Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, sits on the southern bank of the Yellow River on the North China Plain in central China at approximately 34.75°N, 113.63°E. It has a temperate, monsoon-influenced continental climate (Köppen Dwa/Cwa) — with hot, humid, rainy summers and cold, dry winters — and four distinct seasons, typical of the warm-temperate Yellow River belt.

Summer, from June to August, is hot and the wet season, with July the warmest month — average highs around 32–33°C — and heatwaves that can exceed 38°C, made muggy by monsoon humidity. Most of the year's rain falls in these months, often as heavy, sometimes torrential thunderstorms; Zhengzhou suffered catastrophic flooding in July 2021 when extreme rainfall overwhelmed the city in a matter of hours.

Winter, from December to February, is cold and dry, with January the coldest month — average highs around 5°C and lows near -4°C, occasionally colder in cold snaps and dusty winds from the north. Snowfall is light and infrequent, skies are often hazy, and the season is generally dry, with the North China Plain fully exposed to the cold, dry Siberian monsoon.

Zhengzhou receives around 600–640 mm of precipitation a year, strongly concentrated in the summer months from June to August, while winter and spring are dry; the summer rains can be intense enough to cause severe flooding, as in the deadly 2021 deluge. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Zhengzhou's position on the North China Plain beside the Yellow River gives it a strongly seasonal continental climate — hot, wet summers and cold, dry, sometimes dusty winters. Its summer rains, though usually confined to a few months, can turn extreme: the July 2021 storm dropped a year's worth of rain in days, causing devastating floods, a reminder of the intensity the monsoon can bring to the region.

To follow any single measurement in Zhengzhou 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.