This causes the temperatures to drop to extremely cold levels. The average temperature of the tundra is around -28°C while extremes can dip to -70°C. Precipitation levels in the tundra are from 6 to 10 inches a year. Most of this falls as snow. In many ways this biome is a cold desert, lacking significant precipitation. However, something that many people might find unusual given the lack of rain or snow is the presence of a lot of standing water.