Climate and average weather in Zhangjiajie
In Zhangjiajie, the summers are muggy, hot, wet, and mostly cloudy and the winters are cold, snowy, and mostly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Zhangjiajie typically varies from 1°C to 30°C, and is rarely below -3°C or above 34°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 Zhangjiajie for warm-weather activities are from late April to mid June and late August to early November.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 30°
- Coldest
- Jan
- 1°
- Wettest
- Jul
- 317 mm
- Driest
- Dec
- 46 mm
- Rain / yr
- 1923 mm
- 167 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.1–13.9 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 174 m
- 29.1°N
- Clearest
- Dec
- 64% cloud
Zhangjiajie is prefecture-level city in Hunan, China.
- Air quality
- High
- PM2.5 29 µg/m³ · 2018
- Density
- 46/km²
- people per km²
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Zhangjiajie 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 August to early November.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Zhangjiajie, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.0 months, from May 23 to September 21, with daily high temperatures above 25°C. The hottest month of the year in Zhangjiajie is July, with an average high of 30°C and low of 23°C.
The cool season lasts 2.9 months, from December 2 to February 28, with daily high temperatures below 11°C. The coldest month of the year in Zhangjiajie is January, with an average low of 1°C and high of 7°C.
Days typically run about 7°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 7 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 9 |
| Avg low (°C) | 1 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 14 | 8 | 3 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 1 |
| Feb | 9 | 3 |
| Mar | 14 | 7 |
| Apr | 20 | 12 |
| May | 24 | 17 |
| Jun | 27 | 20 |
| Jul | 30 | 23 |
| Aug | 29 | 22 |
| Sep | 25 | 19 |
| Oct | 20 | 14 |
| Nov | 15 | 8 |
| Dec | 9 | 3 |
How hot and cold Zhangjiajie 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, Zhangjiajie feels like about 35°C (around July 30). About 39 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in July.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -1°C (around January 20), with roughly 36 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 7 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 33 | 32 | 26 | 20 | 15 | 9 |
| Air high (°C) | 7 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 9 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -1 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 14 | 7 | 2 |
| Air low (°C) | 1 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 14 | 8 | 3 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 7 | -1 | 1 |
| Feb | 9 | 9 | 1 | 3 |
| Mar | 14 | 14 | 6 | 7 |
| Apr | 20 | 20 | 12 | 12 |
| May | 24 | 24 | 17 | 17 |
| Jun | 28 | 27 | 20 | 20 |
| Jul | 33 | 30 | 23 | 23 |
| Aug | 32 | 29 | 22 | 22 |
| Sep | 26 | 25 | 19 | 19 |
| Oct | 20 | 20 | 14 | 14 |
| Nov | 15 | 15 | 7 | 8 |
| Dec | 9 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
Average hourly temperature in Zhangjiajie
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 30°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near 1°C.
Zhangjiajie 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° / 1° | 71 | 10.5 | 4.5 | 10.3 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 9° / 3° | 96 | 11.3 | 2.5 | 11 | 1.7 |
| Mar | 14° / 7° | 150 | 15.8 | 0.9 | 11.8 | 3.3 |
| Apr | 20° / 12° | 220 | 16.2 | 0 | 12.7 | 5.0 |
| May | 24° / 17° | 247 | 16.5 | 0 | 13.4 | 5.6 |
| Jun | 27° / 20° | 293 | 18.2 | 0 | 13.8 | 5.0 |
| Jul | 30° / 23° | 317 | 19.9 | 0 | 13.7 | 3.9 |
| Aug | 29° / 22° | 165 | 16.9 | 0 | 13 | 4.4 |
| Sep | 25° / 19° | 111 | 11.3 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.3 |
| Oct | 20° / 14° | 115 | 11.5 | 0 | 11.3 | 6.0 |
| Nov | 15° / 8° | 92 | 10.4 | 0.2 | 10.5 | 4.2 |
| Dec | 9° / 3° | 46 | 8.3 | 1.6 | 10.2 | 1.9 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Zhangjiajie gets about 1923 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 6.1 months, from around Feb 24 to Aug 28, peaking in July at about 69% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Dec 20.
July is the wettest month by volume, with 317 mm over about 20 wet days; December is the driest, with 46 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 (%) | 33 | 40 | 51 | 54 | 53 | 60 | 65 | 54 | 38 | 36 | 35 | 28 |
| Rain days | 11 | 11 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 11 |
| Feb | 40 | 11 |
| Mar | 51 | 16 |
| Apr | 54 | 16 |
| May | 53 | 17 |
| Jun | 60 | 18 |
| Jul | 65 | 20 |
| Aug | 54 | 17 |
| Sep | 38 | 11 |
| Oct | 36 | 12 |
| Nov | 35 | 10 |
| Dec | 28 | 8 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Zhangjiajie collects about 1923 mm of rain across 167 wet days — roughly 160 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. July is the wettest month with 317 mm, while December is the driest at just 46 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 45% 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) | 71 | 96 | 150 | 220 | 247 | 293 | 317 | 165 | 111 | 115 | 92 | 46 |
| Rain days | 11 | 11 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 8 |
| Snow days | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 71 | 11 | 5 |
| Feb | 96 | 11 | 3 |
| Mar | 150 | 16 | 1 |
| Apr | 220 | 16 | 0 |
| May | 247 | 17 | 0 |
| Jun | 293 | 18 | 0 |
| Jul | 317 | 20 | 0 |
| Aug | 165 | 17 | 0 |
| Sep | 111 | 11 | 0 |
| Oct | 115 | 12 | 0 |
| Nov | 92 | 10 | 0 |
| Dec | 46 | 8 | 2 |
Snow in Zhangjiajie
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.
Zhangjiajie averages about 10 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 29 to Mar 22 — about 3.7 months.
January is snowiest, with roughly 4 days of snow and an estimated 25 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 50 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 25 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | 25 |
| Feb | 3 | 13 |
| Mar | 1 | 5 |
| Apr | 0 | 0 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 1 |
| Dec | 2 | 6 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Zhangjiajie, 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 20 and lasts for 5.8 months, ending around January 12. The clearest month is December, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 39% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around January 13 and lasts for 6.2 months, ending around July 19. The cloudiest month is March, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 80% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 30 | 24 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 20 | 26 | 38 | 37 | 35 | 38 | 39 |
| Cloudier (%) | 70 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 77 | 80 | 74 | 62 | 63 | 65 | 62 | 61 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 70 |
| Feb | 24 | 76 |
| Mar | 20 | 80 |
| Apr | 21 | 79 |
| May | 23 | 77 |
| Jun | 20 | 80 |
| Jul | 26 | 74 |
| Aug | 38 | 62 |
| Sep | 37 | 63 |
| Oct | 35 | 65 |
| Nov | 38 | 62 |
| Dec | 39 | 61 |
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 13 h 54 min of light; the shortest, around December 16, only 10 h 06 min — a swing of roughly 3 h 48 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.3 | 11.0 | 11.8 | 12.7 | 13.4 | 13.8 | 13.7 | 13.0 | 12.2 | 11.3 | 10.5 | 10.2 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:38 | 7:24 | 6:54 | 6:17 | 5:51 | 5:43 | 5:53 | 6:11 | 6:27 | 6:45 | 7:08 | 7:30 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:57 | 6:21 | 6:41 | 6:59 | 7:18 | 7:34 | 7:35 | 7:14 | 6:38 | 6:02 | 5:39 | 5:39 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.3 | 7:38 | 5:57 |
| Feb | 11.0 | 7:24 | 6:21 |
| Mar | 11.8 | 6:54 | 6:41 |
| Apr | 12.7 | 6:17 | 6:59 |
| May | 13.4 | 5:51 | 7:18 |
| Jun | 13.8 | 5:43 | 7:34 |
| Jul | 13.7 | 5:53 | 7:35 |
| Aug | 13.0 | 6:11 | 7:14 |
| Sep | 12.2 | 6:27 | 6:38 |
| Oct | 11.3 | 6:45 | 6:02 |
| Nov | 10.5 | 7:08 | 5:39 |
| Dec | 10.2 | 7:30 | 5:39 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Zhangjiajie averages about 6 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 2 and 10 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.8 months, from around Jul 24 to Jan 15. The sunniest month is November, with roughly 8 sunny days (mixed).
The greyest month is June, down near 3 sunny days — about 66% fewer than the November peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 5 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 4 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 3 | Gloomy |
| May | 4 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 3 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 4 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 7 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 7 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 8 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 8 | Mixed |
| Dec | 9 | Mixed |
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 Zhangjiajie, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 5.0 months, from around May 4 to October 1. The muggiest month is June, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 97% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around October 2 to May 3, and February is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 94 | 61 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 54 | 94 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 5 | 24 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 30 | 6 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 34 | 22 | 2 | 7 | 30 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 41 | 17 | 28 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Oppressive (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 69 | 54 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Miserable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 94 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 61 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 13 | 32 | 34 | 18 | 4 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 3 | 22 | 41 | 33 | 2 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 69 | 12 |
| Aug | 0 | 1 | 7 | 28 | 54 | 10 |
| Sep | 8 | 21 | 30 | 27 | 14 | 0 |
| Oct | 54 | 30 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov | 94 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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 Zhangjiajie is steady company: average speeds sit near 6 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 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | calm |
| Feb | 6 | calm |
| Mar | 7 | calm |
| Apr | 7 | calm |
| May | 6 | calm |
| Jun | 6 | calm |
| Jul | 6 | calm |
| Aug | 6 | calm |
| Sep | 6 | calm |
| Oct | 6 | calm |
| Nov | 6 | calm |
| Dec | 6 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Zhangjiajie
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Zhangjiajie's rainy season runs March–August, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Zhangjiajie
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Zhangjiajie throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late October, Zhangjiajie 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 Zhangjiajie for general outdoor tourist activities run from late April to mid June and again from late August to early November, 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) | 0.8 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 5.0 | 5.6 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 4.2 | 1.9 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | fair | good | fair | fair | fair | good | good | fair | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.8 | poor |
| Feb | 1.7 | poor |
| Mar | 3.3 | poor |
| Apr | 5.0 | fair |
| May | 5.6 | good |
| Jun | 5.0 | fair |
| Jul | 3.9 | fair |
| Aug | 4.5 | fair |
| Sep | 6.3 | good |
| Oct | 6.0 | good |
| Nov | 4.2 | fair |
| Dec | 1.9 | 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 Zhangjiajie for hot-weather activities is from late May to early October, with a peak score in the first 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 Zhangjiajie, 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 30°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 7°C), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.
In July, Zhangjiajie sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Zhangjiajie 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 Zhangjiajie peaks around July 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 3 (moderate).
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) | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | High | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 6 | High |
| Mar | 7 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Average hourly UV index in Zhangjiajie
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 6 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) | 3 | 5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | 0 |
| Feb | 5 | 0 |
| Mar | 6.5 | 2.5 |
| Apr | 6.5 | 2.5 |
| May | 8 | 5.5 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 6 |
| Aug | 7.5 | 5 |
| Sep | 7 | 4.5 |
| Oct | 6 | 2.5 |
| Nov | 4 | 0 |
| Dec | 3 | 0 |
Air quality in Zhangjiajie 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 Zhangjiajie is worst in March — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.5× the cleanest month (July, 15 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Zhangjiajie's WHO annual average of 29 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 39 | 37 | 39 | 34 | 31 | 21 | 15 | 17 | 22 | 26 | 31 | 37 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | Poor |
| Feb | 37 | Poor |
| Mar | 39 | Poor |
| Apr | 34 | Moderate |
| May | 31 | Moderate |
| Jun | 21 | Moderate |
| Jul | 15 | Moderate |
| Aug | 17 | Moderate |
| Sep | 22 | Moderate |
| Oct | 26 | Moderate |
| Nov | 31 | Moderate |
| Dec | 37 | Poor |
Growing season
Zhangjiajie is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter. Nights are reliably above freezing from about February 23 to December 12 (293 days); outside that window a hard frost is an occasional risk.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 66 | 82 | 97 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 86 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66 | 31 |
| Feb | 82 | 23 |
| Mar | 97 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 99 | 0 |
| Dec | 86 | 19 |
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. Zhangjiajie banks about 2,540 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 | 26 | 178 | 317 | 407 | 499 | 491 | 361 | 213 | 49 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 26 |
| Apr | 178 |
| May | 317 |
| Jun | 407 |
| Jul | 499 |
| Aug | 491 |
| Sep | 361 |
| Oct | 213 |
| Nov | 49 |
| 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.
Zhangjiajie receives about 3.4 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.1 and 5.1 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 5.8 months, from around Apr 5 to Sep 27. The brightest month is July, averaging about 4.7 kWh/m² (bright).
The dimmest month is December, down near 2.1 kWh/m² — roughly 54% less than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 2.4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 2.9 | Moderate |
| Apr | 3.7 | Moderate |
| May | 4.2 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.3 | Bright |
| Jul | 4.7 | Bright |
| Aug | 4.7 | Bright |
| Sep | 3.7 | Moderate |
| Oct | 2.9 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2.4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2.2 | Moderate |
Where is Zhangjiajie?
Zhangjiajie sits at 29.1°N, 110.5°E, 174 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Fenghuang, 158 km away.
Topography around Zhangjiajie
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Zhangjiajie.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Zhangjiajie has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 380 m around an average of 228 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,365 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,831 m.
The land around Zhangjiajie is covered by trees (42%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, trees (80%) within 16 km, and trees (94%) 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 Zhangjiajie (29.1294°, 110.4783°, elevation 174 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).