Best Time to Visit Mongolia

The mongolian nomade life (François  Philipp)  [flickr.com]  CC BY 
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On this page, you will find information about the climate and the best time to visit Mongolia. We created climate tables and charts for the locations of Ulan Bator, Altai und Choibalsan. These contain details about temperatures, precipitation and more.

Furthermore, we analyzed all climate data and provide a recommendation about which months are best to visit Mongolia for your holiday.

Climate Overview

Thermometer Symbol -26 °C to 27 °C
Rainy Cloud Symbol 0.042.91 in
Average Annual Temperature is between -1.8 °C (Ulan Bator) and 0.7 °C (Choibalsan)
Show temperatures in degree

Geographical location

Mongolia is a state in Central Asia, the only neighboring countries are Russia in the north and the People’s Republic of China in the south.

Mongolia covers an area of 972000 miles², making it the second largest landlocked country in the world after Kazakhstan. The vast, quite barren steppes and semi-deserts are home to only about three million inhabitants, making Mongolia one of the most sparsely populated states in the world.

The capital of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar with around 1.35 million inhabitants, almost half of the country’s population.

Mongolia should not be confused with the autonomous territory of Inner Mongolia in the north of the People’s Republic of China.

Climate in Mongolia

Missing the target (Bernd Thaller)  [flickr.com]  CC BY 
License Information available under 'Proof of Image Sources' The climate in Mongolia is an extremely continental one. This is due to the long distance of the Central Asian highlands to the oceans, which have a balancing effect on the climate. A strongly continental climate is characterized by long, arctic cold and dry winters. Summers, on the other hand, can get very hot in some cases.

Otherwise the climate in summer is mainly humid and warm. Mongolia is quite windy all year round. Spring and autumn only have a duration of a few weeks, there are strong temperature fluctuations between day and night values of up to 30 °C. In January the average temperature is –15 °C in the south and –35 °C in the north.

In July, the average temperature is 10 °C in the north and 22 °C in the south. Extreme temperatures of below –40 °C can occur in the basins and in the Gobi desert. Snow can still be found in these areas until April. Lakes can even be frozen over until June. On the other hand, the Gobi desert reaches peak temperatures of up to 45 °C in summer.

The capital Ulan Bator is considered the coldest capital on earth in winter. Average daily temperatures from October to April are below the freezing point, with significant precipitation only between June and mid-September in summer. Despite the cool temperatures, up to 260 sunny days a year are counted.

Best Time to Visit Mongolia: Overview

JanuaryJan
MaximumMax.11 °C
FebruaryFeb
MaximumMax.9 °C
MarchMar
MaximumMax.1 °C
AprilApr
MaximumMax. 11 °C
MayMay
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Tschoibalsan
JuneJun
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Ulan-Bator
Altai
Tschoibalsan
JulyJul
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Ulan-Bator
Altai
Tschoibalsan
AugustAug
Best time to traveltime
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Ulan-Bator
Altai
Tschoibalsan
SeptemberSep
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Ulan-Bator
Tschoibalsan
OctoberOct
MaximumMax. 9 °C
NovemberNov
MaximumMax.3 °C
DecemberDec
MaximumMax.8 °C

When to visit Mongolia?


The cold long winter makes a trip to Mongolia a real adventure experience for the hard-boiled, as the sometimes hostile conditions bring several months of permafrost. The best time to travel to Mongolia is therefore between May and September. The temperatures are now much more pleasant, the landscape is green and the precipitation remains within limits despite the”small rainy season”.

In May, there can still be so-called dust storms, while June to August can be particularly warm. In addition, the National Festival Naadam takes place in July and offers a very intensive insight into the colourful culture of the Mongols. September is the best time for a visit to the Gobi Desert, as the temperatures in July and August can be unbearably hot.

Best Time to Visit the Regions

Find the best time to visit the regions (Mongolia) in the following overview.

LocationBest Time to Travel
Ulan BatorJune, July, August, and September
AltaiJune, July, and August
ChoibalsanMay, June, July, August, and September

Climate Charts Mongolia

In the following, you will find climate charts for the regions.

Furthermore, there are some charts you can use for quick comparison of climate between the regions.

Show Climate Chart for    

Ulan Bator

Climate Chart Ulan Bator
Show temperatures in degree

Altai

Climate Chart Altai
Show temperatures in degree

Choibalsan

Climate Chart Choibalsan
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Day Temperatures

Show temperatures in degree

Night Temperatures

Show temperatures in degree

Average Temperatures

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Precipitation

Hours of Sunshine per Day

Source of Data: German Weather Service (Offenbach) and Wikipedia

Climate Tables Mongolia

In the following, you will find some climate tables for Mongolia, containing information about Temperatures, Precipitation, and Hours of Sunshine.
Show climate table for    

Temperatures, Precipitation, Sunshine in Ulan Bator (Mongolia)

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Day Temperature-16°-11°-3°15°20°22°20°15°-6°-14°
Night Temperature-25°-23°-14°-5°12°10°-5°-16°-23°
Precipitation (inch)0.080.080.080.310.592.012.912.41.180.280.160.08
Hours of Sunshine6799109888765
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Temperatures
The annual average temperature in Ulan Bator is -1.8 °C.

For comparison: London 11 °C, NYC 12 °C, LA 17.9 °C

Warmest month: July (16.5 °C)
Coldest month: January (-23.1 °C)

Precipitation
Overall annual precipitation: 10.16 inch

For comparison: London 24.06 in, NYC 41.57 in, LA 12.01 in

There is no rainy season (months with more than 6.9 in of precipitation).

Months that have possible snowfall: April, May, September, and October

Sunshine
As our climate table shows, May is the sunniest month with an average of 9.6 hours of sunshine per day. Over the year, there are 7.6 hours of sunshine per day on average. For comparison: London has 4.1, NYC has 7 and LA has 8.9 hours of sunshine per day on average.

Temperatures, Precipitation, Sunshine in Altai (Mongolia)

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Day Temperature-10°-9°-3°14°19°20°18°13°-4°-8°
Night Temperature-25°-23°-16°-7°-7°-17°-22°
Precipitation (inch)0.040.080.240.390.471.11.931.610.630.310.120.08
Hours of Sunshine778910101099876
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Temperatures
The annual average temperature in Altai is -1.6 °C.

Warmest month: July (13.7 °C)
Coldest month: January (-18 °C)

Precipitation
Overall annual precipitation: 7.01 inch

There is no rainy season (months with more than 6.9 in of precipitation).

Months that have possible snowfall: March, April, May, September, and October

Sunshine
As our climate table shows, May is the sunniest month with an average of 10 hours of sunshine per day. Over the year, there are 8.3 hours of sunshine per day on average.

Temperatures, Precipitation, Sunshine in Choibalsan (Mongolia)

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Day Temperature-14°-11°-1°11°19°25°27°24°18°-3°-12°
Night Temperature-26°-24°-15°-4°11°14°12°-4°-15°-23°
Precipitation (inch)0.080.080.120.240.551.542.241.691.060.310.120.12
Hours of Sunshine689910101099876
Show temperatures in degree
Temperatures
The annual average temperature in Choibalsan is 0.7 °C.

Warmest month: July (19.8 °C)
Coldest month: January (-20.5 °C)

Precipitation
Overall annual precipitation: 8.15 inch

There is no rainy season (months with more than 6.9 in of precipitation).

Months that have possible snowfall: April, May, September, and October

Sunshine
As our climate table shows, June is the sunniest month with an average of 10.2 hours of sunshine per day. Over the year, there are 8.2 hours of sunshine per day on average.

Highlights and Attractions


The only modern city in the country is Ulan Bator, the very historic capital of Mongolia. In any case, you should take a tour into the impressive Gobi Desert, which is more diverse than any other desert landscape in the world. Who wants to experience a breathtaking view over Mongolia should consider an ascent of Mount Khuiten.

Many Mongolia tours include the fascinating Khuvsgul Lake, the Chorgo-Terchiin-Tsagaan-Nuur National Park including a crater hike, a visit to the provincial capital Tsetserleg and the Erdene Dsuu Monastery. Nature lovers will have their true joy at the wondrous dinosaur excavation site at the Flaming Cliffs and in the Saxaulwald.

Popular Activities

More attractions

Ulaanbaatar: Full-Day Sightseeing City Tour | From Ulaanbaatar: Day Trip to Hustai National Park | From Ulaanbaatar: UNESCO Bogd Khan Mountain & Monastery | Mongolia Ulaanbaatar: Private Airport Transfer |

Current Weather and Forecast

Current Weather in Ulan Bator (Station Ulaanbaatar)
clear sky     clear sky, -28.8 °C
Clouds: 5 %       Wind: 2 mph
Air Pressure: 1024 hPa       Humidity: 76 %
Last updated: 7th Feb 2023, 09:12 pm
The next days …
8th Feb 20239th Feb 202310th Feb 202311th Feb 202312th Feb 202313th Feb 2023
sky is clear-22 °C to -10 °Cscattered clouds-21 °C to -11 °Covercast clouds-20 °C to -8 °Covercast clouds-23 °C to -11 °Cfew clouds-23 °C to -14 °Csky is clear-22 °C to -10 °C
-22 °C to -10 °C-21 °C to -11 °C-20 °C to -8 °C-23 °C to -11 °C-23 °C to -14 °C-22 °C to -10 °C
Clouds: 6 %Clouds: 31 %Clouds: 100 %Clouds: 95 %Clouds: 11 %Clouds: 8 %
No PrecipitationNo PrecipitationNo PrecipitationNo PrecipitationNo PrecipitationNo Precipitation
Weather information provided by OpenWeatherMap. (CC BY-SA)
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