Geography: Climate

China’s climate varies from bitter cold in the winter to unbearable heat in the summer. The Yangtze River serves as the diving line between the north and the south. China’s climate is dominated by hot dry seasons and wet monsoons; this type of change is caused by the cold northern winds from the mountains in the winter and the warm southern winds coming off the sea in the summer months. We can break the country up into 4 regions to describe the countries climate: North, Central, South, and Northwest.

North:
Northern winters, from December to March, can be extremely cold. Some parts of the area can experience temperatures as low as -40*F. While the summer months, May to August, the same areas can hit 100*F.

Central:
The Yangtze River valley has long and humid summers with high temperatures. The winters can be as cold as those in the North.

South:
The south is effected by the typhoons season in the summer spanning from July to September with temperatures can rise to as much as 100*F. The winters here are short only lasting a few months after the first of the year.

Northwest:
This region contains some of the most harsh and diverse climate changes in the entire country. In the summer it is hot, dry and sunny. The desert region can be scorching in the daytime. A depression lies here approximately 150m below sea level; this is known by many as “the hottest place in China” with maximum temperatures around 116*F. The winters can see temperatures around 14*F. Precipitation averages less than 4 inches per year.


http://www.china-travel-tour-guide.com/about-china/climate.shtml



China's Annual Percipitation: