Lanzhou has a temperate continental climate with large temperature difference and little precipitation. It is not severely cold in winter and not extremely hot in summer. It has a mild climate with an average annual precipitation of 327mm and an average annual temperature of 10.3 degree.

Deep in the inland, Lanzhou is located in the transition zone between monsoon climate zone and non-monsoon climate zone. It has a typical temperate semi-arid climate. In the urban area the average elevation is 1520 meters and the average annual temperature is about 10 degree.Because Lanzhou is surrounded by mountains from north to south, the climate is dry and sunny, and the annual and daily temperature differences are both large. In winter it is long and cold with less rain and snow; Spring is short, and the temperature changes so often in Spring; Summer is short, with high temperature, but without intense heat; Autumn is short and the temperature drops quickly sometimes. There is not much precipitation in Lanzhou, with an average annual precipitation of only about 310mm.