Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
The climate of Kirkenes is cold continental, with freezing winters and mild summers.
The town is located in the extreme north-east of Norway, on the coast, but inside a fjord. Since we are at the 69th parallel, therefore north of the Polar Circle, the sun does not rise (polar night) from November 28th to January 15th, and does not set (midnight sun) from May 19th to July 25th. The white nights occur as early as April 12th and until August 31st.
During the coldest winters, the temperature dropped to -38 °C (-36.5 °F) in January 1985, and to -41.3 °C (-42.3 °F) in January 1999. In summer, the temperature reached 31 °C (88 °F) in August 2018.
The
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of -10.5 °C (13 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 12.4 °C (54 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Kirkenes - Average temperatures| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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| Min (°C) | -14 | -14 | -10 | -5 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 4 | -1 | -8 | -12 |
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| Max (°C) | -7 | -7 | -3 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 3 | -2 | -5 |
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| Min (°F) | 7 | 7 | 14 | 23 | 32 | 41 | 48 | 46 | 39 | 30 | 18 | 10 |
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| Max (°F) | 19 | 19 | 27 | 34 | 43 | 54 | 61 | 57 | 50 | 37 | 28 | 23 |
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amounts to 460 millimeters (18.1 inches) per year: it is therefore quite scarce. It ranges from 20 mm (0.8 in) in the driest month (May) to 65 mm (2.6 in) in the wettest (July). Here is the average precipitation.
Kirkenes - Average precipitation| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
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| Prec.(mm) | 35 | 30 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 45 | 65 | 60 | 40 | 45 | 35 | 30 | 460 |
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| Prec.(in) | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1 | 1 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 18.1 |
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| Days | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 99 |
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The
sea temperature ranges between 3 °C (37 °F) and 10 °C (50 °F). So, it is cold all year round. Here are the average sea temperatures.
Kirkenes - Sea temperature| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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| Temp (°C) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
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| Temp (°F) | 39 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 39 | 43 | 48 | 50 | 48 | 45 | 43 | 41 |
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Best Time
The best time to visit Kirkenes is the summer, 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.