ULAN BATOR, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia is bracing for extremely cold weather in the coming days, as the National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring issued a warning on Friday.
Starting Saturday, cold air from Siberia, Russia, will sweep across large parts of Mongolia, bringing overnight temperatures that could exceed minus 40 degrees Celsius, the weather agency said in a warning.
"Last year, the lowest temperature recorded in our country was minus 48.8 degrees Celsius on Jan. 23 in the western province of Zavkhan," the agency said, predicting that similar conditions will affect the western regions during this weekend.
Meanwhile, other parts of the country, particularly the national capital Ulan Bator, are expected to experience temperatures 10-15 degrees colder than recent days, with heavy snow anticipated throughout the weekend.
The cold wave is expected to cause significant disruptions, and the public, especially nomadic herders, are urged to take precautionary measures to protect themselves and their livestock from the extreme conditions.
Mongolia's climate is strongly continental, with long and frigid weather. A temperature of minus 25 degrees is standard during winter. ■