China - weather in May

May is the last month of spring in China, and it gets gradually warmer and rainier the further south you go.
Average temperatures are mild, but with cold nights, in the extreme north-east, near the border with Siberia (see Tahe) and in Tibet, especially in the higher areas and north of Lhasa.
In the northwest, in Xinjiang, occupied largely by desert plateaus (see Ürümqi), the temperatures are very mild or pleasantly warm, but in the lower areas (see the Turpan depression), it is already hot.
In Beijing, daytime temperatures can already reach or exceed 30 °C (86 °F), so there are already summer-like days.
In the center-south, the temperature and humidity are gradually higher. South of the Tropic (see Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong) the daily average already exceeds 25 °C (77 °F).
In May there can be heat waves, even in the center-north, during which the temperature can reach or exceed 35 °C (95 °F).
The rains increase compared to the previous months, and in the north they are still quite rare, while in the center-south they are more frequent and abundant. In many areas of the south, May and June, the "plum rain" period, are rainy months, and are often the rainiest of the year.

The sea is warm enough for swimming only in the south, starting from the latitude of the Tropic, i.e. on the coasts of Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan Island.

The following tables show the climate averages in the month of may in China in a selection of locations.

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Monthly climate averages - May

(from north to south)
























See also: China, the weather in April - June
The climate of China