Daocheng Yading Weather in Spring - March, April and May

In general Spring time in Daocheng area is from March til May. Climte in spring time in Daocheng is rather dry and is the beginning of rainfall. The rain comes down often as snow but melt quickly as the sunny days are the main pattern of weather here. Frozen small rivers and lakes start to melt and color of mountains start to become a bit green-looking. Animals become active and weather becomes more unpredictable from April. Some consider March being still winter time because it is very cold. Temperature at daytime gets to about 10C from March but during night the temperature is is below 0C or -5C. From April you start to see people coming to Daocheng Yading. And May is acctually a good season to travel to Daocheng Yading because the mountains become alive and flowers start to bloom.

March

Middle March in Daocheng Yading at Chonggu.

March is the month when the days get longer than its former months and winter starts to fade away. March is still not a popular season to travel to Yading because it is still very cold. Temperature is between -5C to 10C at Daocheng, at Yading Park it is between -8 to 5C. The lakes and rivers in Yading come back to life. March is the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring time in Daocheng Yading. March is a very windy season. March is in general a dry and cold season in Yading. It is normally not a popular season to travel to Yading in March as it is still very cold everywhere but with basically no tourists visiting Yading park so if you prefer to visit Yading with no crowd, this is the season for you. And you will have clear sky for most of the time while visiting Yading.

April

Early April in Daocheng Yading at Luorong Yak Ranch.

In April the temperature gets to over 10C during day time but at night time the temperature will still be below 0C although most of the day it is above 0C. In Yading since the elevation is higher the temperature will be about 5C lower in general. In April the weather may start to get cloudy since the spring is coming in but will still have a better chance of clear days than the following months. Snow will melt quicker but there is possibility of heavy snow when weather gets bad. Rivers start to rise because the ice and snow at higher part of the mountains will continue to melt.

Middle April in Daocheng Yading at Chonggu Temple.

Late April in Daocheng Yading at Yading Village.

The animals start to come back and the forest will see fresh sprouts. The trails won't be icy in Yading Park in April but can be muddy from the melted snow or ice. The mountains are not green yet in April but you will start to see more people visiting Yading Park.

May

Middle May in Daocheng Yading at Milk Lake.

May is a good season traveling to Yading in terms of weather and temperature. A daily temperature at night is around or above 0C and during day time the temerature can get up to 20C, which makes traveling more comfortable. However the temerature can change fast in a day when it gets bad. Snow is possible at Yading Park in a bad weather day. May has a higher chance of rain/snow than its former months but is still cosiderably drier than its following months. In this season the fog can come in quickly as the monsoon starts to come in. At Milk Lake in a rainy/foggy day, it still feels cold at below 5C. Mountains will see more green and at lower part of the mountains the green color is thicker.

Late May in Daocheng Yading at 5-color Lake.

Yading will still not be a busy season in May. According to the last few years experience, you may see some other visitors but won't be crowded anywhere in Yading. The amount of visitors is tolenrable while waiting for the buses, cars, etc. If you like to travel with less crowd, try to avoid the first week of May when in China we have a maiin holiday every year this time.