General & Geography
According to abbreviationfinder, Hainan is the southernmost province of the People’s Republic of China and consists of several islands. As a rule, Hainan refers to the largest island of the same name in the archipelago in the South China Sea.
Hainan is slightly smaller than Taiwan, whose status as an independent state is still not recognized by China to this day. In this respect, the main island of Hainan Dao is the second largest or even largest island within the People’s Republic of China, depending on how you look at it.
Fantastic bathing bays and palm-fringed sandy beaches stretch over almost 2000 kilometers of coastline, while the interior of the island is predominantly overgrown with a lush rainforest.
Hainan is home to around 9 million people. The capital is Haikou in the north of the province with around two million inhabitants.
Due to the year-round mild climate and the perfect conditions for a relaxing beach holiday, Hainan is often referred to as the “Hawaii of the East”. In fact, Hainan and Hawaii are on the same latitude.
Other comparisons call the island world of Hainan the “Florida of China”, certain similarities cannot be denied due to the summer flair, the beautiful beaches and the many tropical fruits.
The flight time from Shanghai is around three hours, from Beijing the direct flight to Sanya on Hainan takes around four hours. Hainan is therefore also a very popular end to a tour of China.
Climate on Hainan in China
The fantastic bays such as Dadonghai, Yalong or Haitang Bay on Hainan are particularly popular because the Chinese island offers pleasant temperatures all year round. Even in winter it remains very mild with daytime temperatures of 20 degrees and more, in midsummer it never gets unbearably hot with an average of 32 degrees.
In general, most of the rain falls on Hainan between May and October. The tropical climate is largely determined by the monsoons and manifests itself in the wetter summer and autumn months as well as a dry winter and spring. The north of Hainan is noticeably cooler than the south of the islands.
The rainy season, with around 75% of the annual rainfall, is also the risk time for typhoons on Hainan. In general, these tropical cyclones hit the east of the island – if at all. The coolest months are December to February, and the warmest months on Hainan are May to August.
When is the best time to visit Hainan?
In general, Hainan can be visited all year round, even if the summer months can be very warm and humid due to the increased rainfall. The rainiest month is September, which slowly heralds the end of the rainy season on Hainan until mid-October.
We generally recommend mid-October to the end of April as the best travel time for Hainan. In general, the months December to February are not always perfect for swimming (water temperature around 20 degrees, air up to 22 degrees), but they are still a welcome change from the often very cold mainland of China.
Chinese New Year Festival, whose appointment by the traditional Chinese calendar at a new moon between 21 January, the fall of February 1st and 21st often causes Hainan’s visitor numbers to skyrocket. During this popular travel season, the overnight prices on the island rise very significantly.
Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine in Haikou (Hainan)
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Daytime temperature | 21 ° C | 21 ° C | 24 ° C | 28 ° C | 32 ° C | 33 ° C | 33 ° C | 31 ° C | 31 ° C | 28 ° C | 25 ° C | 21 ° C |
| Night temperature | 15 ° C | 16 ° C | 18 ° C | 22 ° C | 25 ° C | 24 ° C | 25 ° C | 26 ° C | 25 ° C | 22 ° C | 20 ° C | 18 ° C |
| Water temperature | 20 ° C | 20 ° C | 20 ° C | 23 ° C | 27 ° C | 29 ° C | 30 ° C | 29 ° C | 28 ° C | 27 ° C | 25 ° C | 22 ° C |
| Precipitation in mm | 26 | 38 | 51 | 95 | 189 | 243 | 189 | 233 | 337 | 144 | 105 | 39 |
| Rainy days | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
| Hours of sunshine | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| Sunrise | 7:15 | 7:10 | 6:50 | 6:20 | 6:05 | 6:00 | 6:10 | 6:20 | 6:25 | 6:35 | 6:50 | 7:05 |
| Sunset | 18:20 | 18:40 | 18:50 | 18:55 | 19:10 | 19:20 | 19:20 | 19:10 | 18:40 | 18:15 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
Temperatures
The annual average temperature in Haikou is 23.8 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is July (28.4 ° C), coldest month of January with mean values of 17.1 ° C. The maximum water temperature in Haikou is 30 ° C. Comfortable bathing is possible at these temperatures. All months have a water temperature of at least 17 ° C. Bathing is then possible to a limited extent. All except January, February and March have a water temperature of at least 21 ° C and are therefore suitable for a beach holiday.
Precipitation
The annual precipitation is 1689 mm on 100 days with precipitation. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. The months of May, June, July, August and September are considered the rainy season, as more than 175 mm of precipitation can be expected per month. Overall, about 1191 mm of precipitation can be expected in the rainy season. You cannot expect snow in any month in Haikou.
Sunshine
As our climate table shows, July is the sunniest month with an average of 8.5 hours of sunshine per day. On average over the year the sun shines for 6.2 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.
Cities nearby
The following major towns are nearby and have a similar climate: Wenchang.
Hainan weather in March, April and May
Average daily temperatures between 24 ° C and 32 ° C can be expected over the next three months. In Haikou, it gets warmest in May, while March is noticeably cooler.
Do you want to go on a beach holiday? The water temperatures are in March, April and May 20-27 ° C. This is good weather for a great time on the beach and in the water.
The expected rainfall is around 6 days in March, around 8 days in April and around 12 days in May.
In the period from March to May, the sun shines an average of 5 to 8 hours a day. The sunniest weather in Haikou is in May, but with less sun you will have to get by in March.
