Yunnan has a diverse climate, embracing temperate, tropical and rigid zones in one province. Kunming, the capital city, is marked by a pleasant spring weather which prevails year round while it is also notable for the abrupt change into winter weather caused by rain.

Dali's climate is somewhat similar to that of Kunming. Lijiang has a rather cold climate whereas Xishuangbanna is rather hot for most of the year.

Spring - February to April

Summer - May to July

Autumn - August to October

Winter - November to January

Located in the low latitudes. Yunnan Province receives plenty of sunshine all the year round. The geographical location of Yunnan is very special, with the Eurasian Continent to the southeast, the Qinghai—Tibet Plateau to the northwest and a vast ocean to the south. Therefore it has a typical monsoon climate. In winter, it is under the control prevailing humid oceanic monsoon. Apart from these, the complex plateau topography also affects the climate. Thus the climate in Yunnan is a plateau monsoon climate and it varies from place to place. In some areas, the duration of winter is so long that it hardly has any spring ir autumn, needless to say the summer; some areas are hot all the year round like that in summer, but when it rains, it is cold like that in autumn; some other areas are springlike throughout the year, but when it rains, it becomes cold as if winter had come.

The climate in Yunnan, affected by the low latitudes, monsoons and the mountainous plateau, has four common features.

Firstly, it has little difference in the seasonal temperature but considerable difference of temperature in a day. As Yunnan lies in the low latitudes, the air is so dry and thin with the influence of solar heat that different places receive changes not only with the amount of the sunshine but also with the clouds and rainfall. In summer, there are so many rainy days that the clouds screen the sun. Even in the hottest days, the average temperature is no more than 19℃～22℃. In winter, however, affected by the dry and warm currents, there are more sunny days with plenty of sunshine. Consequently, the temperature gets higher and the average temperature in the coldest month is above 6℃～8℃.  As a result, the difference in the seasonal temperature is usually 10℃～15℃; but, the daily difference is much bigger, being cool in the morning and evening, but hot at noon, especially in spring and winter, about 12℃～20℃. The temperature gets even lower in rainy days.

Secondly, Yunnan received plenty of rainfall, but its rainfall is unevenly distributed. Though an annual rainfall of above 1,100 mm pours on most of Yunnan, it is unevenly distributed in different places as well as in different seasons. This results from the effect of different atmospheric circulations in summer and winter. As far as the seasons are concerned, 85 percent of the rainfall is in the rainy seasons from May till October. And the largest amount, about 60 percent of the total in a year, falls from June to August. Then the dry season lasts from Novermber till rains or snows. The rainfall, at this times, only accounts for 15 percent of the whole year, and spring drought frequently occurs. As for the geographical distribution, the places such as Jiangcheng, Jinping and Ximeng receive much more rainfall, 2,200 mm～2,700 mm; while other places, like Binchuan county, receive much less rainfall, only 584.1 mm. Even in a limited area, the rainfall varies with the changing altitudes.

And thirdly, the climate changes obviously with the altitude. As the temperature changes with the latitude, so does it change with the altitude. In Yunnan, the temperature change in every 1—kilometer—rise in elevation equals the temperature change in every 1,400～2,500 km of latitudinal extension in other places in China. On the one hand, the changes of temperature among the 8 latitudes in Yunnan correspond to the seasonal changes of temperature from Hainan Island to Changchun ( the former in south China, and the latter in north China ). In other words, one can experience tropical, temperature or frigid climate in Yunnan. On the other hand, as there are high mountains and deep gorges in most parts of Yunnan, the distance from the foot of a mountain to the top is so great that the climate often vary greatly. Normally, for every 100—meter—rise of elevation, the temperature gets 0.6℃ lower. There are some vivid description of the climate in Yunnan. “One is able to experience four seasons in one mountain and there are quite different weathers in ten Li. In the valley, it is hot enough to wear a shirt; by the mountainside, the flowers are blooming; at the top of the mountain, it snows.”

In the areas 1,500～2,000 meters above sea level, it is like spring weather most of the time, but when it rains, it is as cold as in winter.

Finally, Yunnan has a long frost—free period. Even in such colder areas as Diqing, Zhaotong, the frost—free period is about 210～220 days. In central Yunnan, namely, Kunming, Yuxi, Chuxiong, it is about 250 days. And in some other places, it is about 250 to 330 days. However, there is no frost throughout the year in the southern borders. Besides, Yunnan has abundant sunshine ranking second to Tibet, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia.

In general, as most parts of Yunnan are about 2,000 meters above sea level, the weather is favourable throughout the year, cool in summer and war in winter, which makes Yunnan a favourable resort all the year round. One typical example is Kunming, the provincial capital. As a poem goes, the spring lasts the entire round and the flowers bloom in all seasons. No wonder kunming is known to visitors from home and abroad as the Spring City. At the same time, there are various types of climate in Yunnan. From Xishuangbanna in the south of Yunnan to the Diqing Plateau in the northwest, one can experience the tropical, temperate and frigid climate, which is like travelling from Hainan Island to Changchun, thousands of kilometers in distance. It is very convenient for us to enjoy different scenes since the direct distance from Xishuangbanna to Diqing is no more than 1,000 kilometers.