Shanghai ↔ Los Angeles — Interactive Weather Comparison

Introduction — purpose & audience

Purpose: This page provides an interactive climate data grid that allows users to explore monthly temperature and precipitation patterns for Shanghai and Los Angeles. By comparing the two cities side by side, users can identify seasonal trends and understand how climate varies between regions.

Who this is for: Students studying climate or geography, travelers planning trips by season, and anyone interested in comparing urban climate patterns using structured data.

Core Dataset — Monthly Comparison (Jan → Dec)

Station normals (monthly mean temp and monthly precipitation) for Shanghai (Hongqiao) and Los Angeles (LAX).
Month	Shanghai Mean Temp (°C)	Shanghai Precipitation (mm)	Los Angeles Mean Temp (°C)	Los Angeles Precipitation (mm)
January	3.9	40.6	13.9	68.6
February	6.1	61.0	14.4	86.4
March	10.6	88.9	14.4	55.9
April	16.7	88.9	15.6	20.3
May	21.7	101.6	17.2	5.1
June	25.0	180.3	18.3	2.5
July	29.4	152.4	20.0	0.0
August	28.3	124.5	20.6	0.0
September	23.9	99.1	20.6	5.1
October	18.9	58.4	18.9	12.7
November	12.2	48.3	16.1	25.4
December	6.1	33.0	13.9	55.9

Walkthroughs

Example 1 — Wettest-month deep-dive (highlights June)

Example 2 — Summer window analysis (Jun–Aug)

Tip: you can also click glossary terms to run a targeted walkthrough (e.g., "Shanghai Precipitation").

Guidance

Interactive guidance
Click any month (the month name on the left) to get a concise combined summary for Shanghai and Los Angeles for that month. Walkthroughs populate this guidance box with example analyses that highlight rows and produce combined insights.

Summary — similarities, differences & overall

Differences

Shanghai has hot, humid summers with heavy monsoon rainfall.
Los Angeles has dry summers and most rainfall during winter months.

Similarities

Both cities experience mild spring and autumn seasons.
Both can experience extreme weather events not reflected in monthly averages.

Overall

Planning for Shanghai should account for summer heat and rain, while planning for Los Angeles should consider winter storms and dry summer conditions.

Glossary

Shanghai Mean Temp: Monthly average temperature in Shanghai.
Shanghai Precipitation: Total monthly rainfall in Shanghai. (Often peaks in summer due to the East Asian monsoon.)
Los Angeles Mean Temp: Monthly average temperature in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Precipitation: Total monthly rainfall in Los Angeles. (Most falls in winter; summers are typically dry.)