China's climate is everywhere more or less influenced by the monsoons that bring rain in summer. In addition, it is heavily continentally influenced everywhere except for the coastal areas . The climate is very different, it ranges from extremely dry desert climates to winter-cold coniferous forest climates to tropical climates:
This climatic zone can be found in the northeast of the country, on the border with Russia . Overall, the climate is strongly continental. Winter is long, very cold and dry, but often sunny. Snow often falls as early as November and can stay there for up to six months. The transition seasons are short. Summer is again warm and humid because it is influenced by the summer monsoon . Even here it can be muggy and warm in July or August with 30 ° C and high humidity.
A large part of China is determined by this climatic zone. It ranges from the Takla Makan desert , past the Mongolian border to the gates of the capital. The climate is characterized by cold, frosty winters with little snow and hot summers, plus extreme drought and large daily temperature fluctuations.
In the east of the country there is a predominantly moderate , continental monsoon climate, which is milder by the sea. That means that there are consistently cool, partly frosty, but mostly snow-poor winters. At this time of year the sun comes out frequently and there is little rainfall. From March to May it is spring. In summer it gets increasingly hot and rain comes in from the sea (summer monsoon). In addition, there is often oppressive sultriness. From October it will be much more pleasant again, from November there will be the first night frosts.
In the interior of China there are high mountains, such as the Himalaya and / or the Kunlun . Here there is a cool mountain climate with high temperature contrasts. The winters are extremely cold, especially at night, but the sun shines almost continuously during the day. Even then, areas of 4000 meters remain without snow, which has to do with the low amount of precipitation. In summer it becomes moderately warm and there is frequent rainfall. See also Tibet
The climate, especially in the east and southeast of China, is predominantly subtropical . The winters are quite mild and rather dry. Snow rarely falls, and there is sometimes frost. In summer it is tropical and hot with heavy rainfall and high temperatures. Even at night it is only slightly cooler.
The extreme south and southeast of China is tropical . There are quite warm, mostly dry winters around 20 ° C and hot and humid summers with only slight daily temperature fluctuations, whereby precipitation amounts of 2000 mm are not uncommon.
Precipitation in China increases steadily from west to east and from north to south. The driest regions in China include the Tibet Autonomous Region and the deserts of central China. Here barely 100 mm fall annually and therefore make non-irrigated agriculture seem impossible except for a few oases. Agriculture without artificial irrigation is only possible with a rainfall of at least 380 mm per year (see map) , and therefore around half of the country is unusable for agriculture. The wettest places can be found in the south-east of the country with up to 3000 mm. In all regions of China, up to 90% of the annual precipitation falls in the summer months.
Rainfall
climate
The climate on the coast is predominantly subtropical, in the southeast also tropical. That means, the winter is mild with values around 20 ° C. This is also the driest time of the year, but then a strong northeast wind blows (northeast monsoon ). In summer it is tropical and hot with heavy rainfall and high humidity. The time from May to September is determined by the southwest monsoon, which brings abundant rainfall. In the period from May to October, tropical cyclones ( typhoons ) often occur . In the interior of the country it is mountainous, in winter there is occasional snow at locations above 3000 meters.
particularities
China is a country of weather extremes and extreme contrasts:
Typhoons
Like hurricanes in the Atlantic area, typhoons are tropical cyclones of enormous dimensions and great destructive power. Every year, China's south and south-east coasts are hit by typhoons, some of which cause great damage and claim many human lives. Most of the time they pass Hong Kong and Taiwan and then hit land near Japan , but the coast off Shanghai is also endangered. The main typhoon season begins in southern China in mid-May, further north in June or July and usually ends in October or November. This is mainly due to the high water temperatures in this region, as 25 ° C are often exceeded as early as June. This is the temperature that such a tropical cyclone needs at least to form.
North and central China is also a drought-prone area. In August 2006, for example, the worst drought in over 50 years destroyed more than 10 million tons of grain and endangered the drinking water supply of 18 million people.
