<P> The Climate of Asia is wet across southeast sections, and dry across much of the interior . Some of the largest daily temperature ranges on Earth occur in western sections of Asia . The monsoon circulation dominates across southern and eastern sections, due to the presence of the Himalayas forcing the formation of a thermal low which draws in moisture during the summer . Southwestern sections of the continent experience low relief as a result of the subtropical high pressure belt; they are hot in the summer, warm to cool in winter, and may snow at higher altitudes . Siberia is one of the coldest places in the Northern Hemisphere, and can act as a source of arctic air masses for North America . The most active place on Earth for tropical cyclone activity lies northeast of the Philippines and south of Japan, and the phase of the El Niño - Southern Oscillation modulates where in Asia landfall is more likely to occur, </P> <P> The Southern sections of Asia are mild to hot, while far northeastern areas such as Siberia are very cold . East Asia has a temperate climate . The highest temperature recorded in Asia was 54.0 ° C (129.2 ° F) at Tirat Zvi, Israel on June 21, 1942 . West - central Asia experiences some of the largest diurnal temperature ranges on Earth . The lowest temperature measured was − 67.8 ° C (− 90.0 ° F) at Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon, both in Sakha Republic of Russia on February 7, 1892 and February 6, 1933 respectively . </P> <P> A large annual rainfall minimum, composed primarily of deserts, stretches from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia west - southwest through the Taklamakan Desert in Western China, the Thar Desert in Western India and Iranian Plateau into the Arabian Desert in the Arabian Peninsula . Rainfall around the continent is favored across its southern portion from Eastern India and Northeast India across the Philippines, Indochina, Malay Peninsula, Malay Archipelago and Southern China into Korean Peninsula Taiwan and Japan due to the Monsoon advecting moisture primarily from the Indian Ocean into the region . The monsoon trough can reach as far north as the 40th parallel in East Asia during August before moving southward thereafter . Its poleward progression is accelerated by the onset of the summer monsoon which is characterized by the development of lower air pressure (a thermal low) over the warmest part of Asia . Cherrapunji, situated on the southern slopes of the Eastern Himalaya in Shillong, India is one of the wettest places on Earth, with an average annual rainfall of 11,430 mm (450 in). The highest recorded rainfall in a single year was 22,987 mm (904.9 in) in 1861 . The 38 - year average at Mawsynram, Meghalaya, India is 11,873 mm (467.4 in). Lower rainfall maxima are found around Turkey and central Russia . </P>

Monsoon rains are heaviest in what portion of south asia