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Monthly climate in Qilian, China

Last updated: July 31, 2025

Under the Köppen–Geiger climate classification Qilian features a ice cap climate ET). Temperatures typically range between -17 °C (1 °F) and 9 °C (49 °F) through the year, but rarely can drop to -37 °C (-35 °F) or can rise to as high as 20 °C (68 °F). The average annual precipitation amounts to about 787 mm (31.0 inches) and receives 139 rainy days on the 1 mm (0.04 inches) threshold annually. Qilian enjoys an average of 3710 hours of sunshine throughout the year, and daylight varies from 9 hours 32 minutes to 14 hours 45 minutes per day.

Monthly average temperatures in Qilian, China

The warmest months in Qilian are June, July and August, with daily mean temperatures ranging from 6 to 9 °C (43 - 49 °F) throughout the day. The coldest temperatures usually occur in January, February and December, when daily mean temperatures range from -17 to -15 °C (1 - 5 °F) throughout the day. On average each year, Qilian experiences 0 days above 25 °C (77.0 °F) and 246 days below 0 °C (32.0 °F).

Monthly average temperatures with daily means, minimums and maximums for period, average high and low temperatures in Qilian. Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Data for period from January 2017 to June 2022.
 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Maximum1°C
(33°F)		5°C
(41°F)		11°C
(52°F)		13°C
(56°F)		18°C
(64°F)		18°C
(65°F)		20°C
(68°F)		19°C
(66°F)		16°C
(62°F)		15°C
(59°F)		7°C
(45°F)		2°C
(35°F)
Mean maximum-2°C
(28°F)		1°C
(35°F)		6°C
(43°F)		11°C
(51°F)		16°C
(60°F)		15°C
(60°F)		18°C
(65°F)		18°C
(65°F)		16°C
(60°F)		11°C
(52°F)		2°C
(37°F)		-3°C
(27°F)
Average high-9°C
(16°F)		-7°C
(21°F)		-1°C
(30°F)		2°C
(36°F)		7°C
(44°F)		11°C
(51°F)		14°C
(57°F)		13°C
(56°F)		10°C
(50°F)		2°C
(36°F)		-5°C
(24°F)		-9°C
(16°F)
Daily mean-17°C
(1°F)		-15°C
(5°F)		-8°C
(18°F)		-3°C
(26°F)		1°C
(35°F)		6°C
(43°F)		9°C
(49°F)		8°C
(47°F)		4°C
(39°F)		-5°C
(23°F)		-12°C
(10°F)		-17°C
(2°F)
Average low-24°C
(-12°F)		-23°C
(-10°F)		-16°C
(4°F)		-9°C
(15°F)		-4°C
(25°F)		1°C
(34°F)		4°C
(40°F)		4°C
(39°F)		-1°C
(31°F)		-11°C
(12°F)		-19°C
(-3°F)		-23°C
(-10°F)
Mean minimum-31°C
(-24°F)		-32°C
(-25°F)		-27°C
(-16°F)		-18°C
(-1°F)		-16°C
(3°F)		-5°C
(24°F)		0°C
(33°F)		-1°C
(31°F)		-8°C
(18°F)		-22°C
(-7°F)		-28°C
(-19°F)		-29°C
(-20°F)
Minimum-35°C
(-30°F)		-37°C
(-35°F)		-33°C
(-28°F)		-22°C
(-8°F)		-24°C
(-11°F)		-11°C
(13°F)		-2°C
(29°F)		-4°C
(24°F)		-13°C
(9°F)		-30°C
(-22°F)		-34°C
(-28°F)		-34°C
(-29°F)

Compare climate in Qilian with other places

Compare temperature, precipitation, sunshine, UV index in Qilian, China with other places around the world.

Monthly average precipitation in Qilian, China

Qilian usually has the most precipitation in June, July and August, with an average of 23 rainy days and 149 mm (5.8 inches) of precipitation per month. The driest months in Qilian are January, February and December. On average, 7 mm (0.3 inches) of precipitation falls during these months.

Monthly average precipitation and precipitation days in Qilian. Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Data for period from January 2017 to January 2022.
 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average precipitation mm (inches)8 (0.3)10 (0.4)20 (0.8)51 (2.0)75 (2.9)135 (5.3)142 (5.6)169 (6.6)116 (4.6)47 (1.8)10 (0.4)4 (0.1)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)2371113222326191030

Monthly sunshine hours in Qilian, China

The sunniest months in Qilian are May, July and August, when the sun shines an average of 11 hours 13 minutes a day. Least sunny months in Qilian: January, February and December receive an average of 8 hours 39 minutes of sunshine daily.

Mean monthly sunshine duration, average sunshine hours per day and mean daily daylight hours in Qilian. Generated using Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Data for period from January 2017 to January 2022.
 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean monthly sunshine hours229280328316344328358340311308284278
Mean daily daylight hours9h 49m10h 45m11h 57m13h 11m14h 14m14h 45m14h 29m13h 34m12h 24m11h 10m10h 5m9h 32m

Solar UV radiation in Qilian, China

Qilian experiences the highest level of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in May, June and July, when the maximum UV index can reach values of 13 - 14, which corresponds to the Extreme category of sun exposure. January, February and December are in the Moderate exposure category. In these months, the maximum values of the UV index do not exceed 5. For more detailed information, check out our hourly Qilian UV Index data.

Average daily maximum UV levels by month for Qilian. Generated using Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Data for period from January 2022 to January 2023.
 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
UV Index (month maximum)359111314131211853