Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Zhuchang ChinaIn Zhuchang, the wet season is comfortable and mostly cloudy and the dry season is cool and mostly clear. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 29°F to 75°F and is rarely below 23°F or above 83°F. Based on the tourism score, the best times of year to visit Zhuchang for warm-weather activities are from early May to early June and from early July to late September. Average Temperature in ZhuchangThe warm season lasts for 4.8 months, from April 18 to September 11, with an average daily high temperature above 70°F. The hottest month of the year in Zhuchang is July, with an average high of 75°F and low of 61°F. The cold season lasts for 2.6 months, from November 24 to February 11, with an average daily high temperature below 55°F. The coldest month of the year in Zhuchang is January, with an average low of 29°F and high of 50°F.
The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day. Sierra Grande, Argentina (11,292 miles away); Villa Berna, Argentina (11,746 miles); and Lawson, Australia (5,134 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Zhuchang (view comparison). CloudsIn Zhuchang, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year in Zhuchang begins around September 22 and lasts for 7.8 months, ending around May 16. The clearest month of the year in Zhuchang is February, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 72% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around May 16 and lasts for 4.2 months, ending around September 22. The cloudiest month of the year in Zhuchang is July, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 75% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Zhuchang varies significantly throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 5.4 months, from April 29 to October 10, with a greater than 26% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Zhuchang is June, with an average of 14.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 6.6 months, from October 10 to April 29. The month with the fewest wet days in Zhuchang is December, with an average of 0.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation in Zhuchang changes throughout the year. Rain alone is the most common for 11 months, from January 31 to December 18. The month with the most days of rain alone in Zhuchang is June, with an average of 14.8 days. Snow alone is the most common for 1.4 months, from December 18 to January 31. The month with the most days of snow alone in Zhuchang is January, with an average of 0.4 days.
RainfallTo show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Zhuchang experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The rainy period of the year lasts for 7.9 months, from March 16 to November 14, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Zhuchang is June, with an average rainfall of 6.6 inches. The rainless period of the year lasts for 4.1 months, from November 14 to March 16. The month with the least rain in Zhuchang is January, with an average rainfall of 0.1 inches.
SnowfallAs with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Zhuchang experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall. The snowy period of the year lasts for 1.7 weeks, from January 1 to January 13, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Zhuchang is January, with an average snowfall of 0.9 inches. The snowless period of the year lasts for 12 months, from January 13 to January 1. The least snow falls around July 25, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.
SunThe length of the day in Zhuchang varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 10 hours, 27 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 13 hours, 50 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 6:05 AM on June 9, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 45 minutes later at 7:49 AM on January 13. The earliest sunset is at 6:05 PM on December 1, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 51 minutes later at 7:57 PM on July 1. Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Zhuchang during 2024. The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation. MoonThe figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. HumidityWe base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night. Zhuchang experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 2.6 months, from June 7 to August 28, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 3% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Zhuchang is July, with 2.7 days that are muggy or worse. The least muggy day of the year is February 23, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.
WindThis section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages. The average hourly wind speed in Zhuchang experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from February 3 to May 23, with average wind speeds of more than 8.1 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Zhuchang is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.2 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 8.3 months, from May 23 to February 3. The calmest month of the year in Zhuchang is October, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.9 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Zhuchang is from the south throughout the year. Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in Zhuchang throughout the year, we compute two travel scores. The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Zhuchang for general outdoor tourist activities are from early May to early June and from early July to late September, with a peak score in the first week of August. Tourism Score in ZhuchangThe beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Zhuchang for hot-weather activities is from mid July to mid August, with a peak score in the last week of July. Beach/Pool Score in ZhuchangMethodologyFor each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed. Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies. Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more. Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter. Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter. Growing SeasonDefinitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere). The growing season in Zhuchang typically lasts for 8.5 months (259 days), from around March 11 to around November 25, rarely starting before February 21 or after April 1, and rarely ending before November 4 or after December 13. Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F. Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Zhuchang should appear around March 3, only rarely appearing before February 22 or after March 18. Solar EnergyThis section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 5.4 months, from March 13 to August 25, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.8 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Zhuchang is April, with an average of 6.2 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 3.0 months, from October 21 to January 22, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.1 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Zhuchang is December, with an average of 3.6 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Zhuchang are 26.800 deg latitude, 105.117 deg longitude, and 5,958 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Zhuchang contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,542 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 6,293 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,058 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (7,425 feet). The area within 2 miles of Zhuchang is covered by trees (63%) and cropland (29%), within 10 miles by trees (50%) and cropland (30%), and within 50 miles by trees (36%) and grassland (29%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in Zhuchang, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointThere is only a single weather station, Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport, in our network suitable to be used as a proxy for the historical temperature and dew point records of Zhuchang. At a distance of 170 kilometers from Zhuchang, further than our threshold of 150 kilometers, this station is deemed insufficiently nearby to be relied upon as our primary source for temperature and dew point records. Consequently, the station records are blended with interpolated values from NASA's MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis , and both are corrected for elevation differences according to the International Standard Atmosphere . The weight assigned to the MERRA-2 value depends on the distance from Zhuchang to the nearest station, increasing from 0% at 150 kilometers to 100% at 200 kilometers. In this case, the MERRA-2 weight is 29%, making the weight assigned to the weather station 71%. Other DataAll data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus. All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid. Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database . Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com . Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors. DisclaimerThe information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site. We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands. We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader. Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page. |