Chengdu, with a mean elevation of 500 meters, is in the humid subtropical monsoon climate zone, and is of typical basin climate, featured by earlier spring, hot summer, cool autumn, and warm winter. As the proverb has it that "the dog of Sichuan barking at the sun", another distinctive feature of Chengdu climate is its fogginess and cloudiness with short sunshine duration. The average high in summer is generally below 30℃, yet it is sultry due to the humid air; The monthly average temperature in winter is all above 5℃, but it is still bleak with cloudiness and humidness. July and August is the rainy season, with monthly precipitation above 200 mm and 16 to 18 wet days. In winter and spring, it's dry; ice and snow are rarely seen. The ideal time for tourists is the period from March to June and the period from September to November.