In this Feb. 13, 2017 photo dead animals lie in the snow in a rural area of Khuvsgul province in northern Mongolia.

ULAN BATOR, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring on Sunday issued a cold weather warning.

Heavy snow is expected to hit the northern and western parts of the country, and overnight temperatures in these areas are expected to reach minus 40-45 degrees Celsius during the next week, the weather monitoring agency said, urging citizens, especially nomadic herders, to take extra precautions against possible disasters.

The agency also warned that strong winds and snow storms are expected to hit the eastern and central parts of the country. Overnight temperatures in these areas are expected to drop to minus 35 degrees Celsius.

Mongolia's climate is strongly continental, with long, frigid winters, and short, warm summers.

A temperature of minus 25 degrees Celsius in the country is normal during the winter.