Climate

Climate in Shanghai, China

GCI planning model, separate from the NASA reference below: Shanghai, China has a humid continental climate. The annual average temperature is about 18.5°C, with around 1962 hours of sunshine; the national rainfall baseline is roughly 650 mm across 73 rainy days a year. The warmest month is Jul (highs near 31.2°C) and the coldest is Jan (lows near 5.7°C). These are deterministic planning estimates, not a forecast or measured station data. Temperature and sunshine follow the city's latitude; rainfall and the climate zone come from a country-level baseline that every city in the country shares (refined by region in the United States, Canada and Australia), so they do not show local differences. Check current conditions with an official meteorological service before travel.

Climate zone
Humid Continental
Comfort score
81/100

What these numbers represent

GCI scores and planning amounts are modelled or editorial indicators, not measured city statistics or official estimates. Country assumptions are not local observations. Institutional references explain context; they do not supply these scores.

Source-backed temperature context is available in the NASA POWER climate reference. It is gridded reanalysis, not a weather-station measurement, and does not validate GCI's other scores.

Content and provenance reviewed 2026-10-17; this is not a new observation date. For GCI models, data year means model edition, not a measurement period. Source-backed datasets state their own periods. Read the data categories and limitations.

NASA POWER climate reference

NASA POWER / MERRA-2 gridded temperature climatology at the Shanghai city-centre coordinate, January 2001 to December 2025. Not a station observation, current weather or an official GCI score. The grid can include surroundings beyond the city and does not resolve neighbourhood conditions.

Annual mean: 16.89 °C. Source period: 2001–2025. Retrieved 2026-10-17.

Shanghai: monthly mean temperature, NASA POWER grid, 2001–2025
MonthMean temperature (°C)
JAN4.44
FEB6.11
MAR9.93
APR15.33
MAY20.64
JUN24.47
JUL28.47
AUG28.49
SEP24.59
OCT19.31
NOV13.61
DEC6.72

The GCI planning-model tables below are retained separately. Their temperatures and comfort scores are not calibrated to this NASA series and must not be treated as observations or blended with it.

Source data: NASA POWER JSON · Source methodology

Climate overview

Shanghai, China has a humid continental climate. The annual average temperature is about 18.5°C, with around 1962 hours of sunshine; the national rainfall baseline is roughly 650 mm across 73 rainy days a year. The warmest month is Jul (highs near 31.2°C) and the coldest is Jan (lows near 5.7°C). These are deterministic planning estimates, not a forecast or measured station data. Temperature and sunshine follow the city's latitude; rainfall and the climate zone come from a country-level baseline that every city in the country shares (refined by region in the United States, Canada and Australia), so they do not show local differences. Check current conditions with an official meteorological service before travel.

Data year 2025; last updated 2026-10-17.

Climate zone

Köppen-style classification derived deterministically from latitude and a country-level precipitation baseline.

Climate zone

Shanghai is classified as Humid Continental. The classification combines the city’s own temperature range, which follows its latitude, with a rainfall pattern taken at country level for China — so cities in the same country usually share a zone.

GCI planning-model temperatures

Annual averages and seasonal extremes.

Average temperatures

  • Annual average18.5°C
  • Warmest monthJul (31.2°C)
  • Coldest monthJan (5.7°C)
  • Comfort score81/100

Rainfall overview

A country-level precipitation baseline and how it is distributed across the year.

Rainfall overview

The rainfall baseline for China is about 650 mm a year over roughly 73 rainy days, with the wettest month Jun and the driest Jan. This figure is not specific to Shanghai: every city in China carries the same baseline, so it will not show the difference between, say, a dry inland city and a wet coastal one. Use an official meteorological service for local rainfall.

Sunshine overview

Estimated annual sunshine and its seasonal pattern.

Sunshine overview

Shanghai sees an estimated 1962 hours of sunshine a year, concentrated in the warmer months around Jul.

Monthly climate table

Month-by-month estimates. Temperature and sunshine follow the city’s latitude; the rainfall and rainy-day columns distribute the country-level baseline.

Monthly climate table

Shanghai monthly climate table
MonthHighLowRainRainy DaysSunshine
Jan16.7°C5.7°C34 mm4150 h
Feb17.7°C6.7°C34 mm4155 h
Mar20.3°C9.3°C42 mm5160 h
Apr24°C13°C53 mm6167 h
May27.6°C16.6°C70 mm8161 h
Jun30.3°C19.3°C81 mm9159 h
Jul31.2°C20.2°C78 mm9163 h
Aug30.3°C19.3°C73 mm8171 h
Sep27.6°C16.6°C56 mm6184 h
Oct24°C13°C48 mm5177 h
Nov20.3°C9.3°C45 mm5160 h
Dec17.7°C6.7°C36 mm4155 h

Best months to visit

Months with the mildest temperatures and lower rainfall, by the deterministic comfort heuristic. Not a tourism ranking.

Best months to visit

By temperature and rainfall, the most comfortable months in Shanghai are Oct, Apr, Mar. Conditions vary year to year — verify with a current forecast before booking.

Seasonal summary

Average conditions by season.

Seasonal summary

  • Winter

    17°C / 6°C

    104 mm rain

  • Spring

    24°C / 13°C

    165 mm rain

  • Summer

    31°C / 20°C

    232 mm rain

  • Autumn

    24°C / 13°C

    149 mm rain

Climate comfort score

A 0–100 composite of temperature balance, rainfall, sunshine, seasonality, and winter/summer extremes; higher means more comfortable. Used consistently across the platform.

Climate comfort score

Shanghai has a climate comfort score of 81/100, a very comfortable year-round climate by this measure. The score weights mild temperatures most, then rainfall balance, sunshine, low seasonality, and the absence of extreme winter cold or summer heat.

Continue exploring

Continue researching this city across the platform's other planning surfaces.

Continue exploring

Related guides

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