Beijing Climate and Weather

China is a vast country with complicated terrain and the climate varies radically from region to region. In winter most areas are cold and dry, and in summer hot and rainy. The climate of Beijing is rather extreme. The city is subject to the East Asian monsoon, which brings hot, humid summers, and the influence of the Siberian anticyclone, inflicting very cold, dry and windy winters on the city. There are four very distinct seasons, with a wide temperature variation between winter (down to well below freezing) and summer, when the mercury hits the high spots. Most of the rain falls in the summer season; the sudden afternoon and evening downpours make an umbrella a necessary travel accessory. Spring and autumn are relatively short seasons. Spring, between February and April, is characterised by warm and windy conditions. Autumn, between August and October, brings blue skies, pleasantly mild temperatures and slight humidity. Spring and autumn are the best seasons to travel in Beijing because they are the most mild and temperate and allow tourists to avoid the extremes of hot and cold that Beijing's climate produces. However, every season has its attractions. Beijing is also subject to occasional sandstorms from the deserts of northern China, and the air can be exceptionally smoggy.