This report describes the typical weather at the Tromsø Airport (Tromsø, Norway) weather station over the course of an average February. It is based on the historical records from 1974 to 2012. Earlier records are either unavailable or unreliable.
Tromsø has a humid subarctic continental climate with cool summers and no dry season. The area within 25 mi of this station is covered by tundra (47%), oceans and seas (36%), and forests (14%).
The month of February is characterized by gradually rising daily high temperatures, with daily highs around 30°F throughout the month, exceeding 39°F or dropping below 18°F only one day in ten.
Over the course of February, the length of the day is very rapidly increasing. From the start to the end of the month, the length of the day increases by 4:24 hours, implying an average day-over-day increase of 9.1 minutes.
The shortest day of the month is February 1 with 5:04 hours of daylight; the longest day is February 29 with 9:28 hours of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 7:13am on February 29; the latest sunset is at 4:41pm on February 29; the latest sunrise is at 9:26am on February 1; the earliest sunset is at 2:30pm on February 1.
Daylight savings time is observed in 2012 but it neither starts nor ends in February, so the entire month is in standard time.
The median cloud cover is 82% (mostly cloudy) and does not vary substantially over the course of the month.
On February 15, a representative day, the sky is clear or mostly clear 19% of the time, partly cloudy 20% of the time, and mostly cloudy or overcast 45% of the time.
The average probability that some form of precipitation will be observed in a given day is 72%, with little variation over the course of the month.
Throughout February, the most common forms of precipitation are moderate snow and light snow.
Moderate snow is the most severe precipitation observed during 67% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around February 6, when it is observed during 49% of all days.
Light snow is the most severe precipitation observed during 20% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around February 7, when it is observed during 15% of all days.
The likelihood of snow falling is highest around February 6, occurring in 66% of days.
Accumulation at this location in February is very unlikely. The chances of there being snow on the ground are highest around February 6, occurring 7% of the time.
The snow is typically at its deepest on February 16, with a median depth of 19.8"; the depth exceeds 28.7" only one year out of ten.
The relative humidity typically ranges from 61% (mildly humid) to 91% (very humid) over the course of a typical February, rarely dropping below 47% (comfortable) and reaching as high as 100% (very humid).
The air is driest around February 28, at which time the relative humidity drops below 68% (mildly humid) three days out of four; it is most humid around February 1, rising above 88% (very humid) three days out of four.
Dew point is often a better measure of how comfortable a person will find the weather than relative humidity because it more directly relates to whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid.
Over the course of a typical February, the dew point typically varies from 13°F (dry) to 25°F (dry) and is rarely below 2°F (dry) or above 34°F (dry).
Over the course of February typical wind speeds vary from 2 mph to 21 mph (light air to fresh breeze), rarely exceeding 31 mph (high wind).
The highest average wind speed of 12 mph (moderate breeze) occurs around February 16, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 21 mph (fresh breeze).
The lowest average wind speed of 11 mph (gentle breeze) occurs around February 1, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 20 mph (fresh breeze).