Hangzhou Climate

Hangzhou Weather and Climate describes information with temperature, precipitation, geography, what clothes to wear in Hangzhou, weather and climate by month, climate graph, 15 days Hangzhou weather forecast. Find out the best time to visit Hangzhou and see the season highlights in Hangzhou. It also tells you what to wear in different seasons and clothes packing for your trip to Hangzhou.

Hangzhou Weather and Climate Feature

Hangzhou belongs to humid subtropical climate with four distinctive seasons, and it is characterized by long, very hot, humid summers and chilly, cloudy and drier winters (with occasional snow). The mean annual temperature there is 17. 8°C, with monthly daily averages ranging from 4.6 °C in January to 28.9 °C in July. The average relative humidity is 70.3%, and the annual rainfall is 1454 mm. For the sunshine, the annual sunshine hours are 1765 hours. Generally, it is affected by the plum rains of the Asian monsoon in June. In late summer (August to September), Hangzhou suffers typhoon storms, but typhoons hardly strike it directly. They influence the landfall along the southern coast of Zhejiang, and affect the area with strong winds and stormy rains.

Average Temperature in Hangzhou

The hot season lasts for 2.9 months, from June 14 to September 10, with an average daily high temperature above 83°F. The hottest day of the year is July 25, with an average high of 93°F and low of 79°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.1 months, from December 3 to March 7, with an average daily high temperature below 55°F. The coldest day of the year is January 20, with an average low of 34°F and high of 46°F.

Precipitation in Hangzhou

The wetter season lasts 6.7 months, from February 19 to September 11 while the drier season lasts 5.3 months, from September 11 to February 19. 

Average Rainfall in Hangzhou

The most rain falls during the 31 days centered around June 24, with an average total accumulation of 7.9 inches. The least rain falls around December 22, with an average total accumulation of 1.4 inches.

Hangzhou Travel Weather and Climate by Month

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

Four Seasons in Hangzhou and What to Wear

Summer in Hangzhou is quite hot, humid so that it is known as one of the four new “stoves” in China. On the contrary, it’s cold and dry in winter. In spring and autumn, the weather is pleasant which makes them golden seasons for sightseeing.

Spring (March through May)

• Weather:Humidity and temperatures combine to make this season feel moderate. Highs range from 82.4°F (28°C) and 54.1°F (12.3°C) with warmer temperatures in the later months. Rain is somewhat common with 8 to 12 days of significant precipitation per month. 
  What to Wear: Spring and autumn there enjoys pleasant weather like other places so you just bring normal spring and autumn dressing such as long pants, sweater, coat and jacket, ect.
  Things to Do: Spring is the best time to walk on the Su Causeway and appreciate the cherry blossom.

Summer (June through August)

• Weather:The middle-year months have very comfortable weather with high temperatures that are quite warm. These months see the most precipitation with 7 to 12 days of precipitation per month. 
  What to Wear: In summer, it is quite hot there. People are hard to sleep at night if there is no fan or air-condition, so you would realize how hot it is. Thus, tourists may need to carry sun scream, hat, and thin clothes.
  Things to Do: Summer is the right time to watch the lotus flowers on the West Lake.

Autumn (September through November)

• Weather: Fall daily highs range from 85.8°F (29.9°C) and 58.6°F (14.8°C), which will feel very nice given the humidity and wind. It rains or snows a significant amount: 6 to 8 days per month.
  What to Wear: long pants, sweater, coat and down jacket is needed in late autumn.
  Things to Do: If you travel to Hangzhou around the Mid-autumn Day, watching the tide of Qiantang River is a good choice.

Winter (December through February)

• Weather:Weather is too cold this time of year in Hangzhou to be enjoyable for warm weather travelers. The average high during this season is between 55.6°F (13.1°C) and 46.2°F (7.9°C). On average, it rains or snows a fair amount: 6 to 10 times per month.
  What to Wear: Winter in Hangzhou is chilly and sometimes it encounters snowy weather, so you’d better prepare more warm clothes with you during this period.
  Things to Do: In the severe winter season, wintersweet is in full blossom, and the three main sites to appreciate the wintersweet can't be missed. Besides, the famous scene of Lingering Snow on the Broken Bridge is the highlight of your winter tour in Hangzhou.

The Best Time to Visit Hangzhou

Although each season in Hangzhou offers its unique scenery, spring and autumn are the best season to visit Hangzhou, 
specially late March-May and September-mid November. In these seasons, temperature is warm but not hot. Daytime temperature ranges from mid 10s to mid 20s centigrade, and night time temperature ranges from low 10s to low 20s
Spring is the best season to visit the West Lake because all kinds of flowers are blossoming that time, such as plum blossom, peach blossom, and cherry blossom.  Autumn is also very nice because of the yellow and red leaves.

More about The Best Time to Visit Hangzhou

Avoid Public Holidays in Hangzhou

Try to avoid the public holidays of China, such as May Day Holiday(May 1-3), National Day Holiday(October 1-7), Spring Festival Holiday(Usually early February), Qingming Festival(in early April), Dragon Boat Festival(in June). Spring festival and national day festival are the most crowded time to travel. During these holidays, there will be a large crowd in the tourist attractions and you can't really enjoy yourself. Flights and hotels can cost three times as much than usual, and it's hard to get tickets during the Spring Festival. Generally speaking, June – August is the busiest season for tourism in Hangzhou, so lodging and other accommodations may cost more than usual.

More about Chinese National Holidays

Edited by Brittany Tian/田春燕