Longyearbyen weather by month & the best time to visit
Norway · seaside town · subpolar / tundra climate
Longyearbyen is short on reliable sunshine. Its best month is January (Score 0/100) — for stronger sun, try one of the nearby alternatives.
When is the best time to visit Longyearbyen?
Longyearbyen never gets truly sunny weather: January is as good as it gets at 0/100, and January is the low point (0/100). If sunshine is the point of the trip, the nearby alternatives do better.
How sunny is Longyearbyen?
Longyearbyen never scores well for sunshine: even January, its best month, reaches only 0/100. Conditions barely change through the year — only 0 Sunshine Score points separate January from January. It is one of 46 destinations Sunshine Atlas tracks in Norway. The year's 684 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | -8° / 18°F | -13° / 9°F | 61 mm | 0 | 1° / 34°F |
| February | 0 | -9° / 16°F | -14° / 7°F | 52 mm | 0 | -1° / 30°F |
| March | 0 | -10° / 14°F | -16° / 3°F | 54 mm | 0 | -2° / 28°F |
| April | 0 | -6° / 21°F | -11° / 12°F | 42 mm | 1 | -2° / 28°F |
| May | 0 | -1° / 30°F | -4° / 25°F | 46 mm | 1 | 3° / 37°F |
| June | 0 | 3° / 37°F | 1° / 34°F | 39 mm | 2 | 5° / 41°F |
| July | 0 | 7° / 45°F | 4° / 39°F | 59 mm | 2 | 8° / 46°F |
| August | 0 | 6° / 43°F | 3° / 37°F | 61 mm | 1 | 10° / 50°F |
| September | 0 | 2° / 36°F | -1° / 30°F | 73 mm | 0 | 6° / 43°F |
| October | 0 | -3° / 27°F | -6° / 21°F | 67 mm | 0 | 4° / 39°F |
| November | 0 | -5° / 23°F | -10° / 14°F | 64 mm | 0 | 2° / 36°F |
| December | 0 | -7° / 19°F | -12° / 10°F | 66 mm | 0 | 1° / 34°F |
Sea temperature in Longyearbyen by month
The sea off Longyearbyen is warmest in August at around 10°C / 50°F, and coolest in March at -2°C / 28°F. It never reaches comfortable swimming temperatures (21°C+). Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
Nearest destinations
Longyearbyen: questions and answers
What kind of destination is Longyearbyen?
Longyearbyen is a seaside town in Norway with a subpolar / tundra climate — the sea reaches 10°C at its warmest.
When is the best time to visit Longyearbyen?
Longyearbyen is short on reliable sunshine — its best month is only January at 0/100. For a sunnier trip, see the nearest strong-sun alternatives listed on the page.
What is the least sunny month in Longyearbyen?
January is the least sunny month in Longyearbyen, scoring 0/100 with about 61 mm of rain.
What is the sea temperature in Longyearbyen?
The sea in Longyearbyen ranges from about -2°C (March) to 10°C (August). Month-by-month sea temperatures are on this page.
How strong is the sun in Longyearbyen?
The typical midday UV index in Longyearbyen peaks around 2 (low) in June, easing to about 0 (low) in January. Month-by-month midday UV values are in the UV column of the table on this page.
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