Ulaanbaatar in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Ulaanbaatar sees average daytime highs around -14°C and overnight lows near -26°C, with 6 mm of precipitation over about 3 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about -13°C in early December to -8°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Ulaanbaatar's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Ulaanbaatar's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- -14°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -26°C
- Precipitation
- 6 mm
- 3 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Ulaanbaatar in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about -13°C in early December to -8°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Ulaanbaatar reaches about -14°C and drops to -26°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Ulaanbaatar
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Ulaanbaatar weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -17° / -28° | 2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 8.6 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -11° / -24° | 3 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 9.9 | 0.0 |
| Mar | -2° / -15° | 7 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 11.6 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 8° / -5° | 16 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 13.4 | 1.3 |
| May | 15° / 1° | 35 | 6.7 | 3 | 14.9 | 4.8 |
| Jun | 20° / 8° | 55 | 9.5 | 0.2 | 15.7 | 6.3 |
| Jul | 22° / 11° | 66 | 11.2 | 0 | 15.4 | 6.4 |
| Aug | 20° / 9° | 68 | 10.7 | 0 | 14.1 | 6.2 |
| Sep | 14° / 2° | 39 | 7.2 | 1.5 | 12.4 | 4.6 |
| Oct | 5° / -6° | 15 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 10.6 | 0.7 |
| Nov | -7° / -18° | 6 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Dec | -15° / -25° | 2 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 8.3 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Ulaanbaatar gets around 6 mm of rain and snow over 3 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 8 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 8 h 30 min in early December to 10 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.1 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Ulaanbaatar?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ulaanbaatar.
What to pack for Ulaanbaatar in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Ulaanbaatar sees daytime highs around -14°C and nights near -26°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.
UV index in Ulaanbaatar in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ulaanbaatar peaks around July 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Low |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 7 | Very high |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 2 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Ulaanbaatar in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Ulaanbaatar is worst in July — around 135 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.3× the cleanest month (October, 41 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Ulaanbaatar's WHO annual average of 60 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 56 | 55 | 48 | 48 | 54 | 78 | 135 | 73 | 42 | 41 | 48 | 41 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 55 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 48 | Poor |
| Apr | 48 | Poor |
| May | 54 | Poor |
| Jun | 78 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 135 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 73 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 42 | Poor |
| Oct | 41 | Poor |
| Nov | 48 | Poor |
| Dec | 41 | Poor |
Where is Ulaanbaatar?
Ulaanbaatar sits at 47.9°N, 106.9°E, 1,284 m above sea level, in Mongolia. The nearest listed city is Zuunmod, 23 km away.
Topography around Ulaanbaatar
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Ulaanbaatar.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Ulaanbaatar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 247 m around an average of 1,304 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,018 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,795 m.
The land around Ulaanbaatar is covered by artificial surfaces (81%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (79%) within 80 km.
Mongolia travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type C / E / F
- 220 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 34% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $7,108
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.9 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 43%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.9
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 21
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Very low
- EF EPI 447
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Ulaanbaatar (47.9077°, 106.8832°, elevation 1,284 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.