The climate in the Kyrgyz Republic is as varied as the country’s topography and can be classified into four major zones, each with distinctive characteristics. The valley-sub-mountain zone (from 900-1,200 m) experiences hot summers, snowless and temperate winters, and almost zero precipitation. The mountain zone (from 900–1,200 to 2,000–2,200 m) is characterized by a temperate climate, which has warm summers and cold, snowy winters. The high-mountain zone (from 2,000–2,200 to 3,000–3,500 m) is cooler in the summer and has relatively cold, snowless winters, with temperatures ranging from well below zero to 16°C. The nival belt zone (from 3,500 m and higher) has a polar climate and is covered by numerous snowfields and glaciers. Temperature has a seasonal nature – February being the coldest month with average temperature -3.7°C and July being the warmest with +17.4°C.