Climate
Mongolia’s climate is very dry with extreme continental temperatures. Although it is one of the highest countries in the world, humid air from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans is blocked by the huge Central Asian mountain ranges. Meanwhile, sea-zonal winds from Siberia affect the climate of much of Central Asia, Including Mongolia.
Although Mongolian winters are famously cold, with temperatures dropping as low as minus 50 degrees centigrade in the far north of the country, summers are generally warm. In the Gobi region, snow can be found as late as April, while midsummer temperatures peak at around 40 degrees there is little shade available.
Spring, which generally starts in March, is known for its constant dust storms and huge fluctuations in air pressure. The steppe gradually starts to sprout fresh green pasture, and even in the capital the change is both visible and welcome.
The spring fires of 1996, which destroyed a quarter of Mongolia’s forest, were catalyzed by a lack of snow, which left much of the steppe and forest areas bone-dry. The annual rainy season begins in late July and continues until September, throughout most of the summer. Snowfall starts in November and last until February throughout the country.
Several Mountainous areas, especially the peaks of the far-western Altai range are permanently snow-capped. Even in summer, visitors and locals have to dress for cold weather in the far west of Mongolia. Because of the altitude evenings tend to be cool wherever you are in Mongolia, even during the summer. One of the compensations is that there are roughly 300 days of sunshine a year. Cold it may be, but cloudy it isn’t.