Climate in Baotou (Inner Mongolia)

The climate of Baotou is arid continental (according to the Köppen classification, cold semi-arid or steppe climate - BSk), with cold, dry winters and hot, relatively rainy summers. Rainfall, scarce, falls mostly from May to September.
Baotou (formerly Paw Tan Chen) is a city of 2,700,000 inhabitants located in northern China, in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, on the Hetao plateau, at 1,065 meters (3,500 feet) above sea level and 40 degrees north latitude. The border with Mongolia is 200 km (125 mi) to the north. The Yellow River flows on the southern edge of the city, while just to the north are the Yin (or Daqing) Mountains.

In winter, from December to February, the temperature is several degrees below freezing: the average in January is around -10 °C (14 °F). The sun shines quite often even in this season, and due to the dry climate, snowfall is rare. The wind can bring dust and sand from the deserts of Mongolia.
During cold spells, the temperature can drop to -25 °C (-13 °F) or below. The record is 31.4 °C (-24.5 °F).

Summer, from June to August, is hot, with an average of 24 °C (75 °F) in July, and is also relatively rainy, due to the Asian monsoon, which, however has a marginal effect due to the distance from the sea. July and August are the rainiest months.
Due to the altitude, nights can be cool, especially in June and the second half of August.
Despite the altitude, in good weather there can be very hot periods, with highs of 35 °C (95 °F) or more. The record in June and July is 40 °C (104 °F).

Spring, from March to May, is characterized by clashes of air masses, which can cause gusts of wind and sudden changes in temperature. Sometimes the temperature can exceed 30 °C (86 °F) already in April. On the other hand, autumn, from September to November, is a calmer season, although the temperature drops rapidly.

Baotou - Climate data

In Baotou, the average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of -9.8 °C (14.3 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 24.2 °C (75.6 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Precipitation amounts to 305 millimeters (12 inches) per year: it is therefore scarce. It ranges from 1.8 mm (0.1 in) in the driest month (January) to 80 mm (3.1 in) in the wettest one (August). Here is the average precipitation.
There are on average around 2855 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average hours of sunshine per day.