Upernavik is a town of 1,050 inhabitants, located in western Greenland, in the municipality of Avannaata, on a small island on the coast of Baffin Bay, at almost 73 degrees north latitude.
is scarce, amounting to 250 millimeters (10 inches) per year, and has a relative maximum between July and November. In winter it almost always occurs in the form of snow, in spring and autumn rain and snow alternate, while in summer, at least in July and August, rain prevails.
is long, with the average temperature being below freezing from October to April. Due to the northerly position, winter temperatures are lower than those in the main towns of Greenland, which are located further south. The average for February and March, the coldest months, is around -19 °C (-2 °F).
, which can blow strongly, with gusts exceeding 100 kph (62 mph), can increase the feeling of cold.
The ground is normally covered in snow.
is frequent, although it is usually light due to the low level of precipitation.
, the temperature usually drops to -28 °C (-18 °F) or below. The coldest record is -39 °C (-38.2 °F), set in March 1973 (but data is missing from the cold winters of 1983 and 1984). More recently, the temperature dropped to -37.5 °C (-35.5 °F) in March 1996.
is cold. The average temperature exceeds 5 °C (41 °F) only in July and August, and unlike in the towns located in the central-southern part of Greenland, it can sometimes snow even in these months. In addition, rainfall is quite frequent, and fog often forms.
, from one to three days, during which the temperature can reach 17/18 °C (63/64 °F). The temperature almost never reaches 20 °C (68 °F), however, in July 2019 it reached 22.6 °C (72.7 °F).
is always very cold, and is frozen in winter (remember that the sea, being salty, freezes at about -2 °C or 28.5 °F). In summer, icebergs from the glaciers on the mainland float on the sea.
, in which the sun does not rise, and which goes from November 13 to January 27.
, during which the sun never sets, goes from May 6 to August 6. The
, in which it is not completely dark all night, occur before and after this period, from April 3 to September 9.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-16.6 °C, with a minimum of
-18.9 °C and a maximum of
-14.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-25 °C. However, it dropped to
-30.7 °C in January 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
0 °C. However, it reached
6 °C in January 2011.
Precipitation amounts to
12 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 0 hours and 10 minutes. So the days are very short.
There are on average 0 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 0% of the time.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
15.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
-1 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
February, the coldest month of the year, is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-19 °C, with a minimum of
-21.6 °C and a maximum of
-16.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-28.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-33.4 °C in February 1998.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
-2.5 °C. However, it reached
6 °C in February 2011.
Precipitation amounts to
13 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 6 hours and 20 minutes. So the days are short.
There are on average 0.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 10% of the time.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
-1.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
March is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-18.8 °C, with a minimum of
-21.7 °C and a maximum of
-16 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-29 °C. However, it dropped to
-37.5 °C in March 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
-1.5 °C. However, it reached
6 °C in March 2013.
Precipitation amounts to only
8 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 29% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
13 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
-1.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
April is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-11.8 °C, with a minimum of
-14.7 °C and a maximum of
-8.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-22.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-29.7 °C in April 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
2.5 °C. However, it reached
8.5 °C in April 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
14 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 17 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 41% of the time.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.4 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
-1.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
May is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-3.2 °C, with a minimum of
-5.5 °C and a maximum of
-0.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-11 °C. However, it dropped to
-17.3 °C in May 2005.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
9 °C. However, it reached
15 °C in May 2010.
Precipitation amounts to
10 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 23 hours and 50 minutes. So the days are very long.
There are on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 32% of the time.
The average humidity is 84%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
13 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
-0.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
June is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
3.4 °C, with a minimum of
0.6 °C and a maximum of
6.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-7.5 °C in June 2000.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
15 °C. However, it reached
21.2 °C in June 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
14 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 24 hours. So the sun is always above the horizon.
There are on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 31% of the time.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
13.3 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
1.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
July, the least cold month of the year, is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
6.6 °C, with a minimum of
3.8 °C and a maximum of
9.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
0 °C. However, it dropped to
-2 °C in July 2014.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
16.5 °C. However, it reached
22.6 °C in July 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
30 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 24 hours. So the sun is always above the horizon.
There are on average 8.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 36% of the time.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
4.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
August is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.9 °C, with a minimum of
3.6 °C and a maximum of
8.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
0.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-3.8 °C in August 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
15 °C. However, it reached
18 °C in August 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
25 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 19 hours and 40 minutes. So the days are very long.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 35% of the time.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
4.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
September is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
1.5 °C, with a minimum of
-0.2 °C and a maximum of
3.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-4 °C. However, it dropped to
-7.7 °C in September 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
9 °C. However, it reached
12.3 °C in September 2002.
Precipitation amounts to
40 mm, distributed over 13 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 26% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
3.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
October is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-3.4 °C, with a minimum of
-4.9 °C and a maximum of
-1.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-9.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-14.5 °C in October 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
5 °C. However, it reached
8.5 °C in October 2014.
Precipitation amounts to
35 mm, distributed over 14 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 0 minutes.
There is an average of 1 hour of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 15% of the time.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
17.3 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
1.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
November is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-7.6 °C, with a minimum of
-9.2 °C and a maximum of
-5.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-13.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-20.3 °C in November 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
2.5 °C. However, it reached
9.6 °C in November 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
35 mm, distributed over 16 days.
The day lasts on average 1 hour and 10 minutes. So the days are very short.
There are on average 0 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 6% of the time.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
20.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
0.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
December is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-11.4 °C, with a minimum of
-13.3 °C and a maximum of
-9.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-18.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-28.1 °C in December 1995.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
1.5 °C. However, it reached
12.2 °C in December 2009.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 15 days.
The day lasts on average 0 hours and 0 minutes. So the sun is always below the horizon.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.4 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
-0.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.