Ulan Bator climate
Ulan Bator (Mongolia) has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The average temperature over the year is 0 °C33 °F, and about 276 mm11 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Ulan Bator climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −146 | −24−11 | −19−3 | 30.1 |
| Feb | −1013 | −22−8 | −163 | 40.2 |
| Mar | −130 | −148 | −719 | 60.2 |
| Apr | 948 | −424 | 236 | 100.4 |
| May | 1762 | 235 | 948 | 291.1 |
| Jun | 2475 | 949 | 1662 | 481.9 |
| Jul | 2679 | 1254 | 1966 | 682.7 |
| Aug | 2374 | 1050 | 1662 | 612.4 |
| Sep | 1662 | 337 | 949 | 251.0 |
| Oct | 643 | −523 | 033 | 110.4 |
| Nov | −523 | −156 | −1014 | 70.3 |
| Dec | −139 | −22−7 | −171 | 40.2 |
| Year | 2679 | −24−11 | 033 | 27611 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 90% | 43% | 2.0 | 8:48 |
| Feb | 85% | 47% | 3.1 | 10:09 |
| Mar | 69% | 49% | 4.6 | 11:45 |
| Apr | 53% | 52% | 5.8 | 13:35 |
| May | 50% | 54% | 6.8 | 15:08 |
| Jun | 53% | 61% | 6.7 | 16:00 |
| Jul | 59% | 61% | 6.3 | 15:39 |
| Aug | 62% | 55% | 5.7 | 14:17 |
| Sep | 60% | 46% | 4.7 | 12:30 |
| Oct | 66% | 45% | 3.3 | 10:44 |
| Nov | 80% | 51% | 2.1 | 9:11 |
| Dec | 89% | 50% | 1.5 | 8:24 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Ulan Bator is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 26 °C79 °F and a low of 12 °C54 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −14 °C6 °F and lows −24 °C−11 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 38.3 °C68.9 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
It is dry, with about 276 mm11 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 64% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: October–April. The wettest month is July (68 mm2.7 in), the driest is January (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 50% in May to 90% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 43%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in August to 13 km/h (8 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 8.4 hours in December to 16.0 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in October–April, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 17 cm).
Best time to visit Ulan Bator
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–August: average highs of 23 °C74 °F to 26 °C79 °F with 48 mm1.9 in to 68 mm2.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −14 °C6 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Ulan Bator
- Winter (December–February) — highs −146 to −10 °C13 °F, lows −24−11 to −22 °C−7 °F, about 4 mm0.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack heavy insulated clothing, thermal base layers, a warm hat, mittens and insulated boots.
- Spring (March–May) — highs −130 to 17 °C62 °F, lows −148 to 2 °C35 °F, about 15 mm0.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2374 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 949 to 12 °C54 °F, about 59 mm2.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs −523 to 16 °C62 °F, lows −156 to 3 °C37 °F, about 15 mm0.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
How Ulan Bator compares
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Aginskoye (Russia, Dwb), Ulan-Ude (Russia, Dfb) and Ust-Ordynskiy (Russia, Dfc).
Nearby places
- Ulan-Ude 439 km · 1 °C33 °F · 310 mm12 in
- Irkutsk 522 km · 1 °C34 °F · 418 mm16 in
- Angarsk 559 km · 1 °C34 °F · 457 mm18 in
- Ust-Ordynskiy 566 km · 0 °C32 °F · 347 mm14 in
- Aginskoye 657 km · 1 °C33 °F · 363 mm14 in
- Chita 659 km · 0 °C31 °F · 374 mm15 in
- Bayan Nur 798 km · 9 °C48 °F · 169 mm6.6 in
- Jalai Nur 812 km · 1 °C35 °F · 295 mm12 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Ulan Bator?
July is the warmest month in Ulan Bator, with an average high of 26 °C (79 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (54 °F).
What is the coldest month in Ulan Bator?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -14 °C (6 °F) and an average low of -24 °C (-11 °F).
When does it rain the most in Ulan Bator?
July is the wettest month with about 68 mm (2.7 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Ulan Bator?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–August.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 1,545 m, while Ulan Bator lies at about 1,284 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.7 °C3.1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.