Heilongjiang Province has a long and severe winter and a short summer, the average annual temperature between -6ºC and -4ºC. The average temperature of January, the coldest month of the year, is between -32ºC and -17ºC, while that of July, the hottest month, 16ºC to 23ºC. The annual frost-free period lasts from three to four month or longer. The annual precipitation 250-700mm, mostly concentrated in June through August.