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Kunming weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Kunming has well-marked seasons, with 11.2°C between its warmest and coolest monthly means. Rainfall is strongly seasonal: the bulk of the year's rain falls between May and September. Kunming weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+5.1°Chigh well above average

25° / 15°Today
20° / 13°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+2.2°Caverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–492frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 1 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 1 in the 1940s8days above 30°C a year now (2016–2025) · 0 in the 1940sdays above 30°C · 0 in the 1940s+2.2°C vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 33 mmhigh 15°low 5°February, rain 35 mmhigh 18°low 7°March, rain 46 mmhigh 21°low 10°April, rain 77 mmhigh 24°low 13°May, rain 158 mmhigh 25°low 16°June, rain 286 mmhigh 24°low 18°July, rain 281 mmhigh 24°low 18°August, rain 256 mmhigh 24°low 18°September, rain 182 mmhigh 23°low 16°October, rain 123 mmhigh 20°low 13°November, rain 47 mmhigh 18°low 9°December, rain 27 mmhigh 15°low 5°wettest month June, 286 mm · 1,551 mm a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Mostly clear

Right now

21.9°

21°feels like
58%humidity
13°dew point
12 km/hfrom SW
UV index0.0
sunrise07:08sunset18:39day length11h 31m
TodayPartly cloudy25°15°
MonPartly cloudy25°16°
TuePartly cloudy26°17°
WedPartly cloudy22°15°
ThuPartly cloudy24°17°
FriMostly clear25°16°
SatClear26°14°

On this date: October 18

Today (forecast)
25° / 15°
Average for October 18
20° / 13°

High well above average · +5.1°C

  • Record high: 25.3° · 2006
  • Record low: 6.4° · 1945
  • One year ago: 21° / 16°

Every October 18 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 18 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Kunming is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 25.04°N, 102.72°E, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
25.04°N, 102.72°E
Time zone
Asia/Shanghai
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

27 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +2.1°C.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

The warmest month is July, with typical afternoon highs of 24.4°C and nights around 18.3°C. At the other extreme, January brings afternoon highs of about 15.2°C and typical overnight lows of 4.9°C.

The yearly total for Kunming comes to about 1,551 mm; monthly amounts range from 27 mm in December up to 286 mm in June. A typical year brings rain or snow on around 149 days.

Comparing the record's first decade with its most recent one, Kunming now averages 2.2°C warmer than it did in the 1940s. The count of days past 30°C has risen from roughly 0 a year to 8 between the record's first and last decades.

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 11°C. Wettest month: June (~286 mm). Whole year averages ~1,551 mm of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 149 rainy days a year: most in July (~25), fewest in December (~3).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 2 mm per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Kunming month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Record high/low are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightRecord highRecord low
January15.2°4.9°33 mm410.6 h24.7° (2023)−3.8° (2016)
February17.6°6.5°35 mm411.2 h27.1° (2013)−5.7° (1977)
March21.4°9.9°46 mm511.8 h29.8° (2007)−3.1° (1986)
April24.2°13.4°77 mm812.6 h32.2° (2021)2.1° (1969)
May24.9°16.2°158 mm1413.2 h33.4° (2023)7.8° (2022)
June24.4°17.9°286 mm2313.5 h34.0° (2023)11.0° (1970)
July24.4°18.3°281 mm2513.4 h30.4° (2024)13.5° (1989)
August24.4°17.7°256 mm2412.9 h30.5° (2020)13.1° (1957)
September23.0°16.2°182 mm1912.1 h29.1° (1963)8.0° (1997)
October20.4°13.3°123 mm1411.4 h27.1° (2023)4.4° (1978)
November17.7°8.9°47 mm610.8 h24.8° (2017)−0.1° (1979)
December15.0°5.5°27 mm310.5 h22.5° (1998)−6.3° (1982)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +2.2°C.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.26°C per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Jun–Aug is warming fastest: +0.31°C per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 30°C per year: 0.0 early in the record → 8.1 recently. Frost days: 1 → 2.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

All-time high in 2023, all-time low in 1982: 34.0°C / −6.3°C.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~1,551 mm/year on average. Last decade: −5% vs that average. Long-term trend: −11 mm per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Kunming

Which is the warmest month in Kunming?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Kunming is July (mean daily temperature of about 20.9°C) and the coolest is January (about 9.7°C).
How does today's temperature in Kunming compare to the historical average?
On October 18, 2026, Kunming is forecast to reach a high of 25.2°C and a low of 14.6°C. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 20.1°C and a low of 13.0°C, so today's high is 5.1°C warmer than that average.
How much has Kunming warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Kunming is about 2.2°C warmer.
How much does it rain in Kunming?
Kunming receives about 1,551 mm of precipitation per year on long-term average, with June typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Kunming?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Kunming is about 16.4°C. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Kunming by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Kunming (°C, full record since 1940): January 15°/5°, February 18°/7°, March 21°/10°, April 24°/13°, May 25°/16°, June 24°/18°, July 24°/18°, August 24°/18°, September 23°/16°, October 20°/13°, November 18°/9°, December 15°/5°.
What is the weather like in Kunming in summer?
June to August is summer in Kunming, and it is wet and pleasantly warm. Daytime highs sit at 24°C and nights at 18°C; July is the warmest month. Rain falls on about 24 days a month, adding up to around 275 mm. No season is wetter.
What is the weather like in Kunming in winter?
In winter, December through February, Kunming is fairly mild. Afternoons run 15–18°C and nights 5–7°C; January is the coldest month. Rain is steady at around 31 mm a month, spread over roughly 4 days. No season is drier.
What is the weather like in Kunming in spring?
March to May is spring in Kunming, and it is pleasantly warm. March starts at 21°C by day and 10°C at night; by May it is 25°C and 16°C. Rain picks up through the season: 5 rainy days and 46 mm in March, 14 days and 158 mm in May.
What is the weather like in Kunming in autumn?
In autumn, September through November, Kunming is wet and mild. It cools from 23°C by day and 16°C at night in September to 18°C and 9°C in November. Rain falls off from 182 mm on 19 days in September to 47 mm on 6 days in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Kunming?
On long-term average, Kunming has about 149 days a year with at least 2 mm of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 1,551 mm.

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