The town is located in the extreme north-east of Norway, near the border with Russia and Finland, on the coast, but inside a fjord. The distance from the open sea, 18 km (11 mi), is already enough to make the climate colder than on the northern coast, where the last branch of the Gulf Stream arrives.
does not rise (polar night) from November 28th to January 15th, and does not set (midnight sun) from May 19th to July 25th. The
, in which it is not completely dark even at midnight, occur as early as April 12th and until August 31st.
is very cold, with fairly frequent snowfalls, although generally not abundant. The temperature exceeds freezing very rarely.
On the coldest nights of the year, the temperature typically drops to -30 °C (-22 °F). The cold record is -41.8 °C (-43.2 °F) and was set in January 1999.
Also, the winter is long. The cold record of April is -20 °C (-4 °F), and that of May is -13.5 °C (7.5 °F).
is cool, with quite frequent rains. There are also cold days, with highs around 10 °C (50 °F).
However, there may also be pleasant periods, generally of short duration, with highs of 20/22 °C (68/72 °F).
Once every few years, the temperature can reach or exceed 28 °C (82.5 °F). The record temperature of 32.7 °C (91 °F) was recorded in July 1972. More recently, the temperature reached 31.3 °C (88.3 °F) in July 2018, when there were even eight days with 28 °C (82.5 °F) or more.
, from June to August, since it is the mildest season. However, you must take into account cloudy skies, some rain and a bit of cold. Therefore, it is advisable to bring a jacket and a sweater even in the height of summer.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-10 °C, with a minimum of
-13.6 °C and a maximum of
-6.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-26.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-41.8 °C in January 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
2 °C. However, it reached
5.3 °C in January 1992.
Precipitation amounts to
30 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 1 hour and 50 minutes. So the days are very short.
The average humidity is 85%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
3.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
February is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-9.9 °C, with a minimum of
-13.3 °C and a maximum of
-6.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-25.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-32.7 °C in February 2003.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
2 °C. However, it reached
4.7 °C in February 2009.
Precipitation amounts to
30 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 7 hours and 25 minutes. So the days are short.
The average humidity is 84%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.3 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
3.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
March is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-6 °C, with a minimum of
-9.2 °C and a maximum of
-2.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-20 °C. However, it dropped to
-30 °C in March 2018.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
3 °C. However, it reached
6.1 °C in March 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
25 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 50 minutes.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
3.1 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
April is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-1.2 °C, with a minimum of
-4.2 °C and a maximum of
1.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-14 °C. However, it dropped to
-19.7 °C in April 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
8 °C. However, it reached
14.2 °C in April 2002.
Precipitation amounts to
25 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 16 hours and 20 minutes.
The average humidity is 76%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
3.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
May is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
4.2 °C, with a minimum of
1.1 °C and a maximum of
7.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-8 °C in May 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
17 °C. However, it reached
28.8 °C in May 2013.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 22 hours and 10 minutes. So the days are very long.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
15.8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
4.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
June is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
8.9 °C, with a minimum of
5.5 °C and a maximum of
12.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
1 °C. However, it dropped to
-0.7 °C in June 1998.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
23 °C. However, it reached
28.7 °C in June 2013.
Precipitation amounts to
55 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 24 hours. So the sun is always above the horizon.
The average humidity is 70%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
15.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
6 °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
12.7 °C, with a minimum of
9 °C and a maximum of
16.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
5 °C. However, it dropped to
3.2 °C in July 2009.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25.5 °C. However, it reached
31.3 °C in July 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
60 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 23 hours and 35 minutes. So the days are very long.
The average humidity is 74%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
13.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
8.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
August is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
11.5 °C, with a minimum of
8.2 °C and a maximum of
14.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
3.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-1.3 °C in August 1998.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
23.5 °C. However, it reached
30.7 °C in August 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
60 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 18 hours and 110 minutes. So the days are very long.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
9.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
September is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
7.4 °C, with a minimum of
4.7 °C and a maximum of
10.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-1 °C. However, it dropped to
-5.9 °C in September 1998.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
17 °C. However, it reached
22.2 °C in September 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
40 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 20 minutes.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
15 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
8.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
October is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
1.1 °C, with a minimum of
-0.9 °C and a maximum of
3.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-9 °C. However, it dropped to
-17 °C in October 2019.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
9.5 °C. However, it reached
13.6 °C in October 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
50 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 55 minutes.
The average humidity is 86%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
7.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
November is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-4.7 °C, with a minimum of
-7.4 °C and a maximum of
-2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-17.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-27.5 °C in November 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
3.5 °C. However, it reached
7 °C in November 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
35 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 3 hours and 30 minutes. So the days are very short.
The average humidity is 88%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
5.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
December is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-7.3 °C, with a minimum of
-10.6 °C and a maximum of
-4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-21.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-33.7 °C in December 1995.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
3 °C. However, it reached
7 °C in December 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
30 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 0 hours and 0 minutes. So the sun is always below the horizon.
The average humidity is 87%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
4.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.