Weather/Seasons

[hht]

So if I am in Beijing from Sept-Jan then go home for the winter break. Then come back in feb-july. What sort of temperature or weather would I be looking at, I know I will hit both cold and hot but how hot is hot and how cold is cold. Just thinking clothes wise. For example if a vest/tshirt/coat is warm enough for the cold bit or if its super super cold?

[skylee]

This might be useful -> http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/CHXX0008

[Derek Shi]

Unfortunately, I'm gonna tell you that February is the coldest month and July is the hotest month in Beijing. The temperature can reach -10`C in February, but days with over 35`C are quite normal in July. The spring is rather short and sometimes your clothes can be changed from coat to Tshirt in one or two weeks. So you'd better pack all your stuff up.

[tortue]

When I was in BJ winter 2009/2010, in dec/jan I think the real average high was rather like the average low in those curves - but certainly below zero celsius. We had weeks of a daily high between -5 and -15 celsius. Be prepared...

[m000gle]

I don't know if this helps, but you will experience the full range of weather...

- Temperature-wise, Beijing is temperate. Prepare for: as hot as 35 degrees, plus humidity, through the summer (or in your case through September and June)... A lot of sweater/light-jacket weather in the fall/spring (fall is easily the most comfortable season)... and cold, well below zero many days/weeks during the winter. Its as much a four season year as I was used to back in Canada, though not quite as cold/snowy.

- Precipitation-wise, Beijing is monsoonal. Prepare for winters being very dry (it snowed/rained just a handful of times from mid-October through the end March), and summer being very humid with thundershowers almost daily.

- Pollution-wise, Beijing is horrendous, by any objective measure, but most seem to adapt surprisingly well. Air Quality Index readings can be as low as 50 on some days, while flat-lining the AQI scale at 500 on others. My guess is an average day is about 200... Another personal observation is that winter seemed to be more particulate based pollution, while summer seems to be more photo-chemical smog.

In terms of preparation, I would not worry about bringing a winter coat unless a) you plan on travelling to Harbin (or somewhere equally cold) during the winter months or B) are particularly sensitive to cold. It is possible to get winter coats that are adequate and cheap for day-to-day life, but not for the -35 extremes in some other parts of the country. Long underwear, though not fashionable, is also a huge help and seems a LOT more common than it was in North America. It, again, is easy to find at an affordable price. Layers will be your biggest help during the winter, so packing a sweatshirt or two is probably more useful than wasting suitcase space on a winter coat or snow boots.

In the summer, quite simply, less is more, so bring T-shirts and shorts =P