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Jiuzhaigou Weather in January

Season: Winter

In short: cold in day and even colder at night, low humidity

January is the coldest month of Jiuzhaigou, with an average temperature of around -2°C (28℉) to 8°C (46℉). It should be noted that the temperature difference between the daytime and night is large, which is around 10°C (50℉), so you are advised to wear more to keep warm if you plan to go out after sunset. Though cold, it is sunny most of the time, with an average rainfall of 2 mm. It snows but not much. When it snows, it can be even colder. Besides, you may feel a little dry due to the relatively low humidity.

Jiuzhaigou Ice Waterfal

With not-so-pleasant weather, January belongs to the slack season. At that time, Jiuzhaigou receives less visitors and offers cheaper prices for hotels, admission tickets, and flights, so you could enjoy quiet travel with a lower budget.

What to Wear and Pack to Visit Jiuzhaigou in January

Upper: To cope with the cold weather of Jiuzhaigou, you should wear as thick as possible. For the inner layers, you can pack thick hoodies or wool sweaters. For the outer layers, you need to wear padded jackets, downcoats, or parkas. Moreover, you are advised to choose shorter ones, which are more convenient when you walking around.

Bottoms: Winter pants; padded trousers; or thick pants plus thermal pants are proper choices.

Shoes: You should bring thick but relatively lightweight sneakers or walking shoes, short boots, and snow boots. Be sure to choose non-slip and waterproof ones to protect you on snow-covered roads.

Others: To protect yourself from cold winds and freezing temperatures, you can carry padded hats, scarves, and gloves. Moreover, sunglasses are necessary to avoid eye uncomfortableness because of looking at the white snow for a long period of time as well as exposing to the strong UV rays. It is also recommended to bring some moisturizing skin care products.

Featured Sceneries in January of Jiuzhaigou Valley

Tourism Rate:

(1) Ice Waterfalls

January and February are the best time to enjoy the ice waterfalls in Jiuzhaigou. At that time, the frozen waterfalls form ice pillars of different shapes, which glow in the sunlight with a color of light blue and look like jewels. Besides, Jiuzhaigou holds the Ice Waterfall Festival from November to March every year. If you go there during this time period in 2025, you can also enjoy performances like lion dances and experience Tibetan customs.

Ice Waterfall in January

Ice Waterfall Festival of Jiuzhaigou Valley

Performance of Ice Waterfall Festival

(2) Reed Lake

Five Flower Lake in Winter

Reed Lake is one of the must-see attractions in Jiuzhaigou during autumn and winter, when the leaves of the reeds turn golden and reed flowers are in full bloom. At that time, you can see a large expanse of golden reeds surrounding a pale blue lake, forming a peaceful and beautiful scenery. The best time to admire it is in the morning when the sun is just coming up and in the afternoon when the sun is setting.

(3) Other Blue Lakes

In winter, the lakes in Jiuzhaigou are still very beautiful. Most of the lakes do not freeze over and remain a turquoise blue color. Some of the lakes, such as the Long Lake, may freeze and look like translucent mirrors. If you go there in the morning, you will also see beautiful rime. On snowy days, you can see mountains and trees covered with white snow surrounding the blue lakes. All of these are unique in winter.

Nearby Worth-visiting Spot in January: Songpan Ancient Town

Songpan Ancient City, located near Jiuzhaigou, is also highly recommended to visit, where you can see the ancient city wall and try traditional Tibetan costumes. In January with such cold climate, you can enjoy famous local skewers and hot pots of yak meat, which are delicious and can keep you warm. You may have a chance to see beautiful snow-covered mountains at a close distance, too.

Songpan Ancient Town

Other Travel Recommendations：

1. There are many hotels with hot springs in Jiuzhaigou, which can provide you with a warm and comfortable experience on cold days.

2. Except for Songpan Ancient Town, there are also many stalls where you can experience Tibetan costumes in Jiuzhaigou Valley. You can choose a set of costumes you like and take beautiful pictures with blue lakes and white snow as the background.

3. Normally, Jiuzhaigou has fewer visitors in January, but late January 2025 may be an exception, when Chinese people will have about 7 days off from January 28 to celebrate Chinese New Year. Therefore, it is recommended that you make a reservation in advance if planning to go there during this period.

Historical Jiuzhaigou Weather in Janurary

Jan	Temperature		Sunrise / Sunset	Humi- dity (%)
Jan	High	Low	Sunrise / Sunset	Humi- dity (%)
1	8.2°C / 46.7°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:07	36
2	8.1°C / 46.5°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:07	51
3	8°C / 46.4°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:08	35
4	8°C / 46.4°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:09	22
5	7.9°C / 46.2°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:10	44
6	7.8°C / 46°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:10	53
7	7.8°C / 46°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:11	47
8	7.8°C / 46°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:12	53
9	7.7°C / 45.8°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:13	58
10	7.7°C / 45.8°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:14	65
11	7.7°C / 45.8°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:15	66
12	7.6°C / 45.6°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:16	77
13	7.6°C / 45.6°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:16	60
14	7.6°C / 45.6°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:17	53
15	7.7°C / 45.8°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:07 / 18:18	15
16	7.7°C / 45.8°F	-2.3°C / 27.8°F	08:06 / 18:19	53
17	7.7°C / 45.8°F	-2.2°C / 28°F	08:06 / 18:20	56
18	7.7°C / 45.8°F	-2.2°C / 28°F	08:06 / 18:21	34
19	7.8°C / 46°F	-2.1°C / 28.2°F	08:06 / 18:22	27
20	7.8°C / 46°F	-2.1°C / 28.2°F	08:05 / 18:23	66
21	7.9°C / 46.2°F	-2°C / 28.4°F	08:05 / 18:24	50
22	8°C / 46.4°F	-1.9°C / 28.6°F	08:04 / 18:25	9
23	8°C / 46.4°F	-1.9°C / 28.6°F	08:04 / 18:26	17
24	8.1°C / 46.5°F	-1.8°C / 28.7°F	08:04 / 18:27	51
25	8.2°C / 46.7°F	-1.7°C / 28.9°F	08:03 / 18:28	46
26	8.3°C / 46.9°F	-1.5°C / 29.3°F	08:03 / 18:29	12
27	8.4°C / 47.1°F	-1.4°C / 29.4°F	08:02 / 18:30	37
28	8.5°C / 47.3°F	-1.3°C / 29.6°F	08:02 / 18:31	26
29	8.6°C / 47.4°F	-1.2°C / 29.8°F	08:01 / 18:32	31
30	8.8°C / 47.8°F	-1.1°C / 30°F	08:00 / 18:33	41
31	8.9°C / 48°F	-0.9°C / 30.3°F	08:00 / 18:34	45