Climate and average weather in Urumqi
In Urumqi, the summers are warm, fairly dry, and partly cloudy and the winters are frigid, snowy, and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Urumqi typically varies from -16°C to 27°C, and is rarely below -21°C or above 33°C. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Urumqi for warm-weather activities is from late April to early October.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 27°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -16°
- Wettest
- May
- 54 mm
- Driest
- Jan
- 7 mm
- Rain / yr
- 377 mm
- 67 wet days
- Daylight
- 8.7–15.3 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 862 m
- 43.8°N
- Clearest
- Oct
- 35% cloud
Urumqi is capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China.
- Air quality
- Severe
- PM2.5 65.7 µg/m³ · 2018
- Density
- 220/km²
- people per km²
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Urumqi 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 April to early October.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Urumqi, 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 May 4 to September 25, with daily high temperatures above 19°C. The hottest month of the year in Urumqi is July, with an average high of 27°C and low of 18°C.
The cool season lasts 3.1 months, from November 26 to February 27, with daily high temperatures below -0°C. The coldest month of the year in Urumqi is January, with an average low of -16°C and high of -7°C.
Days typically run about 10°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | -7 | -3 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 21 | 13 | 4 | -4 |
| Avg low (°C) | -16 | -12 | -4 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 3 | -6 | -13 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | -7 | -16 |
| Feb | -3 | -12 |
| Mar | 6 | -4 |
| Apr | 15 | 4 |
| May | 21 | 10 |
| Jun | 26 | 16 |
| Jul | 27 | 18 |
| Aug | 26 | 16 |
| Sep | 21 | 10 |
| Oct | 13 | 3 |
| Nov | 4 | -6 |
| Dec | -4 | -13 |
How hot and cold Urumqi 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 coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -22°C (around January 17), with roughly 176 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) — 115 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | -7 | -3 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 21 | 13 | 3 | -5 |
| Air high (°C) | -7 | -3 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 21 | 13 | 4 | -4 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -21 | -17 | -8 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 0 | -9 | -18 |
| Air low (°C) | -16 | -12 | -4 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 3 | -6 | -13 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -7 | -7 | -21 | -16 |
| Feb | -3 | -3 | -17 | -12 |
| Mar | 6 | 6 | -8 | -4 |
| Apr | 15 | 15 | 2 | 4 |
| May | 21 | 21 | 9 | 10 |
| Jun | 25 | 26 | 16 | 16 |
| Jul | 27 | 27 | 18 | 18 |
| Aug | 26 | 26 | 16 | 16 |
| Sep | 21 | 21 | 10 | 10 |
| Oct | 13 | 13 | 0 | 3 |
| Nov | 3 | 4 | -9 | -6 |
| Dec | -5 | -4 | -18 | -13 |
Average hourly temperature in Urumqi
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 27°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -16°C.
Urumqi 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 | -7° / -16° | 7 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 9.1 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -3° / -12° | 12 | 3 | 3.7 | 10.2 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 6° / -4° | 25 | 5.4 | 4.1 | 11.6 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 15° / 4° | 49 | 7.7 | 2.4 | 13.2 | 5.1 |
| May | 21° / 10° | 54 | 7.9 | 0.6 | 14.5 | 6.8 |
| Jun | 26° / 16° | 40 | 7 | 0 | 15.2 | 7.1 |
| Jul | 27° / 18° | 43 | 6.5 | 0 | 14.9 | 6.9 |
| Aug | 26° / 16° | 42 | 6.6 | 0 | 13.8 | 7.3 |
| Sep | 21° / 10° | 35 | 5.7 | 0.2 | 12.3 | 7.4 |
| Oct | 13° / 3° | 34 | 5.9 | 2.6 | 10.8 | 4.4 |
| Nov | 4° / -6° | 24 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 9.5 | 0.4 |
| Dec | -5° / -13° | 13 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 8.8 | 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.
Urumqi gets about 377 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 8.1 months, from around Mar 15 to Nov 16, peaking in May at about 28% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 25.
May is the wettest month by volume, with 54 mm over about 8 wet days; January is the driest, with 7 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 8 | 10 | 18 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 10 |
| Rain days | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | 2 |
| Feb | 10 | 3 |
| Mar | 18 | 5 |
| Apr | 25 | 8 |
| May | 25 | 8 |
| Jun | 23 | 7 |
| Jul | 21 | 7 |
| Aug | 21 | 7 |
| Sep | 19 | 6 |
| Oct | 20 | 6 |
| Nov | 18 | 5 |
| Dec | 10 | 3 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Urumqi collects about 377 mm of rain across 67 wet days — roughly 31 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. May is the wettest month with 54 mm, while January is the driest at just 7 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 39% 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) | 7 | 12 | 25 | 49 | 54 | 40 | 43 | 42 | 35 | 34 | 24 | 13 |
| Rain days | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Snow days | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 2 | 3 |
| Feb | 12 | 3 | 4 |
| Mar | 25 | 5 | 4 |
| Apr | 49 | 8 | 2 |
| May | 54 | 8 | 1 |
| Jun | 40 | 7 | 0 |
| Jul | 43 | 7 | 0 |
| Aug | 42 | 7 | 0 |
| Sep | 35 | 6 | 0 |
| Oct | 34 | 6 | 3 |
| Nov | 24 | 5 | 5 |
| Dec | 13 | 3 | 4 |
Snow in Urumqi
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Urumqi averages about 25 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Sep 26 to May 15 — about 7.6 months.
November is snowiest, with roughly 5 days of snow and an estimated 24 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 116 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 10 | 17 | 24 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 24 | 13 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | 10 |
| Feb | 4 | 17 |
| Mar | 4 | 24 |
| Apr | 2 | 11 |
| May | 1 | 2 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 1 |
| Oct | 3 | 14 |
| Nov | 5 | 24 |
| Dec | 4 | 13 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Urumqi, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around August 5 and lasts for 6.1 months, ending around February 5. The clearest month is October, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 72% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around March 9 and lasts for 4.9 months, ending around August 4. The cloudiest month is June, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 56% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 67 | 60 | 58 | 55 | 48 | 44 | 54 | 62 | 66 | 72 | 68 | 68 |
| Cloudier (%) | 33 | 40 | 42 | 45 | 52 | 56 | 46 | 38 | 34 | 28 | 32 | 32 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67 | 33 |
| Feb | 60 | 40 |
| Mar | 58 | 42 |
| Apr | 55 | 45 |
| May | 48 | 52 |
| Jun | 44 | 56 |
| Jul | 54 | 46 |
| Aug | 62 | 38 |
| Sep | 66 | 34 |
| Oct | 72 | 28 |
| Nov | 68 | 32 |
| Dec | 68 | 32 |
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 16, brings about 15 h 18 min of light; the shortest, around December 16, only 8 h 42 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.1 | 10.2 | 11.6 | 13.2 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.3 | 10.8 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:47 | 7:18 | 6:30 | 5:34 | 4:50 | 4:32 | 4:46 | 5:19 | 5:55 | 6:32 | 7:12 | 7:43 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:51 | 5:30 | 6:08 | 6:46 | 7:22 | 7:47 | 7:44 | 7:08 | 6:13 | 5:18 | 4:37 | 4:28 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.1 | 7:47 | 4:51 |
| Feb | 10.2 | 7:18 | 5:30 |
| Mar | 11.6 | 6:30 | 6:08 |
| Apr | 13.2 | 5:34 | 6:46 |
| May | 14.5 | 4:50 | 7:22 |
| Jun | 15.2 | 4:32 | 7:47 |
| Jul | 14.9 | 4:46 | 7:44 |
| Aug | 13.8 | 5:19 | 7:08 |
| Sep | 12.3 | 5:55 | 6:13 |
| Oct | 10.8 | 6:32 | 5:18 |
| Nov | 9.5 | 7:12 | 4:37 |
| Dec | 8.8 | 7:43 | 4:28 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Urumqi averages about 13 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 7 and 19 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.4 months, from around Sep 3 to Mar 16. The sunniest month is October, with roughly 18 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is June, down near 7 sunny days — about 60% fewer than the October peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 17 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 17 |
| Sky | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Bright |
| Feb | 13 | Mixed |
| Mar | 14 | Mixed |
| Apr | 12 | Mixed |
| May | 10 | Mixed |
| Jun | 7 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 9 | Mixed |
| Aug | 12 | Mixed |
| Sep | 14 | Mixed |
| Oct | 18 | Bright |
| Nov | 17 | Bright |
| Dec | 17 | 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 Urumqi, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in July, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 1% 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 | 99 | 89 | 95 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 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 | 99 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul | 89 | 10 | 1 |
| Aug | 95 | 5 | 0 |
| 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.
Across the year, average wind speed in Urumqi is typically calm, near 9 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 6.5 months, from around Mar 21 to Oct 5. The windiest month is April, averaging about 11 km/h (calm).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Oct 6 to Mar 20, with February the calmest month at about 7 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 8 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | calm |
| Feb | 7 | calm |
| Mar | 9 | calm |
| Apr | 11 | calm |
| May | 11 | calm |
| Jun | 10 | calm |
| Jul | 9 | calm |
| Aug | 9 | calm |
| Sep | 10 | calm |
| Oct | 9 | calm |
| Nov | 8 | calm |
| Dec | 8 | calm |
Best time to visit Urumqi
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Urumqi throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early May, Urumqi is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
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 time of year to visit Urumqi for general outdoor tourist activities is from late April to early October, with a peak score in the first 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 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 5.0 | 6.8 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 4.4 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | fair | good | good | good | good | good | fair | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.0 | poor |
| Mar | 0.9 | poor |
| Apr | 5.0 | fair |
| May | 6.8 | good |
| Jun | 7.1 | good |
| Jul | 6.9 | good |
| Aug | 7.3 | good |
| Sep | 7.3 | good |
| Oct | 4.4 | fair |
| Nov | 0.5 | 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 time of year to visit Urumqi for hot-weather activities is from late May to early September, with a peak score in the first week of August.
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 Urumqi, 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 27°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near -7°C), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.
In July, Urumqi sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Urumqi 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 Urumqi peaks around July 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 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 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 7 | 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 Urumqi
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 | 1.5 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 5 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 1.5 | 0 |
| Apr | 5.5 | 0 |
| May | 7.5 | 3.5 |
| Jun | 7.5 | 3.5 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 5 |
| Aug | 7.5 | 4.5 |
| Sep | 6 | 0 |
| Oct | 2 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Urumqi 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 Urumqi is worst in March — around 77 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Urumqi's WHO annual average of 65.7 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 77 | 73 | 77 | 73 | 77 | 61 | 53 | 60 | 54 | 55 | 59 | 69 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 73 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 77 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 73 | Unhealthy |
| May | 77 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 61 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 53 | Poor |
| Aug | 60 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 54 | Poor |
| Oct | 55 | Poor |
| Nov | 59 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 69 | Unhealthy |
Growing season
The growing season in Urumqi typically lasts about 211 days, from around March 29 to October 25 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 22 to October 6.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 0 | 1 | 23 | 80 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 71 | 13 | 0 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 31 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 30 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 31 |
| Feb | 1 | 28 |
| Mar | 23 | 31 |
| Apr | 80 | 22 |
| May | 99 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 99 | 0 |
| Oct | 71 | 25 |
| Nov | 13 | 30 |
| Dec | 0 | 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. Urumqi banks about 1,421 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 | 0 | 25 | 172 | 317 | 388 | 339 | 171 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 25 |
| May | 172 |
| Jun | 317 |
| Jul | 388 |
| Aug | 339 |
| Sep | 171 |
| Oct | 8 |
| 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.
Urumqi receives about 4.5 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.0 and 6.6 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.5 months, from around Mar 10 to Sep 22. The brightest month is May, averaging about 6.4 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 2.1 kWh/m² — roughly 68% less than the May peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 2.4 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 6.3 | 5.8 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3.5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4.8 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.8 | Bright |
| May | 6.5 | Intense |
| Jun | 6.6 | Intense |
| Jul | 6.3 | Intense |
| Aug | 5.8 | Bright |
| Sep | 4.8 | Bright |
| Oct | 3.5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2.4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2.0 | Moderate |
Where is Urumqi?
Urumqi sits at 43.8°N, 87.6°E, 862 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Turpan, 159 km away.
What Urumqi looks like
Topography around Urumqi
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Urumqi.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Urumqi has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 m around an average of 881 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,040 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,842 m.
The land around Urumqi is covered by artificial surfaces (79%) within 3 km, grassland (36%), artificial surfaces (32%) and bare terrain (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (43%) and bare terrain (30%) 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 Urumqi (43.801°, 87.6005°, elevation 862 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).