October brings 24°C daytime highs, 68mm of precipitation across about 6 wet days and 11.2 hours of daylight — best for hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine. The strongest run of the year is October to December. July is the quietest month: hot and slow-paced, and still good for beach days, swimming and quiet and local.
Long-run climate normals for Hangzhou. Month ratings compare months within Hangzhou only — they are not a ranking of Hangzhou against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | October — Hiking, Cycling, Reliable sunshine |
| Best 3-month window | October–December |
| Quietest month | July — Hot and slow-paced |
| Driest month | December — 52mm |
| Wettest month | June — 168mm |
| Warmest / coolest | July 34°C / February 8°C |
| Seasonality | Strongly seasonal — the months feel like different places |
| Annual rainfall | 1378mm over roughly 112 rain days |
July gets roughly 113% more precipitation than October — 145mm against 68mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Hangzhou swings 26°C between July (34°C) and February (8°C) — the month you pick changes what you pack more than where you go.
June gives you 13.9 hours of daylight against just 10.1 in December — a 4-hour difference in how much you can actually fit into a day.
December is the driest month at 52mm across roughly 5 wet days, while June peaks at 168mm.
November is almost as good as October, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Hangzhou changes character completely through the year — October and July are effectively two different destinations. Pick the month that matches what you want to do, not the highest-rated one.
Ratings compare months within Hangzhou, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Hangzhou beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★☆☆☆ | 8°C / 1°C | 62mm | 6 | 5h | 10.2h | Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| February | ★★☆☆☆ | 8°C / 1°C | 72mm | 7 | 5h | 10.9h | Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| March | ★★☆☆☆ | 12°C / 5°C | 118mm | 11 | 5h | 11.8h | Spring greenery · Quiet and local |
| April | ★★★★☆ | 18°C / 10°C | 98mm | 9 | 6h | 12.8h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| May | ★★★★☆ | 24°C / 16°C | 108mm | 10 | 6h | 13.6h | Hiking · Cycling |
| June | ★★☆☆☆ | 30°C / 21°C | 168mm | 16 | 7h | 13.9h | Beach days · Swimming · Quiet and local |
| July | ★★☆☆☆ | 34°C / 25°C | 145mm | 14 | 5h | 13.8h | Beach days · Swimming · Quiet and local |
| August | ★★☆☆☆ | 34°C / 25°C | 108mm | 10 | 5h | 13.1h | Beach days · Swimming · Quiet and local |
| September | ★★★☆☆ | 30°C / 21°C | 122mm | 12 | 7h | 12.2h | Beach days · Swimming |
| October | ★★★★★ | 24°C / 16°C | 68mm | 6 | 10h | 11.2h | Hiking · Cycling · Reliable sunshine |
| November | ★★★★★ | 18°C / 10°C | 55mm | 5 | 9h | 10.4h | Hiking · Cycling · Reliable sunshine |
| December | ★★★★☆ | 12°C / 5°C | 52mm | 5 | 8h | 10.1h | Low-angle light |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | October | 10h daily sunshine, 24°C highs and only 6 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | October | 24°C highs with 11.2h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | October | 10h of sun and 11.2h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | April | Scores 67/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | November | 18°C highs and 10°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Hangzhou is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
October is the best all-round month in Hangzhou: 24°C highs, 68mm of precipitation and 11.2 hours of daylight, which suits hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine. The strongest three-month window is October to December.
July — 34°C highs, 145mm of precipitation over roughly 14 days and 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for beach days, swimming and quiet and local.
December is the driest month at 52mm over about 5 rain days, against 168mm in June. Across the year Hangzhou records around 1378mm.
Yes, but the months are genuinely different trips. October suits hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine, while July suits beach days, swimming and quiet and local. Pick the month that matches what you want to do.
Daylight ranges from 10.1 hours in December to 13.9 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.