Urumqi Weather & Climate

Overview
Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, is the farthest city from the ocean in the world, with a dry climate in the middle temperate continent. The hottest seasons is July and August, with an average temperature of 25.7 ?; the coldest seasons is January, with an average temperature of -15.2 ?.

Four seasons in Urumqi

Spring
Spring comes late in the northern part of the city, until March 26. In the urban area, spring comes on April 8, two weeks later. Spring rain accounts for about 40% of the annual precipitation, which is very beneficial to spring sowing and dry land crops.

Summer
Scorching hot is the most remarkable feature in Summer but not stuffy, with large temperature difference between day and night. The average temperature in urban area in summer is 23 ?. In summer, there are beautiful flowers in the suburban mountain areas and exuberant trees in the city forest belt. It is hot and dry but not sultry, together with the great variance in temperature between day and night, making it a summer resort.

Autumn
In Autumn, it is neither hot nor cold. But in late September, temperatures drop quickly under the frequent attacks by cold air. And the temperature variance further expands in October, which is vividly described as "Wearing fur coast in the morning but T-shirt at noon; eating watermelon surrounding the stove".

Winter
Winter lasts five months. The cold air is generally lingers in the basin due to the barrier of the Tianshan Mountains, thus forming a fantastic snow world in winter.

Best Time to visit Dunhuang 
The best time for visiting Urumqi is from May to October when flowers are in full bloom and the melons and fruits smell sweet and are ripe for the picking. Travel to Urumqi in Spring Spring is refreshing while a little cold. It snows occasionally and rains frequently.

Travel Tips
Due to the large temperature difference between day and night in Urumqi, all tourists have to carry more than two kinds of clothes every day. Dress warmly even when traveling in the hottest month (July and August),Because it's very likely that you need to put on a big cotton padded jacket in the early morning and night, while you only need a T-shirt at noon. Be sure to bring a sweater and trench coat in May, June, September and October. During the cold winter (November to March), you will need heavy winter wear.