The city is located on the northern Norwegian coast, but within a fjord, furthermore, the mountains to the west and north partially protect it from ocean currents, making it more continental and arid than cities like Hammerfest and Tromsø or the North Cape.
does not rise (polar night) from November 26th to January 16th. Alta is called the "
", because it has a relatively dry climate compared to the western coast of Norway, but less cold than in the inland areas of Finnmark. Therefore, in the long winter nights, it is relatively easier to observe the northern lights.
Also due to the high latitude, the sun does not set (midnight sun) from May 18th to July 27th. The
, in which it is not completely dark even at midnight, occur as early as April 11th and until September 1st.
is very cold, with fairly frequent snowfalls, although generally not abundant. The temperature is normally below freezing even during the day, however, in some periods, it can rise a few degrees above, even up to 7/8 °C (45/46 °F).
However, there are also times when the temperature drops several degrees below freezing. On the coldest nights, it drops below -20 °C (-4 °F) every year. The coldest record is -32 °C (-25.5 °F) and was set in January 1999.
Also, the winter is long. In 2013, the temperature dropped to -25 °C (-13 °F) in March and to -16 °C (3 °F) in April.
is cool, with quite frequent rains. There are also cold days, with highs around 10 °C (50 °F). At night, the temperature can drop to as low as 0 °C (32 °F) in June, and to 5 °C (41 °F) from July to mid-August.
However, there may also be pleasant periods, generally of short duration, with highs of 20/22 °C (68/72 °F).
On the warmest days of the year, the temperature can reach 26/27 °C (79/81 °F). The old record, 32.5 °C (90.5 °F) of July 1972, was broken in July 2018 with 33 °C (91.5 °F). In July 1999, there were three days of Mediterranean heat, with a maximum of 29/31 °C (84/88 °F) and a minimum of 18/21 °C (64.5/70 °F).
, in July and August, since they are the mildest months. However, you must take into account cloudy skies, some rain and a bit of cold at night.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-6.8 °C, with a minimum of
-10.2 °C and a maximum of
-3.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-21 °C. However, it dropped to
-32.1 °C in January 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
5.5 °C. However, it reached
9.6 °C in January 2006.
Precipitation amounts to
40 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 1 hour and 35 minutes. So the days are very short.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
4.9 °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
-7 °C, with a minimum of
-10.3 °C and a maximum of
-3.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-20.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-28.7 °C in February 1998.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
5.5 °C. However, it reached
12 °C in February 2000.
Precipitation amounts to
30 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 7 hours and 20 minutes. So the days are short.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
4.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
March is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-3.9 °C, with a minimum of
-7.4 °C and a maximum of
-0.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-17 °C. However, it dropped to
-25 °C in March 2013.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
6.5 °C. However, it reached
10.7 °C in March 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
35 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 50 minutes.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
13.8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
4.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
April is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
0.5 °C, with a minimum of
-2.8 °C and a maximum of
3.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-12 °C. However, it dropped to
-18.3 °C in April 1998.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
10 °C. However, it reached
16 °C in April 2003.
Precipitation amounts to
25 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 16 hours and 25 minutes.
The average humidity is 69%.
The average wind speed is of
12.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
4.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
May is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.7 °C, with a minimum of
2.5 °C and a maximum of
8.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-4 °C. However, it dropped to
-9 °C in May 1995.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
17 °C. However, it reached
23 °C in May 2013.
Precipitation amounts to
25 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 22 hours and 25 minutes. So the days are very long.
The average humidity is 66%.
The average wind speed is of
12.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
5.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
June is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
10.5 °C, with a minimum of
7.4 °C and a maximum of
13.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
2.5 °C. However, it dropped to
0 °C in June 2019.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
22.5 °C. However, it reached
28.4 °C in June 1992.
Precipitation amounts to
40 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 24 hours. So the sun is always above the horizon.
The average humidity is 67%.
The average wind speed is of
13.4 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
July, the warmest month of the year, is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
14.3 °C, with a minimum of
10.9 °C and a maximum of
17.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6.5 °C. However, it dropped to
4.3 °C in July 2012.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26 °C. However, it reached
33 °C in July 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
50 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 23 hours and 40 minutes. So the days are very long.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12.8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
9.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
August is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12.8 °C, with a minimum of
9.5 °C and a maximum of
16 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
3.5 °C. However, it dropped to
0.2 °C in August 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
24 °C. However, it reached
31.8 °C in August 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
45 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 18 hours and 5 minutes. So the days are very long.
The average humidity is 74%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
11.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
10.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
September is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
8.5 °C, with a minimum of
5.6 °C and a maximum of
11.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-0.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-4 °C in September 2014.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18.5 °C. However, it reached
23.3 °C in September 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
35 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 20 minutes.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
11 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
9.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
October is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
2.4 °C, with a minimum of
-0.2 °C and a maximum of
4.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-9 °C. However, it dropped to
-17.2 °C in October 1992.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
12 °C. However, it reached
17.4 °C in October 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
45 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 55 minutes.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
11.8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
7.8 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
November is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-2.7 °C, with a minimum of
-5.6 °C and a maximum of
0.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-14.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-22.8 °C in November 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
7 °C. However, it reached
12 °C in November 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
30 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 3 hours and 20 minutes. So the days are very short.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12.8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
6.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
December is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-4.8 °C, with a minimum of
-8 °C and a maximum of
-1.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-17.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-24 °C in December 1995.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
6.5 °C. However, it reached
10.5 °C in December 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
40 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 0 hours and 0 minutes. So the sun is always below the horizon.
The average humidity is 76%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
13.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
5.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.