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Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, sits in a valley of the Tuul River between mountains at around 1,300 metres above sea level, deep in the interior of the Eurasian landmass at approximately 47.89°N, 106.91°E. Its extreme continental position and altitude give it a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk/Dwc) — making it the coldest capital city in the world.
Summer, from June to August, is short, mild and pleasant, with July the warmest month — average highs around 22–24°C — and it is the only genuinely wet part of the year, when brief thunderstorms bring most of the annual rainfall and the steppe turns briefly green. Nights stay cool even in midsummer, and the season passes quickly.
Winter, from November to March, is long and ferociously cold, with January the coldest month — average highs around -16°C and lows near -25 to -30°C, with cold snaps below -40°C. The dry Siberian high brings clear, sunny but bitterly cold days; snowfall is light, and coal burned for heating in the enclosed valley creates some of the worst winter air pollution on earth.
Ulaanbaatar is very dry, receiving only around 250–280 mm of precipitation a year, almost all of it in brief summer thunderstorms from June to August, while the long winter is nearly precipitation-free despite the intense cold — the air is simply too cold and dry to hold moisture. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital city in the world, with January averages below -20°C and a winter that lasts five months. Its enclosed valley traps the smoke from coal stoves during the frigid, windless winter, giving the city some of the most severe air pollution anywhere, while the surrounding steppe suffers the dzud — a devastating combination of summer drought and winter freeze that kills livestock in the millions.
To follow any single measurement in Ulaanbaatar more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.