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China has several different
climates, roughly divided along geographical
lines.
 The
North. Winters in the north and
northeast are bitterly cold, with
temperatures remaining below freezing from
late November to March. It gets colder the
further north you go, with temperatures
regularly falling to -40C in northeast
Heilongjiang province. Summers can be
extremely hot (up to 38C or 100F), while
pollution in major cities such as Beijing
can make getting around town a grueling
experience.
Central regions. The Yangzi
River Delta has cold, damp winters.
Temperatures rarely fall below freezing,
though for several days just before last
Christmas they dipped to an unusually chilly
-3C. Winters can be very wet and rather grey.
Summers are long, hot and sweaty, with high
temperatures occasionally lasting into
October.
The South. The climate here
is obviously far milder than elsewhere, with
short winters and long, humid summers
stretching from April to October. Top
temperatures reach around 40C (103F). Heavy
rain is common in July and August but can
occur at any time of year.
Other
areas. The northwest desert regions of
Qinghai, Gansu and Xinjiang have scorching
summers, though these are mercifully dry.
Turpan, lying 150m below sea level in Gansu,
 is the hottest
place in the country with the mercury
occasionally rising as high as 47C (117F).
Winters are bleak and brutal, with minimum
temperatures plunging to -30C (-22F). The
average January temperature in Urumqi, the
capital of Xinjiang, is about -10C (14F).
South of Xinjiang in Tibet, winters can be
even harsher, with fearsome winds sweeping
across the Tibetan Plateau. Summer
temperatures can rise to 38C (100F) at
midday, but nights will always be chilly |
China in Brief
