Mongolia
Weather locations in Mongolia
Choose a location in Mongolia to view its available forecast products.
Mongolia illustrated weather map
24 mapped locations
Only locations with a verified coordinate are marked. The complete location list is below.
Map Disclaimer: Maps and geographic illustrations on this website are simplified, stylized representations for weather visualization only. They are not drawn to scale and should not be interpreted as authoritative representations of national boundaries, territorial status, or geographic relationships.
Climate of Mongolia
Country climate guideMongolia is a landlocked country of steppe and desert between roughly 42 and 52 degrees north, far enough from any ocean that its climate is among the most continental on earth. Nothing moderates its winters and nothing supplies reliable rain in summer. The country is best understood as having two dominant seasons, a long, bitter, near-frozen winter and a short, warmer summer, with two brief shoulder seasons in between.
Main climate types
Most of the country is classed as a steppe or semi-arid desert climate, with the flat Gobi basin in the south-west classed as desert and the northern slopes of the Khentii mountains as subarctic. Three months of the year are below freezing at most locations, and the growing season is short. Precipitation increases from the Gobi in the south towards the northern and north-eastern forests, where the larch taiga receives the most rain.
Temperatures
Ulaanbaatar, at 1,350 metres, has a January mean of roughly -16 °C and a July mean near 21 °C, one of the widest annual ranges of any national capital. Winter nights in the Gobi can go well below -30 °C, while summer afternoons in the same desert frequently top 35 °C or more. In the western Altai the mean annual temperature is below freezing, and even in July the mountain valleys can be cold.
Rainfall
Rainfall is low and concentrated. Ulaanbaatar records around 250 to 300 mm a year, the Gobi less than 200 mm, and the northern slopes near Darkhan nearer 400 mm. More than half of the annual total falls in the summer months of June to August, driven by a monsoon-like influence from the south-east, and falls mainly as rain. Winter brings only light, dry snow, and the harsh, snow-covered winters known locally as zud can decimate livestock.
When to go
The best weather for most visitors is the short summer, from late June to early September, when daytime temperatures in the capital reach the low twenties, the steppe is green and wildflowers open, and the Naadam festival in July offers wrestling, horse racing and archery. Winter travel is possible but requires serious preparation for extreme cold. Spring is windy, dusty and very short.