Beijing’s climate is typically humid continental, its main characteristics being its hot and humid summers and its cold and dry winters.

Beijing receives very little rainfall – usually about 60cm per year – with most of the rains falling between the summer months of July and August. This is mainly a result of the impact the warm and humid winds from the southeast, that are also accountable for the city’s summer heat.

In sharp contrast, the winter months experience no precipitation. Temperature averages during July can rise as high as 29ºC and can drop to a freezing -6ºC in January. The Siberian air masses that move southward across the Mongolian Plateau are an immense influence on Beijing weather patterns.