FAQ - Weather

By Alex C-G

FAQs

What is the weather like in Shanghai?

Compared to most Western countries, Shanghai's weather can seem a little volatile at first, with freezingly cold winters and scorching summers. For many of us, the humidity is no laughing matter either, particularly during the height of summer.

Shanghai has four distinct seasons, two extreme ones, and two halfway-decent ones:

Spring

(mid March - mid May)

Shanghai has quite a warm summer, and this is one of the nicer times of year, with moderate heat and low humidity. Oddly, Spring Festival comes before this rather than during it. Late March is a nice time to visit.

Summer

(mid May - mid September)

Unfortunately for most of us who like more arid climates, Shanghai's summer is pretty damn humid. Prepare to have your clothes stick to your skin and please, for the mercy of people everywhere, get some decent anti-perspirant. You'll need it. July and August are the hottest months, with temperatures averaging 27.4 degrees centigrade, encouraging some people to abandon their beds and sleep on stretchers on the street. Their only worry must be getting drenched in the occasional monsoons that hit Shanghai.

Being close to the coast, Shanghai also suffers some haze and fog in the summer, making it look more polluted than it really is. (if that's possible.) Bring some light clothes, though not too many. Clothes here are cheap and abundant, at least if you're a smaller size.

Autumn

(September - October)

Aaah, the most comfortable season of all, and the best time to come here. By this time the humidity and temperature have fallen and it's comfortable to walk the streets again. This is the ideal time for travel, though holidays (such as National Day on October 1) really bring out the crowds. Really, the only things to look out for in autumn are some rains driven here by typhoons during September.

Winter

(mid November - mid March) Brrrr....you haven't experienced cold until you've lived through a Shanghai winter. Sure, the climate's not as cold as cities further North, such as Beijing, but most of the locals here consider central heating an unnecessary extravagance, barely turning on their heaters until the pet dog's in need of a defrost. Sure, there are air conditioners to warm us up, but the heating bill will be enough to chill you to the bone.

The winter months are damp, chilly and downright miserable, though temperatures are usually above freezing and snow is rare. January is the coldest month, with temperatures averaging about 3 degrees centigrade.

Rainfall

Mid June to early July is the "Plum Flower Rain" season which brings frequent showers, with an average daily rainfall of 259 mm. If that makes you giddy with excitement, then you can also look forward to storms with the full orchestra of thunder, lightning and buckets and buckets of rain during July and September. What joy. Needless to say, pack your umbrellas, people!

Weather Forecasts

CCTV9 has a weather forecast following the news every few hours, and you can also dial 121 to get the latest updates. If you're out and about then pick up a copy of any newspaper to find out the forecast.

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Submitted by angelmae701 on Mon, 2005-07-18 00:00

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