Climate of Mongolia is strongly continental, with long, frigid winters and short, warm summers: the temperature range between winter and summer is definitely wide. Precipitation is scarce and is concentrated in summer, when the country is partly affected by the Asian monsoon; in winter, when a thermal high pressure system dominates, the sky is often clear. Precipitation is more abundant in the north, where it exceeds 300 millimeters per year, while in the south, which is desert, it drops below 200 mm per year. During winter, snowfalls are frequent but usually light, in fact, they often create a thin white veil, which can be carried away by the wind. Sometimes, a light snow can even fall when the sky is clear, in fact, when the temperature is very cold, moisture can directly condense.
Much of Mongolia is occupied by a plateau at an altitude average 1,500 meters, strong winds can blow, especially in spring. Owing to the aridity of the climate, these winds can bring dust storms, which are more frequent in the south and very rare in the north.
In winter, the wind associated with outbreaks of cold air masses can amplify the feeling of cold and lead to rapid frostbite to the persons who are not sufficiently covered. For example, with a temperature of -20 °C , which is normal in Mongolia during the cold season, a wind generates a wind chill equivalent temperature of -35 °C , and therefore the risk of freezing. When the temperature plunges below -30 °C , in case of prolonged exposure, there's a risk of frostbite even with no wind.
The climate in Mongolia is unstable, so, from year to year, there may be significant variations in temperature and precipitation.
In summer, on the contrary, the temperature is higher in the south and at low altitude. At 1,500 meters above sea level, the daily average in July is around 13 °C in the far north, around 15 °C in the center-north, and 20 °C in the south. At 1,000 meters (3,300 feet), the daily average ranges from 16 °C in the north to 24 °C in the south. So, only at the lowest altitudes and in the south, the summer can be considered hot. The areas located at low altitudes, around a thousand meters or less, are not very large, so the summer nights in most of Mongolia are generally cool sometimes even cold and the days are pleasant.
However, in the whole country, heat waves with peaks of 35/37 °C can occur, at least below 1,500 meters. The northern part of Mongolia lies in the permafrost area the ground, below a certain depth, remains frozen throughout the year, and makes it difficult to build houses and infrastructures as well as to dig for extraction of raw materials.