.0 | 0.4 | 4.6 | 8.1 | 6.7 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 1.9 | 0.0 |
| Rating | poor | poor | fair | ideal | good | fair | poor | fair | good | good | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.4 | poor |
| Mar | 4.6 | fair |
| Apr | 8.1 | ideal |
| May | 6.7 | good |
| Jun | 3.8 | fair |
| Jul | 2.8 | poor |
| Aug | 3.8 | fair |
| Sep | 7.5 | good |
| Oct | 7.4 | good |
| Nov | 1.9 | poor |
| Dec | 0.0 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Turpan for hot-weather activities run from late April to late June and again from mid August to early October, with a peak score in the second week of September.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Turpan, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 35°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near -2°C), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.
In July, Turpan sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
UV index (midday) in Turpan by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Turpan peaks around July 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Moderate | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 5 | Moderate |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Turpan
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 3.5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 6 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 3.5 | 0 |
| Apr | 6 | 0 |
| May | 6 | 0 |
| Jun | 8 | 4 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 5 |
| Aug | 7.5 | 4 |
| Sep | 6 | 1 |
| Oct | 2.5 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Turpan by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Turpan is worst in May — around 104 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 31 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Turpan's WHO annual average of 62.5 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 42 | 60 | 84 | 88 | 104 | 71 | 59 | 72 | 49 | 49 | 40 | 31 |
| Level | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | Poor |
| Feb | 60 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 84 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 88 | Unhealthy |
| May | 104 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 71 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 59 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 72 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 49 | Poor |
| Oct | 49 | Poor |
| Nov | 40 | Poor |
| Dec | 31 | Moderate |
Growing season
The growing season in Turpan typically lasts about 254 days, from around March 7 to November 15 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from March 24 to November 3.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 0 | 10 | 73 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 51 | 2 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 31 |
| Feb | 10 | 28 |
| Mar | 73 | 23 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 99 | 0 |
| Nov | 51 | 26 |
| Dec | 2 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Turpan banks about 2,937 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 18 | 224 | 421 | 554 | 633 | 585 | 384 | 118 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 18 |
| Apr | 224 |
| May | 421 |
| Jun | 554 |
| Jul | 633 |
| Aug | 585 |
| Sep | 384 |
| Oct | 118 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Turpan receives about 4.8 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.1 and 7.1 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.5 months, from around Mar 13 to Sep 25. The brightest month is May, averaging about 6.9 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 2.1 kWh/m² — roughly 70% less than the May peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 2.5 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 6.2 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 5.2 | 3.8 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.5 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3.5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5.0 | Bright |
| Apr | 6.2 | Intense |
| May | 7.0 | Intense |
| Jun | 7.0 | Intense |
| Jul | 6.7 | Intense |
| Aug | 6.2 | Intense |
| Sep | 5.2 | Bright |
| Oct | 3.8 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2.6 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2.1 | Moderate |
Where is Turpan?
Turpan sits at 42.9°N, 89.2°E, 41 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Urumqi, 159 km away.
Topography around Turpan
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Turpan.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Turpan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 91 m around an average of 37 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 636 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,479 m.
The land around Turpan is covered by cropland (41%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, bare terrain (66%) and cropland (21%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (77%) 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 Turpan (42.9477°, 89.1789°, elevation 41 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. 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).