ULAN BATOR, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The coldest temperature in Bayantes soum, an administrative subdivision of the western Mongolian province of Zavkhan, was recorded at minus 51.1 degrees Celsius in January 2026, according to the country's weather monitoring agency.
The figure marked the coldest temperature in Mongolia this winter, the National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring said in a statement on Sunday.
"As of Feb. 15, at least 80 percent of the country's total territory has been covered with snow of up to 40 cm thick, increasing the risk of experiencing the extreme wintry weather 'dzud' this winter," it added.
Mongolia has an extreme continental climate characterized by long, cold winters and short, hot summers. ■