China Climate
Top 5 Cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Chengdu
This month in numbers
April 2026 was exceptionally warm for China, ranking as the 2nd warmest April on record in 86 years, with an average temperature of 10.1°C, a significant 2.6°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Globally, April 2026 also ranked as the 2nd warmest April for land temperature, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The February–April 2026 period saw China's average temperature at 2.65°C, 1.8°C above the 1961–1990 baseline, placing it as the 14th warmest such period on record. China's April anomaly of +2.59°C placed it 81st out of 234 regions globally for the month. The country has experienced a long-term warming trend, with 2025 being the warmest year on record.
What’s driving change?
China is currently experiencing a drought event that began in January 2026 and is ongoing as of early May, representing 100% of the drought events logged for China over the past 12 months, indicating an unusual concentration. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a +0.11°C anomaly, though forecasts suggest a 61% chance of El Niño developing by May–July and an 87% chance by July–September. El Niño typically brings warmer and wetter conditions to East Asia, including China, with an increased risk of flooding in the Yangtze in the following summer. The Ministry of Water Resources has warned of severe flooding and drought across different parts of China in 2026, with the traditionally arid north potentially facing more severe flooding, while the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and northern Xinjiang may experience drought due to high temperatures and low rainfall. More information on active extreme weather events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker and on the evolving ENSO situation at ENSO tracker.
Looking ahead
Forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of El Niño conditions developing in the coming months, which could lead to warmer and wetter conditions for China, potentially increasing the risk of flooding in the Yangtze River basin during the summer.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for China
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in China changing?
China is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for China come from?
Climate data for China comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the China climate data cover?
The China climate profile covers Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and surrounding areas. The largest emitter and largest renewables builder
How often is the China climate update refreshed?
The China climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.