Similar Climates › City Pairings › Lanzhou ≈ Bismarck

City Pairings

🇨🇳 Lanzhou’s climate twin is 🇺🇸 Bismarck, North Dakota

loose match

Lanzhou, China and Bismarck, North Dakota are a loose climate match — 10,478 km (6,511 mi) apart. Lanzhou is Köppen zone BSk; Bismarck is Dfb.

See Lanzhou on the interactive map →

What to expect

Lanzhou is classed cold steppe (BSk) while Bismarck is warm-summer continental (Dfb) — different Köppen labels, but January and July still land close enough to pair. Roughly 10,478 km (6,511 mi) separates them — far enough that Bismarck feels like another continent, close enough on the climate numbers to stand in for Lanzhou.

It is a loose match: useful as a climate analogue for Lanzhou, though not a perfect copy. January means differ by 6°C (Bismarck cooler); July by 1°C (Bismarck cooler). Rainfall shifts more: Bismarck is 15 mm drier in July.

Sunshine stays close: Bismarck at 9.7 h/day on average versus 9.7 h/day in Lanzhou (January 5.9 h / 8.7 h, July 13.5 h / 10.7 h). Air quality: mean PM2.5 is 10 µg/m³ in Bismarck vs 29 in Lanzhou (lower by 19 µg/m³).

January & July climate

January & July · °C and mm

LanzhouBismarck
January
Temp
1° / -9°
-5° / -16°
Rain
2 mm
12 mm
Dew
-14°
-14°
PM2.5
38.3 µg/m³
5.4 µg/m³
Sun
8.7 h
5.9 h
July
Temp
29° / 17°
29° / 15°
Rain
85 mm
70 mm
Dew
13°
13°
PM2.5
19.8 µg/m³
15.5 µg/m³
Sun
10.7 h
13.5 h

Compare Lanzhou and Bismarck month by month on the interactive map →

See Bismarck's climate twin on its own page.

Frequently asked questions

What place has a climate like Lanzhou?

On Similar Climates, Bismarck, North Dakota is the closest distant match for Lanzhou, China — scored loose, about 10,478 km (6,511 mi) away.

How far is Lanzhou from its climate twin?

Lanzhou and Bismarck are separated by roughly 10,478 km (6,511 mi) on the great-circle route.

Do Lanzhou and Bismarck have their seasons at the same time?

Yes — both cities are in the same hemisphere, so summer and winter fall in the same calendar months.

Do Lanzhou and Bismarck share a Köppen climate zone?

No — Lanzhou is cold steppe (BSk) and Bismarck is warm-summer continental (Dfb), but the January and July numbers still align closely enough to pair.

What is the climate like in Lanzhou?

Lanzhou has a cold steppe climate (BSk). January averages a high of 1°C and a low of -9°C with 2 mm of rain; July averages 29°C / 17°C and 85 mm.

How sunny is Lanzhou?

Lanzhou averages about 8.7 hours of sunshine a day in January and 10.7 hours in July.

What is the air quality like in Lanzhou?

January PM2.5 averages about 38.3 µg/m³ (US AQI 108); July averages 19.8 µg/m³ (US AQI 84).

Other close climate matches for Lanzhou: Lincoln (loose), Des Moines (loose), Pierre (loose).

More cold steppe cities

All cold steppe (BSk) cities on Similar Climates →

Explore Lanzhou and Bismarck on the interactive map →

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