Over 80 percent of Mongolia covered with snow up to 4 ft (1.3 meters) deep

“Cold snap” getting worse – Impossible for livestock to find grass.

Mongolia has been gripped by extreme cold coupled with heavy snows, disrupting the life of herders in rural areas, says xinhua.net.

Strong winds and a dramatic fall in temperatures have hit a large part of Mongolia. In some areas, the lowest temperature has plunged to minus 50C, the reports said.

Authorities said Friday that over 80 percent of the Mongolian territory was covered with snow that could be as thick as 1.3 meters in worst-hit areas.

It has become impossible for livestock to find grass on the snow-covered pastureland in 55 counties of 15 provinces nationwide, the authority added.

Roads in some areas are also cut off by heavy snow and over 3,000 herders in rural area could not get medical assistance from outside.

Of course, the original headline called it a “cold snap.”

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-01/05/c_132081825.htm

Thanks to Argiris Diamantis for this link