Yunnan has a generally mild climate with pleasant and fair weather because of the province's location on south-facing mountain slopes, receiving the influence of both the Pacific and Indian oceans, and although the growing period is long, the rugged terrain provides little arable land. See Agriculture in Yunnan. Under the Köppen climate classification, much of the province lies within the subtropical highland (Köppen Cwb) or humid subtropical zone (Cwa), with mild to warm winters, and tempered summers, except in the almost tropical south, where temperatures regularly exceed 30 °C (86 °F) in the warmer half of the year. In general, January average temperatures range from 8 to 17 °C (46 to 63 °F); July averages vary from 21 to 27 °C (70 to 81 °F). Average annual rainfall ranges from 600 to 2,300 millimetres (24 to 91 in), with over half the rain occurring between June and August. The plateau region has moderate temperatures. The western canyon region is hot and humid at the valley bottoms, but there are freezing winds at the mountaintops.

Yunnan is located in low latitude plateau with complex topography. Because of its special location, the weather of Yunnan province is mainly affect by high-pressure flow of South Bengal that formed Plateau monsoon climate. Therefore, the weather of most areas of Yunnan province is fairly mild in winter and rather cool in summer. Due to different area, the weather is diverse. The north areas are colder than the south areas, such in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, winters reach chilling lows of -12°C and summer temperatures peak at highs of 19°C; While in Xishuangbanna, winter reach 11°C and summer temperatures peak at highs of 33°C. Though the temperature of Yunnan is diverse in different areas, the beast time to go to Yunnan is from March to October. However, there are still some differences among those popular destinations.

Best time to visit the different detinations of Yunnan

Spring:

March

April

May

Summer:

June

July

August

Autumn:

September

October

November

Winter:

December

January

February

Best time to go to Yunnan

Best time to visit Kunming

Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, got a name ‘Spring City’ because of its mild temperature all year around. But the temperature difference between day and night are 12-20℃, especially in spring and winter. Therefore, if you go to Kunming during these two seasons, please take some warm clothes. Kunming is a city for tour available all year around, however the best time to go there is from March to October. Because there are many festivals of ethnic minority group, and plenty of fruits and flowers during these month.

Best time to go to Lijiang 
Overall, the temperature of Lijiang is lower than the other places in Yunnan. There is also a big temperature difference between day and night. Therefore, the best time to travel Lijiang is spring and summer. If you want to experience the most beautiful scenery of Lijiang, April and May should be the best time for you to arrive there. Warm notes for your Lijiang travel: besides take along some warm clothes, you’d better bring with an umbrella if you arrive at summer.

Best time to visit Dali
The seasonal variation of Dali is not obvious, and the annual mean temperature is 15 °C. There is no obvious severe cold in winter and intense hot in summer; the mild weather keeps all year around, therefore, it’s available for you to go to Dali at any time. But, during Match to April, there are lots of festivals and special parties hold. If you go to Dali at the seasons, you will experience the rich ethnic customs. So, the best time of travel Dali should be spring.

Best time to go to Shangri-La
Shangri-La located in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture where the temperature is lowest in winter around Yunnan province. And it’s also not very hot in summer. However, the most beautiful sceneries in Shangri-La are showed from spring to summer. So the best time for you to travel Shangri-La is spring and summer.

Best time to go to Xishuangbanna
Xishuangbanna, the southernmost part of Yunnan, which is elva climate, and temperature in summer. Its annual mean temperature is 21 °C. Though Dali’s temperature is adorable, but during summer days, it’s a little hot and dry. So, the best time travel Xishuangbanna is from October to the next June.

Low season of Yunnan Travel

The ‘low season’ in Yunnan occurs in most of places are November to February. Hotels and excursions can be discounted during this period. For example, during the winter, Shangri-La is snowing; the temperature reaches chilling low of -12°C. So, it’s inconvenient for people to go out. While, Dali’s low season is from July to October, because of its hot summer days.