Climate

Mongolia's climate is extremely continental, with long cold, dry winters and short warm summers. The mean temperature falls below freezing for seven to eight months of the year (See Table 3. 1). For two or three months in summer, the weather is warm and pleasant and relatively hot in the southern Gobi region. Winter usually lasts from mid-October until April, with the coldest period being between mid-December and the end of February or mid-March when the temperature drops to -20 or -30°C and occasionally even lower. Snow usually falls between mid-October and mid-April. There are some regions, especially in the north west, where the temperature goes down to -40 to -50°C. In the Gobi it drops to about - 40°C.

Humidity is generally low (47-73%), especially in winter, and because of the dryness the cold is less noticeable. Moreover, the cold weather is relieved by the almost continuous blue sky and sunshine. Around Ulaanbaatar, the number of sunny days ranges between 220 and 260 a year.