Livin' In The Chonx

If you’ve already booked your ticket and you’re on your way to Chongqing get the most accurate weather forecast for right now with any of the various weather sites.  Wunderground is usually fairly accurate.

If still trying to decide when to come, the best advice is to avoid the summer.  Unless of course you enjoy the feeling of being oven broiled every time you set foot outside your door.   The best time to visit Chongqing is the very short Spring season, and Autumn is not so bad either.   Despite what they say at this site, winters in Chongqing are not pleasant.

Here is a general breakdown of the annual seasonal changes, but the weather is not constant.  Take this year, for example, it rained for nearly the entire month of August, causing the city to be unusually cool for the summer.  The year before they had the worst drought in decades.  It was HOT.  Same goes for the winter.  Some years are definitely worse than others.

Spring (Mid March-Early May)  The weather starts to warm up just enough for flowers to bloom all over the city, blue skies are much more common during this time of the year.  Occasional spring thunderstorms wash a bit of the winter grime off the buildings and sidewalks, but sometimes lead to flooding. Temperatures range in the 20s °C, 60-80 °F

Summer (Mid May-Mid September)   On good days it is hot and dry and the sky is some variation of smoggy blue.  On bad days the humidity from the rivers hangs over the city and the heat is trapped by the surrounding mountains.  The pollution from the cars and the factories create air quality that makes your eyes sting and your nasal passages fail, and the sky alternates between shades of yellow, orange, and dirty dishwater.   An increasing number of buildings are air-conditioned and smart people stay in those places rather than face the tropical city heat.   Rain is a welcome respite.  Temperatures range in 30s °C, 80-100 °F.  About two weeks out of the year the temperatures exceed 40°C/100°F.

Autumn (Late September-Mid November)   The temperatures become bearable again, and humidity is less noticeable.  This is the rainy season, but typically the rain falls in short bursts or there is just a constant light drizzle where people may not even bother with an umbrella.  Temperatures range in 20s °C (60-80 °F).

Winter (Late November-Early March)   Winters can be nasty in Chongqing because of the humidity and lack of central heating in most places.  The damp, cold can be felt all the way down to your bones even though the actual temperature seldom dips to freezing.  It almost never snows in the city, but on occasion there is sleet and hail.  The pollution is probably the worst in the winter, possibly from people burning coal in the countryside or around the city.  Everything becomes covered in a film of black, and the skies seem grayer too.  Locals wear thick down coats over several layers of clothing and long underwear and wrap scarves around their necks and faces. Temperatures hover around 10°C (40-50°F)