- Warmest July, with an average daily high of 33.2°C at the Hsinchu weather station (1992 to 2020).
- Coolest January, with an average daily low of 13.1°C.
- Wettest May and June, the plum rain season, each with about 250 mm on average.
- Windiest October to January, when the northeast monsoon blows. These are also the driest months.
- Forecasts Central Weather Administration; search for Hsinchu City or Hsinchu County, which have separate forecasts.
Plan your year around two seasons: the windy, dry half from autumn to spring, and the hot, wet half from late spring to early autumn. Hsinchu's nickname is the Windy City (風城), and once the northeast monsoon arrives in autumn you'll feel why, especially on a scooter, on a bridge over the Touqian River, or anywhere near the coast. Summer brings the heat, afternoon storms and the chance of a typhoon, and with it the late-evening announcements about whether work and school are on tomorrow.
The wind and 九降風
From around October, the northeast monsoon funnels into the Hsinchu plain, which opens to the sea between the hills to the north and south. The strongest early-season wind is called 九降風 (jiu jiang feng), "the ninth-month wind", because it comes in the ninth month of the lunar calendar, around late October and early November. By the time it reaches Hsinchu it has crossed the land and is dry, and that dry, steady wind is what Hsinchu's food makers have long used to air-dry rice noodles (米粉) and persimmons. Hsinchu rice noodles and the dried persimmons of Xinpu are both products of this season. → What to eat in Hsinchu · Xinpu and the persimmon farms
At the weather station, average wind speed is highest from October to January, about 3.0 to 3.4 metres per second, against about 2 or less from May to August. Averages hide the gusts: on a windy day it's noticeably harder work riding a scooter or cycling into it, and the coast is wilder than the town.
Month by month
Normals for the Central Weather Administration's Hsinchu station, 1992 to 2020.
| Month | Average high (°C) | Average low (°C) | Rain (mm) | Rain days | Wind (m/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19.1 | 13.1 | 76.5 | 10.0 | 3.0 |
| Feb | 19.4 | 13.4 | 121.0 | 11.1 | 2.8 |
| Mar | 21.6 | 15.2 | 157.8 | 13.6 | 2.4 |
| Apr | 25.5 | 18.9 | 162.6 | 12.5 | 2.1 |
| May | 28.9 | 22.2 | 245.4 | 11.8 | 1.8 |
| Jun | 31.5 | 24.9 | 253.6 | 10.5 | 2.0 |
| Jul | 33.2 | 26.0 | 120.2 | 7.9 | 1.9 |
| Aug | 32.8 | 25.8 | 197.1 | 10.7 | 1.8 |
| Sep | 31.2 | 24.4 | 174.5 | 8.9 | 2.4 |
| Oct | 28.0 | 21.8 | 53.6 | 5.5 | 3.4 |
| Nov | 25.1 | 18.8 | 51.1 | 6.8 | 3.2 |
| Dec | 21.1 | 15.1 | 57.7 | 8.0 | 3.4 |
| Year | 26.5 | 20.0 | 1,671.1 | 117.3 | 2.5 |
Rain days are days with at least 0.1 mm. Average relative humidity at the station stays between about 74 and 80 percent all year, highest in February and March.
Rain and the plum rains
The wettest stretch is May and June, the plum rain season (梅雨), when fronts stall over northern Taiwan and bring days of steady rain and sometimes heavy downpours. Spring before it is grey and damp more than heavy. In summer, rain tends to come as afternoon thunderstorms and with typhoons; August and September are wetter than July. October to December is the driest time of year, which is part of why the wind feels so sharp.
Typhoons and typhoon days
Typhoon season is roughly summer to early autumn. When one threatens, the Central Weather Administration issues typhoon warnings, and each local government decides whether to close offices and schools for the next day or half-day. What to know:
- Two decisions, not one. Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County announce separately. If you live in Zhubei and work in East District, or your kids go to school on the other side of the river, check both.
- Where to check. The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration publishes every city's and county's decisions on one closures page, with the city and county governments as the source. Local news and the governments' own sites and pages carry them too.
- When. Under the national rules, a full-day closure is normally announced between 19:00 and 22:00 the evening before. If the weather turns overnight, the announcement should come by 04:30. An afternoon closure is announced by 10:30 that morning.
- Who it covers. The closures apply to government offices and schools. Private employers follow the Ministry of Labor's rules and their own policies, so ask your employer how they handle typhoon days before the first one.
Good to know: before a typhoon, bring in anything that can blow off a balcony, park the scooter somewhere sheltered, and stock up early, because the supermarkets get busy the evening before.
Heat
From June to September the average high is over 31°C, and July and August average around 33°C, with high humidity. Expect long stretches of hot, sticky days. Air-conditioning is standard in homes and offices. Do outdoor exercise and hikes early in the morning.
Air quality
Check the air quality index before a run or a day out with small kids. The Ministry of Environment publishes real-time readings from its monitoring stations around Taiwan on airtw.moenv.gov.tw and in its 環境即時通 app, with a three-day forecast. On days rated unhealthy, cut back on hard outdoor exercise.
What it means day to day
- Scooters. Keep a good raincoat under the seat all year. In the windy months, the bridges over the Touqian River and the roads near the coast are where a gust can push you sideways; slow down and give yourself room. In winter, gloves and a windproof layer make the ride much better.
- Laundry. The dry autumn and winter wind dries washing fast, if you peg it well. The damp spring and plum rain season is the opposite, and many homes run a dehumidifier then, both for laundry and to keep mould out of wardrobes.
- Kids. Hats, water and sunscreen from spring to autumn, and indoor plans for the hottest afternoons and the plum rain weeks. On a typhoon day, schools close, so plan childcare in advance. → Hsinchu with kids, including indoor days
- Weekends. Autumn and early winter are dry and clear, the best time for hikes and the coast, though windy. Spring is mild but often damp. → The outdoors near Hsinchu
→ Living in Hsinchu · Scooters and driving · Your first 30 days
Sources: Central Weather Administration, 1991 to 2020 climate normals by station (temperature, high, low, rainfall, rain days, humidity and wind; the Hsinchu station's period is 1992 to 2020); Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, natural disaster work and school closures; Ministry of Environment air quality network; on 九降風, the Chinese Wikipedia entry and the Ministry of Culture's Encyclopedia of Taiwan entry it cites. Checked November 2026.