Nagqu at 4,500 metres is cold at almost any time of year. The only genuinely pleasant period is July and August, when daytime temperatures reach around 15°C and the plateau turns green. This is also when the Horse Racing Festival takes place, making August the only month when most travellers consider stopping rather than passing through.
Outside summer, winters are brutal: temperatures routinely drop to minus 30°C, the wind is relentless, and the landscape is brown and frozen. The first frosts arrive in September, and by October the plateau is deep in winter. Spring (April–May) is cold and windy, though the wildlife is active and the tourist numbers are negligible.