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Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, sits at the head of Hangzhou Bay on the Qiantang River in eastern China, beside the famous West Lake at approximately 30.27°N, 120.16°E. It has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) under the East Asian monsoon — with hot, humid summers and chilly, damp winters — four distinct seasons, a plum-rain season, and exposure to late-summer typhoons.
Summer, from June to August, is hot and humid, with July and August the warmest months — average highs around 33–34°C — and heatwaves that can exceed 38–40°C, made oppressive by high humidity. Early summer brings the plum rains, a spell of persistent, sometimes heavy rain in June, and late summer and early autumn can bring typhoons off the Pacific with torrential rain and strong winds.
Winter, from December to February, is chilly and damp rather than severely cold, with January the coolest month — average highs around 8°C and lows near 1–3°C, dipping to frost on the coldest nights with occasional light snow. The persistent damp and cloud make it feel raw, and misty, drizzly days are common around West Lake.
Hangzhou is fairly wet, receiving around 1,400–1,500 mm of rain a year, spread through the year but concentrated in spring and early summer, with the plum-rain season and typhoon-driven downpours contributing the heaviest falls; winter is the drier season. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Hangzhou's weather is bound up with its famous West Lake, whose misty, drizzly days in the cool seasons are part of the city's celebrated scenery. Its climate brings hot, humid summers with plum rains and typhoon rains, and chilly damp winters; the late-summer typhoon season is the main hazard, capable of bringing torrential rain and flooding to the low-lying delta.
To follow any single measurement in Hangzhou more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.