Geography and Climate
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Turpan is located about 150 km (93 mi) southeast of Ürümqi, Xinjiang's capital, in a mountain basin, on the northern side of the Turpan Depression, at an elevation of 30 m (98 ft) above sea level. Outside of Turpan is a small volcanic cone, the Turfan volcano, that is said to have erupted in 1120 as described in the Song Dynasty.
Turpan has a harsh, cold desert climate (Köppen BWk), with long and very hot summers, winters that are quite cold and moderately long, and brief spring and autumn in between. Annual precipitation is very low, amounting to only 15.7 millimetres (0.62 in). July is the hottest month, averaging 32.2 °C (90.0 °F), while January is the coldest, at −7.6 °C (18.3 °F), for an annual mean of 14.4 °C (57.9 °F).
Extremes have ranged from −28.9 °C (−20 °F) to 48.1 °C (119 °F).
However, the very heat and dryness of the summer, when combined with the area's ancient system of irrigation, allows the countryside around Turpan to produce great quantities of high-quality fruit.
| Climate data for Turpan (1971−2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −2.3 (27.9) |
6.0 (42.8) |
16.3 (61.3) |
26.5 (79.7) |
33.3 (91.9) |
37.9 (100.2) |
39.6 (103.3) |
38.0 (100.4) |
31.9 (89.4) |
21.8 (71.2) |
9.5 (49.1) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
21.5 (70.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −12.1 (10.2) |
−6 (21) |
3.2 (37.8) |
12.4 (54.3) |
18.7 (65.7) |
23.2 (73.8) |
25.0 (77.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
16.3 (61.3) |
7.1 (44.8) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
8.2 (46.8) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 1.1 (0.043) |
.5 (0.02) |
1.2 (0.047) |
.5 (0.02) |
.9 (0.035) |
2.9 (0.114) |
1.9 (0.075) |
1.8 (0.071) |
1.6 (0.063) |
1.7 (0.067) |
.6 (0.024) |
1.0 (0.039) |
15.7 (0.618) |
| % humidity | 60 | 45 | 31 | 26 | 28 | 31 | 33 | 37 | 42 | 51 | 54 | 61 | 41.6 |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 13.1 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 159.7 | 188.6 | 239.5 | 256.8 | 299.6 | 301.2 | 311.7 | 305.9 | 278.8 | 250.6 | 184.7 | 135.1 | 2,912.2 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration | |||||||||||||
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