The Nagqu area is located in the Qiangtang plateau, which is between the Tanglha Mountains and the Nyainqentanglha Mountains, with an average altitude of more than 4,450 meters. Its high altitude and deep inland location surrounded by high mountains make Nagqu dry and cold, mostly in the semi-arid climate zone. The vegetation there is mainly alpine grassland, which can withstand the harsh weather of heavy snow, freezing and drought in January. It is mainly sunny and snowy in January with a sandstorm of more than 17 m/s. The average temperature is below 0 °C with the temperature is as low as -31 °C at the highest altitude.
| Date | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Cloudy | Cloudy | Snowy | Sunny | overcast | Cloudy | Cloudy |
| Max(℃） | 0℃ | 1℃ | -2℃ | -6℃ | -2℃ | -2℃ | -8℃ |
| Min(℃) | -19℃ | -16℃ | -16℃ | -22℃ | -19℃ | -17℃ | -24℃ |
| Date | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Weather | Cloudy | Sunny | Sunny | Sunny | Sunny | Sunny | Cloudy |
| Max(℃） | -8℃ | -6℃ | 2℃ | 8℃ | 9℃ | 11℃ | 4℃ |
| Min(℃) | -24℃ | -25℃ | -20℃ | -21℃ | -15℃ | -11℃ | -19℃ |
| Date | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| Weather | Sunny | Sunny | Sunny | Sunny | Sunny | Sunny | Sunny |
| Max(℃） | 2℃ | -3℃ | 3℃ | 6℃ | 6℃ | 5℃ | -2℃ |
| Min(℃) | -15℃ | -23℃ | -21℃ | -14℃ | -17℃ | -17℃ | -23℃ |
| Date | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| Weather | Sunny | Sunny | Snowy | Cloudy | Cloudy | Cloudy | Cloudy |
| Max(℃） | 2℃ | 6℃ | 2℃ | -5℃ | -3℃ | -2℃ | -5℃ |
| Min(℃) | -20℃ | -19℃ | -16℃ | -17℃ | -17℃ | -16℃ | -21℃ |
| Date | 29 | 30 | 31 | ||||
| Weather | Cloudy | Sunny | Sunny | ||||
| Max(℃） | -2℃ | 2℃ | 5℃ | ||||
| Min(℃) | -22℃ | -19℃ | -16℃ |
It’s cold with strong wind and heavy snow in January. Which is not advisable for outdoor activities. During the day, it is recommended to wear thick down jackets, fur coats, thick sweaters, windproof jackets, fleece outdoor or mountaineering jackets and other winter clothing. It is recommended to stay in a hotel with heating equipment instead of going out at night at this time.
Other clothing: warm hats, sunglasses, masks, scarves, gloves, earmuffs, etc. to protect yourself from getting frostbite. Shoes: Snow boots or warm outdoor winter shoes are recommended
Nagqu in January is cold and snowy. There are not many options if you are going to travel to Nagqu at this time. Most of the natural scenery has already frozen or blocked by the heavy snow. You can choose to visit some temples, such as the Dalmu Temple. Its construction is said to have been built for the Princess Wencheng when she first entered Tibet. The famous and mysterious skull wall is also in Dalmu Temple. There are many other temples to visit in Nagqu as well.
A snow chain need to be installed to the wheels of the vehicle. In January, most of the Ali area is cloudy and snowy, the road is frozen with dark ice on it, which makes the tires of the vehicle easy to slip and roll over.
Please wear more to keep warm and have less outdoor activities. In the areas of high altitude without sufficient oxygen, intense exercise or outdoor activities for too long may cause hypoxia and altitude sickness. Both the skin and the organs are vulnerable to damage in the extreme cold weather.
Please check the road and weather conditions ahead of time. Continuous snowfall can cause traffic disruptions and some roads may be closed. If there is blizzard, hail or some other bad weather conditions, the visibility gets poor and it is easy to cause traffic accidents.
Eye protection and sun protection are both needed. The ultraviolet rays are strong in winter, and the surface of both the lake and ice on the plateau are very glaring. The reflection of snow is very harmful to the eyes, and it is easy to get snow blindness. In addition, there are sandstorms in the Nagqu area, and the dusty air is harmful to the respiratory tract and the skin. It is recommended to wear a mask or a Buff. You can also bring some skin care products to stay moisturized. cYou may need to pay everything with cash, since the mobile phone signals and network stations will be affected by the weather. For convenience, it is recommended that visitors enter Tibet with enough cash just in case. cPlease remember to drink sufficient water all the time and better a small meal. It’s dry with low oxygen in winter, which is easy to cause altitude sickness. Having light meals and stay hydrated can help to prevent it. If you have hypoglycemia, please remember to bring your regular medicines such as glucose. Some other regular medicines for cold, diarrheal, altitude sickness or oxygen supplement bags are also recommended to bring with you for the trip.
First of all, the cold and dry winter in the Nagqu area is long from January to April, while the summer is quite short. Since it’s freezing cold and snows in the winter, it is not recommended to travel at this time. In the spring of May, it snows less, but still dry and windy. Other than that, the sunlight is sufficient, and the visibility is also high in May.
Secondly, in the summer of June to September, it rains more and the climate is warming up, which makes it a good time to travel to Nagqu. The grasslands also ushers in its golden growth period with the vegetation reviving, and the scenery is also at its best of the year. The Jockey Club in the northern Tibetan Plateau is also held in August. While the hospitable herdsmen celebrating the festival, there are local Tibetan song and dance performances.
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