Shanghai month by month
Plan your visit to Shanghai by month. Compare weather, crowds, events, and prices across all twelve months with historical climate data.
Shanghai's measured year breaks into four periods, with a 24°C spread from January's 10°C to August's 34°C. December through February holds at 10 to 11°C, with December at 4 rain days and February at 9. March starts the spring at 16°C, April reaches 22°C, and May 25°C, each averaging 9 to 10 rain days. June and July both log 17 rain days while highs rise from 29°C to 33°C. August peaks at 34°C with 14 rain days. Autumn runs from September's 29°C and 15 rain days through October's 24°C and 8 to November's 18°C and 7.
The 12 month guides beneath this index follow those shifts in detail. If you're planning an autumn trip, open the October page first. It averages 24°C with 8 rain days, fewer than any other month from April through September. April offers a similar profile at 22°C and 9 rain days. November drops to 18°C with 7. For summer visits, start with the July page, where 33°C highs meet 17 rain days.
June and July demand the closest read. Both record 17 rain days, the highest count in Shanghai's measured year. September still carries 15 rain days at 29°C, a temperature that matches June exactly.
July combines Shanghai's near-peak heat at 33°C with 17 rain days, the highest rain count in the measured year.
- January
- High
- 10°C
- Low
- 1°C
- Rain
- 43 mm
January in Shanghai is defined by a damp, penetrating cold that feels worse than the thermometer suggests. Daytime highs hover around 9.9°C (50°F) and nights drop to 1.2°C (34°F),…
- February
- High
- 11°C
- Low
- 3°C
- Rain
- 69 mm
February in Shanghai is defined by one thing above all else. Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival (Chunjie), typically falls in late January or early February, and the city…
- March
- High
- 17°C
- Low
- 8°C
- Rain
- 90 mm
March in Shanghai sits in that awkward stretch between winter grey and genuine spring. Daytime temperatures reach about 16.5°C (62°F), which looks reasonable enough on paper, but…
- April
- High
- 22°C
- Low
- 12°C
- Rain
- 104 mm
April is when Shanghai finally feels like spring, and it is one of the better windows to visit the city. Daytime temperatures reach about 21.5°C (71°F), dropping to around 12°C…
- May
- High
- 25°C
- Low
- 16°C
- Rain
- 111 mm
May in Shanghai sits in a narrow window between the mild spring and the oppressive meiyu (plum rain) season that arrives in mid-June. Daytime temperatures hover around 25°C (78°F),…
- June
- High
- 29°C
- Low
- 21°C
- Rain
- 252 mm
June in Shanghai means one thing above all else. The plum rains arrive. Called méiyǔ (梅雨) in Mandarin, this annual monsoon pattern typically settles over the Yangtze Delta around…
- July
- High
- 33°C
- Low
- 26°C
- Rain
- 248 mm
July in Shanghai is the month the city sweats. Average highs reach 33°C (91°F) with overnight lows that barely drop below 26°C (79°F), and humidity sits at a persistent 80%. The…
- August
- High
- 34°C
- Low
- 26°C
- Rain
- 109 mm
August in Shanghai is, to put it plainly, an endurance test of heat and humidity. Daytime temperatures average 33.8°C (93°F) and rarely dip below 26°C (79°F) at night, which means…
- September
- High
- 29°C
- Low
- 23°C
- Rain
- 190 mm
September in Shanghai sits at an awkward crossroads between summer's worst and autumn's best. The average high drops to 29.4°C (85°F) from August's 34°C (93°F), which sounds like…
- October
- High
- 24°C
- Low
- 17°C
- Rain
- 64 mm
The single most important fact about October in Shanghai is Golden Week. China's National Day holiday runs October 1-7, and roughly 900 million domestic trips happen across the…
- November
- High
- 18°C
- Low
- 10°C
- Rain
- 72 mm
November in Shanghai arrives after Golden Week's crowds have cleared out, and the shift is tangible. The summer humidity has lifted, daytime temperatures settle around 18°C (65°F),…
- December
- High
- 11°C
- Low
- 3°C
- Rain
- 21 mm
December in Shanghai is cold, damp, and grey. That is the single most important thing to know. Average highs hover around 11°C (52°F), lows dip to 3°C (38°F), and the moisture in…