Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Hammerfest NorwayIn Hammerfest, the summers are short, cool, and mostly cloudy and the winters are long, freezing, snowy, windy, and overcast. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 19°F to 58°F and is rarely below 7°F or above 70°F. Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Hammerfest for warm-weather activities is from mid July to early August. Average Temperature in HammerfestThe warm season lasts for 2.4 months, from June 21 to September 1, with an average daily high temperature above 52°F. The hottest month of the year in Hammerfest is July, with an average high of 57°F and low of 47°F. The cold season lasts for 4.9 months, from November 12 to April 9, with an average daily high temperature below 34°F. The coldest month of the year in Hammerfest is February, with an average low of 20°F and high of 28°F.
The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day. Diamond Ridge, United States (3,432 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Hammerfest (view comparison). CloudsIn Hammerfest, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year in Hammerfest begins around April 15 and lasts for 5.6 months, ending around October 3. The clearest month of the year in Hammerfest is June, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 42% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around October 3 and lasts for 6.4 months, ending around April 15. The cloudiest month of the year in Hammerfest is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 80% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Hammerfest varies throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 5.0 months, from September 11 to February 11, with a greater than 33% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Hammerfest is October, with an average of 12.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 7.0 months, from February 11 to September 11. The month with the fewest wet days in Hammerfest is May, with an average of 7.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation in Hammerfest changes throughout the year. Rain alone is the most common for 7.3 months, from April 12 to November 20. The month with the most days of rain alone in Hammerfest is September, with an average of 9.7 days. Snow alone is the most common for 4.7 months, from November 20 to April 12. The month with the most days of snow alone in Hammerfest is January, with an average of 5.7 days.
RainfallTo show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Hammerfest experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. Rain falls throughout the year in Hammerfest. The month with the most rain in Hammerfest is July, with an average rainfall of 2.1 inches. The month with the least rain in Hammerfest is March, with an average rainfall of 0.5 inches.
SnowfallAs with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Hammerfest experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly snowfall. The snowy period of the year lasts for 7.6 months, from September 30 to May 16, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Hammerfest is January, with an average snowfall of 10.5 inches. The snowless period of the year lasts for 4.4 months, from May 16 to September 30. The least snow falls around August 1, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.
SunDue to its extreme latitude, Hammerfest experiences polar day (also known as the midnight Sun) during the summer and polar night during the winter. These are periods of time in which the sun is continuously above or below the horizon for more than one day. The precise start and end dates of polar day and night vary from year to year and depend on the precise location and elevation of the observer, and the local topography. In the summer in Hammerfest during 2024, the Sun is continuously above the horizon for 2.5 months, rising at 12:38 AM on May 13, and not setting again until 12:17 AM on July 30. In the winter in Hammerfest during 2024, the Sun is continuously below the horizon for 2.0 months, setting at 11:34 AM on November 21, and not rising again until 11:02 AM on January 21.
Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Hammerfest during 2024, starting in the spring on March 31, lasting 6.9 months, and ending in the fall on October 27. The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation. MoonThe figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. HumidityWe base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night. The perceived humidity level in Hammerfest, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining a virtually constant 0% throughout.
WindThis section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages. The average hourly wind speed in Hammerfest experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 6.5 months, from October 4 to April 18, with average wind speeds of more than 13.0 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Hammerfest is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 16.4 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 5.5 months, from April 18 to October 4. The calmest month of the year in Hammerfest is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.8 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Hammerfest varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the west for 4.3 months, from April 16 to August 25 and for 1.1 weeks, from September 29 to October 7, with a peak percentage of 34% on June 13. The wind is most often from the south for 1.1 months, from August 25 to September 29 and for 6.3 months, from October 7 to April 16, with a peak percentage of 35% on September 12. Water TemperatureHammerfest is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water. The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year. The time of year with warmer water lasts for 2.3 months, from July 8 to September 17, with an average temperature above 48°F. The month of the year in Hammerfest with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 50°F. The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.4 months, from January 4 to May 18, with an average temperature below 41°F. The month of the year in Hammerfest with the coolest water is March, with an average temperature of 39°F.
Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in Hammerfest throughout the year, we compute two travel scores. The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Hammerfest for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid July to early August, with a peak score in the last week of July. Tourism Score in HammerfestThe beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Hammerfest for hot-weather activities is from mid to late July. Beach/Pool Score in HammerfestMethodologyFor each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed. Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies. Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more. Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter. Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter. Growing SeasonDefinitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere). The growing season in Hammerfest typically lasts for 4.1 months (126 days), from around May 24 to around September 27, rarely starting before May 6 or after June 11, and rarely ending before September 6 or after October 18. Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F. Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Hammerfest should appear around July 9, only rarely appearing before June 25 or after August 2. Solar EnergyThis section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.5 months, from May 13 to July 28, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 4.2 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Hammerfest is June, with an average of 5.2 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 5.6 months, from September 27 to March 14, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.1 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Hammerfest is December, with an average of 0.0 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Hammerfest are 70.663 deg latitude, 23.682 deg longitude, and 72 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Hammerfest contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,312 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 305 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (2,044 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (3,819 feet). The area within 2 miles of Hammerfest is covered by sparse vegetation (35%), water (30%), shrubs (22%), and artificial surfaces (14%), within 10 miles by water (55%) and sparse vegetation (27%), and within 50 miles by water (57%) and sparse vegetation (21%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in Hammerfest, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointThere are 4 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Hammerfest. For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Hammerfest according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations. The estimated value at Hammerfest is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Hammerfest and a given station. The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:
To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Hammerfest and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data. Other DataAll data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus. All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid. Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database . Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com . Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors. DisclaimerThe information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site. We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands. We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader. Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page. |