Turpan has an extreme continental desert climate (Köppen Climate Classification "BWk"), with long, extremely hot summers (resembling a hot desert climate or "BWh") and very cold winters (typical of a cold desert), with a brief spring and autumn in between. Annual precipitation is very low, amounting to only . The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, or a very large seasonal variation of ; the annual mean is . With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 48% in December to 75% in September, sunshine is abundant and the city receives 2,912 hours of bright sunshine annually.