Shanghai Weather Overview
Shanghai sits on the vast Yangtze River delta on China’s east coast, around half way between Hong Kong and Beijing. With a massive 20 million inhabitants it is China’s large city and one of the world’s largest metropolises.
Shanghai has a humid subtropical climate marked by four distinct seasons. Climate is strongly influenced by the Asiatic monsoon winds and the city’s coastal position on East China Sea. Temperatures can vary from the mid 30s in summer to below zero on occasions in winter.
The weather is pretty good year round, although summer can get a little hot and muggy for some and winter can see cold weather. On balance autumn enjoys the best weather of the year.
Summer
This is the hottest and wettest time of year in Shanghai. The summer weather begins in June with average temperature climbing to 24C with highs averaging 27C. July and August are the hottest months of the year when temperature reaches an average of 27C; daily highs climb to 32C and beyond - even up to 40C - and it never drops much below 25C at night. From September is starts to cool, but it is still a hot month.
The summer heat is often punctuated by heavy rains. Usually falling in afternoon thunderstorms the rainfall is usually heavy but short-lived. The heat and precipitation make summer a very humid time and things can become a little uncomfortable and oppressive if you are spending a busy day sightseeing in the city. The wettest months are June and September, with over 150mm average rainfall. July and August average around 130mm.
Summer thunderstorms can sometimes bring very heavy rain to Shanghai and there is a risk of flooding in certain parts of the city. Also Shanghai can occasionally be hit by typhoons, although direct hits are rare. These intense storms can form each year in the Northwest Pacific ocean and if they make land they can cause enormous damage. Typhoon season runs from May to November. September 2007 saw Shanghai come in the path of a very strong typhoon that led to 1.6million people being evacuated from the city and surrounds. The region is very well prepared, however, and often it is a case of closing the doors and windows and sheltering indoors for 24 hours.
Autumn
This is one of the best times to visit Shanghai. Temperatures are very comfortable and rainfall is low. Late September and October is an especially good time to visit Shanghai. The summer rains have died down and temperatures range between the mid teens and mid 20s. October averages just 60mm rainfall, a sharp decline from the 160mm that is the norm for September.
November’s rainfall is even less – around 50mm and its another great month, though the first cool temperatures with night time lows dropping to single figures. Daily highs are still in the high teens however.
Winter
Winter can be cold in Shanghai, although its coastal position does mean temperatures don’t drop as low as inland areas. January is the coldest month of the year, with an average of 4C, ranging from lows of zero to highs of 8C. December and January are only a little warmer, averaging around 6C or 7C.
While temperatures below zero are rare they can occur during particularly cold snaps, and snow can even fall in the city some years.
Winter is the driest time of the year in Shanghai, and the abundance of sunshine makes it a pleasant time if you don’t mind things a little cold.
Spring
Spring is another good time to visit Shanghai. Temperatures are a little cooler than autumn and rain a little more frequent but the weather is generally very pleasant.
March is still cool, with an average of 9C, but temperatures quickly increase throughout spring with May averaging 20C. Rainfall quickly increases too, however, with April and May seeing the first of the heavy rains and averaging over 100mm.
