Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Shaozhai ChinaIn Shaozhai, the summers are warm, the winters are freezing and snowy, and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 14°F to 80°F and is rarely below 6°F or above 89°F. Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Shaozhai for warm-weather activities is from mid June to late August. Average Temperature in ShaozhaiThe warm season lasts for 3.6 months, from May 19 to September 6, with an average daily high temperature above 71°F. The hottest month of the year in Shaozhai is July, with an average high of 80°F and low of 63°F. The cold season lasts for 3.1 months, from November 23 to February 27, with an average daily high temperature below 42°F. The coldest month of the year in Shaozhai is January, with an average low of 15°F and high of 33°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. Dragomireşti, Romania (4,103 miles away) and Nizhniye Achaluki, Russia (3,348 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Shaozhai (view comparison). CloudsIn Shaozhai, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year in Shaozhai begins around October 22 and lasts for 3.3 months, ending around February 3. The clearest month of the year in Shaozhai is December, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 69% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around February 3 and lasts for 8.6 months, ending around October 22. The cloudiest month of the year in Shaozhai is March, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 51% 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 Shaozhai varies significantly throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 6.1 months, from April 21 to October 24, with a greater than 16% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Shaozhai is July, with an average of 9.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 5.9 months, from October 24 to April 21. The month with the fewest wet days in Shaozhai is January, with an average of 0.4 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 Shaozhai changes throughout the year. Rain alone is the most common for 8.8 months, from March 4 to November 28. The month with the most days of rain alone in Shaozhai is July, with an average of 9.2 days. Snow alone is the most common for 3.2 months, from November 28 to March 4. The month with the most days of snow alone in Shaozhai is February, with an average of 0.7 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. Shaozhai experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The rainy period of the year lasts for 7.5 months, from March 23 to November 7, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Shaozhai is August, with an average rainfall of 3.5 inches. The rainless period of the year lasts for 4.5 months, from November 7 to March 23. The month with the least rain in Shaozhai is January, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches.
SnowfallAs with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Shaozhai experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall. The snowy period of the year lasts for 1.5 months, from February 12 to March 27, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Shaozhai is March, with an average snowfall of 1.4 inches. The snowless period of the year lasts for 10 months, from March 27 to February 12. The least snow falls around July 19, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.
SunThe length of the day in Shaozhai varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 48 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 14 hours, 31 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 5:34 AM on June 13, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 23 minutes later at 7:57 AM on January 7. The earliest sunset is at 5:36 PM on December 5, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 30 minutes later at 8:06 PM on June 28. Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Shaozhai 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. Shaozhai experiences significant seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 2.2 months, from June 26 to September 3, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 12% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Shaozhai is July, with 11.0 days that are muggy or worse. The least muggy day of the year is February 20, 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 Shaozhai experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 3.2 months, from February 18 to May 24, with average wind speeds of more than 7.5 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Shaozhai is April, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.4 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 8.8 months, from May 24 to February 18. The calmest month of the year in Shaozhai is September, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.5 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Shaozhai varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the east for 1.7 months, from February 6 to March 28 and for 2.8 months, from July 20 to October 13, with a peak percentage of 42% on August 15. The wind is most often from the north for 1.4 months, from March 28 to May 8 and for 3.8 months, from October 13 to February 6, with a peak percentage of 32% on April 6. The wind is most often from the south for 2.4 months, from May 8 to July 20, with a peak percentage of 36% on July 19. Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in Shaozhai 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 time of year to visit Shaozhai for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to late August, with a peak score in the last week of July. Tourism Score in ShaozhaiThe 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 Shaozhai for hot-weather activities is from early July to early August, with a peak score in the last week of July. Beach/Pool Score in ShaozhaiMethodologyFor 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 Shaozhai typically lasts for 6.4 months (195 days), from around April 11 to around October 23, rarely starting before March 23 or after May 3, and rarely ending before October 6 or after November 8. 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 Shaozhai should appear around April 18, only rarely appearing before April 9 or after April 28. 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 significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 4.2 months, from April 13 to August 18, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.8 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Shaozhai is June, with an average of 6.5 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 3.3 months, from October 28 to February 8, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.6 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Shaozhai is December, with an average of 2.8 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Shaozhai are 34.991 deg latitude, 107.804 deg longitude, and 4,295 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Shaozhai contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 948 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 4,067 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (1,982 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (4,573 feet). The area within 2 miles of Shaozhai is covered by cropland (58%) and grassland (37%), within 10 miles by cropland (48%) and grassland (42%), and within 50 miles by cropland (52%) and grassland (33%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in Shaozhai, 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, Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, in our network suitable to be used as a proxy for the historical temperature and dew point records of Shaozhai. At a distance of 106 kilometers from Shaozhai, closer than our threshold of 150 kilometers, this station is deemed sufficiently nearby to be relied upon as our primary source for temperature and dew point records. The station records are corrected for the elevation difference between the station and Shaozhai according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations. Please note that the station records themselves may additionally have been back-filled using other nearby stations or the MERRA-2 reanalysis. 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. |