Erenhot experiences a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk) with long, very dry, and bitter winters and short, hot summers.

The city receives 3,232 hours (about 73% of the possible total) of bright sunshine per year, and clear, sunny, dry weather dominates year-round; due to the aridity, the diurnal temperature variation frequently approaches and exceeds 15 °C (27 °F).

[9] The Dabusan Nur salt lake to the north of Erenhot provided an economic boom to the city's chemical industry during the late 1990s.

Built in 2006 the mall is "a block-long, three-story wholesale market that houses 527 tenants who sell silk fabrics, rabbit and fox furs and other commodities.

The manual bogie exchange is to be supplemented with the faster, automatic Variable gauge axle system of the SUW 2000-type made by ZNTK.