Chengdu's weather, month by month

Chengdu sits in the Sichuan Basin, which is why its climate behaves differently from most of China at the same latitude: cloud cover is high all year, winters are mild and damp rather than cold and bright, and summer heat arrives with humidity that makes 30°C feel considerably worse.

The grid above averages every day from 2015 to 2024, so a single freak month will not distort it. Each cell gives the month's average daily high and low in °C, then total rainfall and the number of days with at least 1mm of rain. The month you are in is shaded, in Chengdu time.

Summer is the season to plan around rather than ignore. July is the wettest month of the year at roughly 279mm, and the heat peaks at the same time: August averages 31.1°C by day. If you are here in July or August, build the day around early mornings and air-conditioned afternoons, and treat rain as a scheduling fact rather than bad luck.

Spring (March to May) is the most comfortable stretch: 23.8°C in April and 27.2°C in May, with the rainy season not yet at full strength. Autumn behaves similarly from September into October, and is the other window most visitors should aim for.

Winter is mild by Chinese standards but grey and damp — January averages 10.7°C by day and 3.6°C at night, with little snow in the city itself. Bring a warm layer for unheated teahouses and courtyards, not an arctic coat.