The city is located in the north-west of China, at 43 degrees north latitude, in the autonomous region of Xinjiang, 40 meters (130 feet) above sea level, in a depression whose lowest part is 155 meters (510 feet) below sea level.
To the north is the Bogda Shan, belonging to the Tien Shan chain, whose highest peak is the Bogda Feng, 5,445 meters (17,864 feet) high, while to the north-west, at the foot of the mountain, is the city of Ürümqi. To the south-west is the vast Taklimakan desert.
is dry and sunny. Even though the temperatures are low, snowfalls are rare. The coldest months are December and January, when the sun is lower on the horizon, the air tends to stagnate and the temperature remains around freezing even during the day.
, given the low altitude and the distance from the sea, Turpan is the hottest city in all of China, even though the humidity is much lower than in the center-east of the country. The records show that temperatures can rise above 40 °C (104 °F) from late April to early September. The absolute record is 49 °C (120 °F), recorded in July 2017; on that occasion, the minimum was 37 °C (98.5 °F).
To visit Turpan you can choose spring and autumn, and in particular the period from mid-March to mid-April and the month of October.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-6.3 °C, with a minimum of
-10.3 °C and a maximum of
-2.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-14 °C. However, it dropped to
-17.7 °C in January 2011.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
2.5 °C. However, it reached
6.9 °C in January 1991.
Precipitation amounts to only
0.5 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 55% of the time.
The average humidity is 52%.
February is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
1.8 °C, with a minimum of
-3.5 °C and a maximum of
7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-9.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-16.6 °C in February 2020.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
14 °C. However, it reached
17.2 °C in February 2010.
Precipitation amounts to only
0.5 mm, distributed over 0 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 63% of the time.
The average humidity is 42%.
March is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
11.9 °C, with a minimum of
5.9 °C and a maximum of
17.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-1 °C. However, it dropped to
-5.9 °C in March 1994.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26.5 °C. However, it reached
31.7 °C in March 2013.
Precipitation amounts to only
1 mm, distributed over 0 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 64% of the time.
The average humidity is 30%. Hence, the air is normally dry.
April is generally a warm month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
21 °C, with a minimum of
14.2 °C and a maximum of
27.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
7 °C. However, it dropped to
2.4 °C in April 2001.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
35.5 °C. However, it reached
40.9 °C in April 2020.
Precipitation amounts to only
0.6 mm, and all occurs in one day.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 8.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 63% of the time.
The average humidity is 23%. Hence, the air is normally dry.
May is generally a warm to hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
26.8 °C, with a minimum of
19.8 °C and a maximum of
33.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12.5 °C. However, it dropped to
9.9 °C in May 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
40.5 °C. However, it reached
43.3 °C in May 2008.
Precipitation amounts to only
1.3 mm, and all occurs in one day.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 40 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 66% of the time.
The average humidity is 23%. Hence, the air is normally dry.
June is generally a very hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
31.7 °C, with a minimum of
24.7 °C and a maximum of
38.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
18.5 °C. However, it dropped to
13.3 °C in June 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
44 °C. However, it reached
47.6 °C in June 2010.
Precipitation amounts to only
2.8 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 20 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 65% of the time.
The average humidity is 24%. Hence, the air is normally dry.
July, the hottest month of the year, is generally a scorchingly hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
33.4 °C, with a minimum of
26.5 °C and a maximum of
40.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
21 °C. However, it dropped to
17.7 °C in July 2009.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
45.5 °C. However, it reached
49 °C in July 2017.
Precipitation amounts to only
2.3 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 0 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 67% of the time.
The average humidity is 29%. Hence, the air is normally dry.
August is generally a very hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
31.8 °C, with a minimum of
24.6 °C and a maximum of
38.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
19.5 °C. However, it dropped to
13.4 °C in August 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
44 °C. However, it reached
47.8 °C in August 2008.
Precipitation amounts to only
1.8 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 71% of the time.
The average humidity is 32%. Hence, the air is normally dry.
September is generally a warm to hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
25.5 °C, with a minimum of
18.4 °C and a maximum of
32.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12 °C. However, it dropped to
7.6 °C in September 2015.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
39 °C. However, it reached
42.8 °C in September 1998.
Precipitation amounts to only
1.8 mm, and all occurs in one day.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 75% of the time.
The average humidity is 35%.
October is generally a very mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
15.7 °C, with a minimum of
9 °C and a maximum of
22.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
2.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-1.1 °C in October 1994.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
30 °C. However, it reached
34.2 °C in October 2009.
Precipitation amounts to only
1.2 mm, and all occurs in one day.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 73% of the time.
The average humidity is 42%.
November is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.3 °C, with a minimum of
0.3 °C and a maximum of
10.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-5 °C. However, it dropped to
-10 °C in November 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18 °C. However, it reached
21.6 °C in November 2006.
Precipitation amounts to only
0.9 mm, distributed over 0 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 40 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 64% of the time.
The average humidity is 51%.
December is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-4 °C, with a minimum of
-7.6 °C and a maximum of
-0.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-12.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-17.2 °C in December 2012.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
5.5 °C. However, it reached
9.6 °C in December 1994.
Precipitation amounts to only
0.6 mm, and all occurs in one day.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 5 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 48% of the time.
The average humidity is 60%.