Is Xining sunnier than Yinchuan?

Yinchuan is the sunnier: about 3,046 hours of sunshine a year versus 2,548 — a difference of 498 hours.

Which is warmer, Xining or Yinchuan?

Yinchuan is warmer across the year: average daytime highs of 18°C (64°F) versus 16°C.

Which is better in winter (November–February), Xining or Yinchuan?

They are close in the November–February window: Xining averages 2/100 (about 6°C days), Yinchuan 0/100 (about 4°C).

Xining vs Yinchuan: which is sunnier?

🇨🇳 China vs 🇨🇳 China · 433 km apart · long-term climate normals (NASA POWER, 2001–2020)

Yinchuan is the sunnier overall: about 3,046 hours of sunshine a year to Xining's 2,548. Yinchuan has the higher Sunshine Score in 7 of 12 months, Xining in 1 (4 within 2 points).

Scores are the 0–100 Sunshine Score — sunshine, daytime warmth and dryness in one number, per month.

At a glance

	Xining	Yinchuan
Sunshine hours / year	2,548	3,046
Sunniest month	May (83/100)	April (95/100)
Nov–Feb average score	2/100	0/100
Jun–Aug average score	76/100	87/100
Rain / year	504 mm	216 mm
Peak midday UV	8 (very high)	9 (very high)

Xining vs Yinchuan month by month

Month	Sunshine Score		Day high °C		Rain mm
Month	Xining	Yinchuan	Xining	Yinchuan	Xining	Yinchuan
January	0	0	3°	0°	3	2
February	0	0	7°	5°	3	2
March	31	32	12°	12°	9	4
April	75	95	18°	20°	23	10
May	83	93	22°	26°	61	21
June	79	91	25°	32°	80	34
July	76	80	27°	33°	99	43
August	74	89	26°	31°	108	44
September	79	90	21°	25°	83	36
October	52	79	15°	18°	27	14
November	8	0	9°	8°	6	5
December	0	0	4°	1°	2	1

The sunnier month by month: Jan even · Feb even · Mar even · Apr Yinchuan · May Yinchuan · Jun Yinchuan · Jul Yinchuan · Aug Yinchuan · Sep Yinchuan · Oct Yinchuan · Nov Xining · Dec even.

When to pick which

November–February: too close to call — Xining averages 2/100, Yinchuan 0/100. Xining is the warmer, around 6°C daytime highs vs 4°C. See the winter sun ranking.
March–May: Yinchuan (average score 73/100 vs 63). Yinchuan is the warmer, around 19°C daytime highs vs 17°C.
June–August: Yinchuan (average score 87/100 vs 76). Yinchuan is the warmer, around 32°C daytime highs vs 26°C.
September–October: Yinchuan (average score 85/100 vs 66). Yinchuan is the warmer, around 22°C daytime highs vs 18°C.

Full month-by-month guides: Xining weather by month · Yinchuan weather by month · Best time to visit China.

More comparisons: Xining vs Lanzhou (Yongdeng) · Xining vs Zhongwei (Shapotou) · Xining vs Jiayuguan · Yinchuan vs Lanzhou (Yongdeng) · Yinchuan vs Zhongwei (Shapotou) · Yinchuan vs Yulin · all head-to-heads