Weather in Beijing

As you prepare for your holiday in China you will no doubt be looking at the CNN or BBC weather forecasts to see what the weather will be like during your stay. Many people cannot understand that it does get very cold in winter in Beijing. The temperatures can be many degrees centigrade below zero. In winter the cold air from Siberia blasts down towards Beijing and it freezes. It is literally freezing. The local people will wear knitted vests and long johns underneath their clothes. They will not take these off, except for washing, until winter is officially over. I have been in Beijing before the end of the official winter and it has been 28°C (82°F) and they still had their winter underwear on.

In summer it is very hot and temperatures in the high 30's centigrade are not uncommon even when it is raining. There is so little rainfall that the army will fire shells to seed the clouds with chemicals to get the rain to fall. You may think that the Chinese are setting off fireworks again but the noise is far heavier and tends to echo for longer. That will often not be heard in your hotel but when you are out it may startle you.

When looking at the weather forecast you may come across the term “smoky”. How can weather be smoky you may ask? The simple answer is when you have seen it you will know. The fact is that the air in Beijing is polluted and when the air is cold and coal fires are burning the air seems as if someone has been having a lot of fires. Be careful of any asthmatic in this pollution and even someone with good respiration can feel their throat burning and be short of breath.

One final sting in the tail from the weather is a sand storm. Beijing has a major problem of deserts moving south and getting nearer the city. The wind, when it comes, carries the sand particles and residents are seen with surgical masks or even fine mesh over their faces to stop the sand hitting them.

You need to be prepared for the weather in Beijing. It can change quickly. Be prepared that the sun is very strong and you may get burnt (yes even if you normally do not burn in the sun) just while you shop or visit the sites.