Handan has a continental climate with hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) are the most comfortable seasons for visiting and for walking between the outdoor historical sites.
If you want to experience the Nuwa Palace pilgrimage festival at its most intense, time a visit for the third month of the lunar calendar (typically late March to late April). The festival draws enormous crowds to She County and offers a vivid glimpse of northern Chinese popular religion that is quite different from the carefully managed heritage tourism of other sites in the region.
The city is liveable and interesting year-round; only the outdoor sites suffer in the summer heat or winter cold.