Yinchuan weather in May

In May, Yinchuan sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 22 mm of rain across 3.7 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 27°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Yinchuan's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yinchuan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
4th warmest
Overnight low
11°
8th coldest
Rainfall
22 mm
3.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:49 AM – 7:54 PM
Cloud cover
52%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.9
out of 10

Yinchuan is prefecture-level city in Ningxia, China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 37.3 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
214/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 27°C by the end.

A typical May day in Yinchuan reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1238
2239
3239
4239
5239
6239
7239
82310
92310
102410
112410
122410
132410
142410
152411
162411
172511
182511
192511
202511
212512
222512
232612
242612
252612
262613
272613
282713
292713
302713
312714

How May really feels in Yinchuan

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

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Yinchuan weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -12°20.50.89.60.0
Feb / -8°31110.50.5
Mar12° / -2°102.20.511.73.9
Apr19° / 132.30.2137.3
May25° / 11°223.7014.17.9
Jun28° / 16°324.5014.66.6
Jul30° / 18°546.5014.45.7
Aug28° / 17°527.6013.56.6
Sep23° / 12°426.5012.37.5
Oct17° / 163.30.2116.6
Nov / -3°61.30.59.92.4
Dec / -9°10.40.69.40.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26040
36139
46040
56040
65941
75941
85842
95842
105743
115743
125644
135644
145545
155545
165446
175446
185347
195347
205347
215347
225347
235347
245248
255248
265248
275248
285248
295149
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Yinchuan gets around 22 mm of rain over 3.7 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 12% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
19
210
310
410
511
611
711
812
912
1012
1113
1213
1313
1413
1513
1613
1713
1813
1913
2013
2112
2212
2312
2412
2512
2612
2712
2812
2912
3012
3112

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May, the windiest month of the year.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of May to 14 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:05 AM to 5:39 AM, and sunset from 7:40 PM to 8:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.66:057:40
213.66:037:41
313.76:027:41
413.76:017:42
513.76:007:43
613.85:597:44
713.85:587:45
813.85:577:46
913.95:557:47
1013.95:547:48
1113.95:537:49
1214.05:527:50
1314.05:517:51
1414.05:507:52
1514.15:507:53
1614.15:497:54
1714.15:487:55
1814.15:477:55
1914.25:467:56
2014.25:457:57
2114.25:457:58
2214.35:447:59
2314.35:438:00
2414.35:428:01
2514.35:428:01
2614.45:418:02
2714.45:418:03
2814.45:408:04
2914.45:408:05
3014.45:398:05
3114.55:398:06

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.61 kWh/m² to a high of 6.75 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 6.6 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.9Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Yinchuan

In seasonPeak

In May, Yinchuan sits inside its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Yinchuan sees seasonal dust haze (March–August), heaviest in May.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Yinchuan?

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

7.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Yinchuan for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Yinchuan in May

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

In May, Yinchuan sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 11°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 4 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Yinchuan in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Yinchuan peaks around July 16 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highModerateLowJul 16UV 10Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Yinchuan in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Yinchuan is worst in May — around 55 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.0× the cleanest month (September, 28 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Yinchuan's WHO annual average of 37.3 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateModerateMay 1055 µg/m³Sep 1028 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb34Moderate
Mar49Poor
Apr54Poor
May55Poor
Jun40Poor
Jul31Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct33Moderate
Nov36Poor
Dec29Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Yinchuan?

Yinchuan sits at 38.5°N, 106.3°E, 1,117 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Xi'an, 525 km away.

Xi'anDalandzadgadDatongLuoyangJiayuguanSongyangHovdBogd

Topography around Yinchuan

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Yinchuan.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Yinchuan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 33 m around an average of 1,112 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 44 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,421 m.

The land around Yinchuan is covered by artificial surfaces (83%) within 3 km, cropland (35%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (39%), grassland (31%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
33 m
16 km
44 m
80 km
2,421 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Xi'an 525 km · Dalandzadgad 588 km · Datong 630 km · Luoyang 693 km · Jiayuguan 705 km · Songyang 751 km · Hovd 761 km · Bogd 769 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 Yinchuan (38.4681°, 106.2731°, elevation 1,117 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).