Inner Mongolia Weather in December

The whole Inner Mongolia experiences severe coldness in December, while the eastern part is freezing, much colder than the west. On occasions, cold air visits, accompanied by strong winds, making Inner Mongolia weather in December even harsher. December also receives the least precipitation and shortest daytime of the year. However, the vast landscape is covered by snow, forming a snowy fairyland.
 See also: Hohhot Weather in December  In December, the temperature differences between eastern and western Inner Mongolia are further enlarged, though both wintry. 

In the west, the daytime high temperatures mostly fluctuate between -5 and 5 degrees Celsius (23 - 41 degrees Fahrenheit) with about a half of days beyond 0°C (32°F), while the low degrees lie between -15 and -6°C (5 - 21°F). So, the weather of western Inner Mongolia in December is rather cold, but bearable.

However, the east is freezing cold that your hands get quickly red and numb after being exposed to the air for only several minutes. Its daily highs range from -26 to -12°C (-15 - 10°F), even lower than night temperatures of the west and the night lows are around -35 - -21°C (-31 - -6°F). In northernmost Genhe, the coldest city of China, the min degrees could dip to -40°C (-40°F) and even lower. Visitors should be fully armed with winter clothing if your destinations are located in the northeast Inner Mongolia.
 Inner Mongolia witnesses the yearly least precipitation in December, making it the driest month of the year, so visitors need to take every possible measure to keep your skin moisturized. For example, that of Hohhot in the west averages only 1 mm (0.04 in) distributed over one day. The east usually receives a little more. However, due to the relatively higher humidity, the climate of eastern Inner Mongolia in December is sometimes foggy in the early morning. 

Light snowfall is the primary precipitation form. Thanks to the low temperatures, the snow accumulates and vast snow views could be seen almost everywhere even in the westmost Tengger Desert. However, snow storm accompanied by strong winds occurs in some years, which leads to snowdrifts, low visibility and possible road closure.
 With sunrise time at around 7:30 - 8:30 and sunset time at 16:00 - 17:50, the whole Inner Mongolia experiences the yearly shortest daylength about 9h30m - 8h10m in December, varying in different areas of the region and different periods of the month. The daytime is far from ample for visiting many attractions in one day. Subsequently, the average sunlight duration is exceptionally short, only about 6 hours per day. Though the sunshine is not strong, it is suggested to take sunglasses to protect your eyes from bright sunlight reflected by snow.
 In terms of weather conditions, it is not advisable to visit there since Inner Mongolia climate in December is harshly cold and a little changeable especially in the late half. However, talking about snow views, December is undoubtedly a good time to pay an Inner Mongolia trip.

During this month, Hulun Lake has frozen thick enough for visitors to walk and play on. The highlight is its crystal blue ice with irregular cracks on the surface and pearl-like bubbles underneath. When the sun sets, the frozen lake is reflected with pink and orange glow, consisting an unforgettable picture of your journey. What’s more, Arxan National Forest Park and Ulan Butung Scenic Area also have their own distinctive snow views. The former is known for its misty unfrozen river, cows drinking water and frosted trees alongside; the later has vast snow-covered grassland, mountains and birch forests. 

In addition, winter Naadam Fairs are usually held in December and provide visitors various interesting activities as well as excellent performances such as skiing, deer sledding, horse riding, traditional dancing and etc. You can see vivid ice sculptures and taste traditional food during the period. At the New Year Eve, you can experience the lively atmosphere by appreciating the fireworks and counting down together. 
  Clothes for Eastern Part: For upper body, choose high-top and quick-dry thermal underwear as the bottoming layer to preserve heat, then wear fleece shirts, padded hoodies or heavy sweaters for the second layer. If your trip involves long-time outdoor visits, put on an extra thin down coat or vest. The outer coats should be thick and long enough to cover your knees such as long down coats and mink coats. It would be better if they are attached with a hat as further protection on heads and ears. For lower body, the best choices are wool long johns topped with windproof jacket trousers or down pants. You may also need woolen knee pads to get more warmth.

 Clothes for Western Part: The outer layer could adopt the same dressing of the eastern part, but you can prepare relatively thin inner layers like bottoming shirts with normal hoodies or knit wear. For bottoms, change the down pants into padded jeans or fleece sweatpants and long johns remain necessary.

 Shoes: You should bring water-resistant and non-slip shoes with high tops since most areas of natural scenic spots are covered with snow which might be thick and makes regular shoes wet easily. For western Inner Mongolia, you can choose fleece-lined sneakers and padded walking boots with woolen socks; for the east, thick snow boots are suggested.

 Others: Warm accessories should include woolen hats, thick gloves and large scarves to provide full protection from cold air. Ear muffs are needed if your hats fail to cover your ears. You can prepare some warm pastes to stick on the body parts you feel cold or on your phones to sustain the service time. Remember to pack body oil and other moisturizing products to deal with the exceptionally dry climate.
 1. When heavy snowfall happens, roads and highway to suburban attractions might be closed temporarily. To reduce the negative influence on your travel plan, you had better check the weather forecast and warning information frequently, and make a plan B in advance so as to adjust your travel schedule timely.

2. To admire frosted trees and morning mist in Arxan National Forest Park, it is recommended to arrive there at 9:00 to 11:00 when crowds of cows go there for drinking and the frost hasn’t disappear yet.

3. You are suggested to wear clothes of bright colors like red, yellow and blue in December since it not only helps to make beautiful and eye-catching pictures but also makes you more visible when the strong winds blow up accumulated snow, when the visibility is low. 

4. Considering much heating supplied indoors, outer coats should be convenient for taking on/off and the inner layer should be decent for public occasions such as restaurants and indoor attractions.