Short answer
There are two good windows, and they are not close calls. Mid-March to mid-May and late September to late November give 17 to 24°C, manageable humidity and the best light. October is the single best month: average highs around 24°C, lows around 17°C, roughly 64 mm of rain, and the summer humidity gone.
Two stretches to plan around rather than dismiss. Mid-June to mid-July is the plum rain season, a stalled weather front that sits over the Yangtze delta and delivers near-daily rain; June is the wettest month of the year at roughly 250 mm. Late July through August is hot and humid, with highs of 33 to 34°C and heat indices well above that, overlapping the typhoon season that runs from July to September and peaks in August.
Winter is cold, damp and cheap: January averages around 10°C by day and 1°C at night, and almost nothing in the city has central heating. The other thing that decides your dates is the Chinese holiday calendar. Early October, early May and Spring Festival fill the city, push rates up sharply and make advance booking essential.
The year in one table
| Month | Avg high / low | Rain | Crowds | Prices | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°C / 1°C | ~43 mm | Low outside Spring Festival | Lowest of the year | Cold and damp, no indoor heating |
| February | 10°C / 3°C | ~69 mm | Spring Festival period | Low, spiking over the holiday | The weakest month. Cold, grey, partly closed |
| March | 17°C / 7°C | ~90 mm | Rising | Moderate | Improves fast in the second half, blossom from late March |
| April | 22°C / 12°C | ~104 mm | High | High | One of the two best months, with showers |
| May | 25°C / 16°C | ~111 mm | Very high on 1-5 May | High | Excellent weather, worst-value spring dates |
| June | 29°C / 21°C | ~252 mm, wettest | Low | Low | Plum rain. Humid, mould-prone, hotels discounted |
| July | 33°C / 26°C | ~248 mm | High, school holidays | Moderate to high | Hottest and steamiest. Go out early or late |
| August | 34°C / 26°C | ~109 mm | Peak school-holiday crowds | High | Peak typhoon month on top of the heat |
| September | 29°C / 23°C | ~190 mm | Busy after mid-month | Moderate | Cools down through the month, storms possible |
| October | 24°C / 17°C | ~64 mm | Very high 1-7 October | Highest of the year that week | Best weather, worst week for crowds |
| November | 18°C / 10°C | ~72 mm | Falls away after mid-month | Moderate | Clear, dry, comfortable, good value |
| December | 11°C / 3°C | ~21 mm | Low except the New Year weekend | Low | Driest month. Cold but often bright |
These are averages from recent years, and a single day can depart from them: 27°C after a July storm, or 14°C on a January afternoon. Use the table to choose a month and a forecast app to choose a day.
Spring: mid-March to mid-May
Spring arrives quickly. By mid-March the plane trees along the French Concession are out and the city is pleasant in a jumper, and April is the pick of it: highs around 22°C with enough rain to keep everything green without washing out a day.
Two things define the season. Blossom first, with cherry and plum trees opening from late March into early April; the parks with the best displays get crowded at weekends and some run timed entry. Then Labour Day, 1 to 5 May, when domestic travel peaks and hotel rates roughly double for a week. The weather that week can be perfect; the value is the worst of the spring.
The plum rain season: mid-June to mid-July
The meiyu front settles over the Yangtze delta in mid-June and stays three to four weeks. What that means is not one dramatic storm but persistent drizzle and close air, with rain on roughly 14 to 17 days of the month and humidity around 80 per cent. June is the wettest month of the year by some distance, and hotels discount for it.
The upside is a plan-proof city. Shanghai has an unusually good bad-weather list: the Shanghai Museum, the natural history and science museums, the West Bund art museums and the aquarium.
Summer heat and typhoon season
July and August are why some visitors from cooler climates regret a summer booking. July averages 33°C as a high, August 34°C, and humidity turns that into a heat index above 40°C on the worst afternoons. The old town and the residential streets are hard work between 11:00 and 15:00, and the metro is the coolest place in the city.
- The typhoon season runs from July to September and peaks in August. The effects reach further than the storm: flight cancellations, suspended high-speed trains, closed ferries and attractions shutting at short notice. Build a spare day into any July to September itinerary, and check typhoon bulletins in the days before you fly.
- Kill the peak hours. Mornings and evenings outdoors, air-conditioned museums and malls in the middle of the day, and a booked indoor fallback for the day a storm arrives.
Winter: December to February
Winter here is short on snow and long on damp. Highs sit around 10 to 11°C in January and February with lows near 1 to 3°C, which sounds mild until the humidity and the lack of heating are factored in. Buildings are not centrally heated, so a restaurant or museum lobby can feel colder than the street. What winter does offer is the driest and cheapest conditions of the year: December averages around 21 mm of rain, days can be bright and crisp, and the Bund and the observation decks are far quieter than in October.
The holiday calendar, and what it does to booking
In Shanghai the Chinese public holidays matter more than the weather. Domestic travel concentrates into a few short windows, and the whole accommodation market reprices for them.
| Period | What it is | Effect on a Shanghai trip |
|---|---|---|
| Spring Festival, late January to mid-February by the lunar calendar | Roughly a week of public holiday | Hotels full and expensive well in advance, some family restaurants closed, trains sold out weeks ahead |
| Qingming, early April | Three-day tomb-sweeping holiday | Rail and hotel demand spikes for the long weekend |
| Labour Day, 1 to 5 May | Five-day holiday | Busiest spring week. Attractions and hotels need booking weeks ahead |
| Dragon Boat, a June long weekend | Short holiday | Falls in the plum rain season, so demand is patchy |
| Mid-Autumn, September or early October | Three days, sometimes beside National Day | When it merges with National Day the two create an eight-day peak |
| National Day, 1 to 7 October | The largest travel week of the year | Busiest period in the city. Rates peak, the Bund is shoulder to shoulder, free museums run out of slots days ahead |
| Summer school holidays, July to August | Six weeks of family travel | Steady high demand and higher rates, with the worst weather of the year |
Book attractions rather than hoping. The major sites use timed, real-name reservations, and free museums with daily caps go first: slots commonly open a few days to a week ahead and vanish within hours on a holiday date. The mechanics are in how attraction booking works in China. Hotels are the easier half, provided you do not leave it late into a holiday week.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best month to visit Shanghai?
October, then April and May, then late September and November. October averages around 24°C by day and 17°C at night with roughly 64 mm of rain, and the summer humidity has gone.
When is the rainy season in Shanghai?
The plum rain season, mid-June to mid-July: weeks of drizzle and humidity rather than one downpour, with June the wettest month at roughly 250 mm across 14 to 17 rain days. Late May and early September are wet too, but with more dry gaps.
Does Shanghai get typhoons?
Yes. The season runs from July to September and peaks in August, and the city takes direct hits or close passes in most years. Expect flight cancellations, suspended trains and closed attractions for a day or two. The storm passes quickly; the disruption lasts longer.
Is it worth visiting in summer?
It works if the plan fits the heat. July and August average 33 to 34°C with high humidity, so outdoors in the morning and evening and air-conditioned museums, malls and the metro in the middle of the day. Book indoor sites and keep a spare day for a storm.
What is Shanghai like in winter?
Cold and damp rather than freezing: around 10 to 11°C by day in January and February, near 1 to 3°C at night, and December is the driest month at around 21 mm. Buildings have no central heating. It is also the cheapest and quietest season outside Spring Festival.
Which dates should I avoid?
The first week of October, 1 to 5 May, and the Spring Festival week. All three combine peak domestic travel with peak prices, and attraction slots run out days ahead. If your dates are fixed to one of them, book transport and hotels as early as the window allows.
How far ahead should I book hotels and attractions?
Attractions as soon as your dates are firm, and no later than a week out for free museums and observation decks. Hotels three to four weeks ahead in the good-weather months, and two to three months ahead for a public-holiday week.
When is cherry blossom season in Shanghai?
Late March into early April, with the week depending on the winter. Parks with the best displays get very busy at weekends and some run timed entry during the season. Plum blossom comes earlier, from late February into March, and is less crowded.
Related reading
Monthly temperature and rainfall figures are averages from recent years compiled from Shanghai climate records; individual sources differ by 10 to 20 per cent on rainfall, so the month rankings matter more than the exact millimetres. The plum rain window, the July to September typhoon season and the peak typhoon month follow Chinese meteorological seasonal guidance. Public holiday dates follow the lunar calendar and each year's official announcement, so check the current year before booking.