Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Shaochang China

In Shaochang, the summers are short, warm, oppressive, wet, and mostly cloudy; the winters are very cold and partly cloudy; and it is windy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 36°F to 88°F and is rarely below 28°F or above 94°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Shaochang for warm-weather activities is from mid September to late October.

The hot season lasts for 2.9 months, from June 17 to September 15, with an average daily high temperature above 80°F. The hottest month of the year in Shaochang is July, with an average high of 87°F and low of 77°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.3 months, from December 6 to March 15, with an average daily high temperature below 54°F. The coldest month of the year in Shaochang is January, with an average low of 36°F and high of 46°F.

In Shaochang, 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 Shaochang begins around September 1 and lasts for 6.5 months, ending around March 16.

The clearest month of the year in Shaochang is December, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 71% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around March 16 and lasts for 5.5 months, ending around September 1.

The cloudiest month of the year in Shaochang is July, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 68% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Shaochang varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.6 months, from February 23 to September 11, with a greater than 29% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Shaochang is June, with an average of 11.9 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.4 months, from September 11 to February 23. The month with the fewest wet days in Shaochang is December, with an average of 4.4 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. The month with the most days of rain alone in Shaochang is June, with an average of 11.9 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 45% on June 22.

Rainfall

To 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. Shaochang experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Shaochang. The month with the most rain in Shaochang is June, with an average rainfall of 6.4 inches.

The month with the least rain in Shaochang is December, with an average rainfall of 1.3 inches.

The length of the day in Shaochang varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 10 hours, 9 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 14 hours, 9 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 4:49 AM on June 11, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 3 minutes later at 6:51 AM on January 9. The earliest sunset is at 4:50 PM on December 2, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 10 minutes later at 7:00 PM on June 30.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Shaochang during 2024.

The 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.

We 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.

Shaochang experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 4.9 months, from May 14 to October 11, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 25% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Shaochang is July, with 30.8 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Shaochang is January, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.

This 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 Shaochang experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.2 months, from July 18 to October 23, with average wind speeds of more than 11.9 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Shaochang is September, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.7 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.8 months, from October 23 to July 18. The calmest month of the year in Shaochang is June, with an average hourly wind speed of 11.0 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Shaochang varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the east for 5.0 days, from April 4 to April 9; for 4.1 weeks, from May 20 to June 18; and for 1.2 months, from August 14 to September 19, with a peak percentage of 43% on September 12. The wind is most often from the south for 1.4 months, from April 9 to May 20 and for 1.9 months, from June 18 to August 14, with a peak percentage of 56% on July 20. The wind is most often from the north for 6.5 months, from September 19 to April 4, with a peak percentage of 57% on January 1.

Shaochang is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.3 months, from June 25 to October 1, with an average temperature above 75°F. The month of the year in Shaochang with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 82°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.3 months, from December 24 to April 4, with an average temperature below 52°F. The month of the year in Shaochang with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 45°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Shaochang 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 Shaochang for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid September to late October, with a peak score in the first week of October.

The 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 Shaochang for hot-weather activities is from late July to late September, with a peak score in the second week of September.

Methodology

For 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.

Definitions 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 Shaochang typically lasts for 9.8 months (296 days), from around February 20 to around December 12, rarely starting before January 28 or after March 13, and rarely ending before November 24 or after December 31.

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 Shaochang should appear around March 22, only rarely appearing before March 6 or after April 10.

This 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 1.9 months, from April 21 to June 17, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.4 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Shaochang is May, with an average of 5.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.0 months, from November 6 to February 7, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.5 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Shaochang is December, with an average of 3.0 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Shaochang are 30.908 deg latitude, 121.753 deg longitude, and 16 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Shaochang is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 33 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 14 feet. Within 10 miles is also essentially flat (59 feet). Within 50 miles is essentially flat (1,102 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Shaochang is covered by cropland (92%), within 10 miles by cropland (52%) and water (35%), and within 50 miles by water (72%) and cropland (18%).