The National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring announced on Monday that approximately 80% of Mongolia's vast expanse is now covered in snow, with depths reaching up to 60 cm as of January 31.

Mongolia's winters are notoriously severe, shaped by the influence of the Siberian high-pressure system. This year's snow coverage, while significant, follows last winter's record-setting cold spell, which was one of the harshest in nearly five decades. During that period, snowfall reached depths of 100 cm across 90% of the country, leading to a severe dzud - a unique natural disaster in Mongolia where extreme cold combined with heavy snow isolates livestock from their food sources.

The dzud last winter was catastrophic, causing the death of millions of livestock, which in turn devastated herders and the rural economy. The term 'dzud' in Mongolian signifies a winter so harsh that it leads to massive livestock deaths due to starvation and freezing conditions.

Officials and local herders are bracing for potential impacts this year, hoping that the snow coverage does not precipitate another dzud. The government has been urged to prepare emergency measures to safeguard both the animals and the livelihoods of the nomadic communities that rely heavily on their herds.

As Mongolia navigates through another challenging winter, the focus remains on mitigating the effects of this natural phenomenon to protect the nation's traditional way of life. (ILKHA)