Average Weather in Harstad Norway

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In Harstad, the summers are short, cool, and mostly cloudy and the winters are long, freezing, windy, and overcast. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 20°F to 60°F and is rarely below 7°F or above 71°F.

The warm season lasts for 2.9 months, from June 11 to September 8, with an average daily high temperature above 54°F. The hottest day of the year is July 27, with an average high of 60°F and low of 49°F.

The cold season lasts for 4.5 months, from November 14 to March 30, with an average daily high temperature below 36°F. The coldest day of the year is February 2, with an average low of 20°F and high of 29°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.

In Harstad, 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 Harstad begins around April 14 and lasts for 5.1 months, ending around September 17. On May 29, the clearest day of the year, the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 45% of the time, and overcast or mostly cloudy 55% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 17 and lasts for 6.9 months, ending around April 14. On December 12, the cloudiest day of the year, the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 78% of the time, and clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 22% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Harstad varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.3 months, from August 26 to March 3, with a greater than 40% chance of a given day being a wet day. The chance of a wet day peaks at 49% on October 21.

The drier season lasts 5.7 months, from March 3 to August 26. The smallest chance of a wet day is 30% on May 31.

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 Harstad changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 10 months, from February 25 to January 3. The highest chance of a day with rain alone is 46% on October 2.

Snow alone is the most common for 1.7 months, from January 3 to February 25. The highest chance of a day with snow alone is 17% on January 27.

Rainfall

To 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. Harstad experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Harstad. The most rain falls during the 31 days centered around October 10, with an average total accumulation of 3.8 inches.

The least rain falls around April 13, with an average total accumulation of 1.7 inches.

Snowfall

We report snowfall in liquid-equivalent terms. The actual depth of new snowfall is typically between 5 and 10 times the liquid-equivalent amount, assuming the ground is frozen. Colder, drier snow tends to be on the higher end of that range and warmer, wetter snow on the lower end.

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Harstad experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly liquid-equivalent snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 6.9 months, from October 7 to May 4, with a sliding 31-day liquid-equivalent snowfall of at least 0.1 inches. The most snow falls during the 31 days centered around February 1, with an average total liquid-equivalent accumulation of 1.3 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 5.1 months, from May 4 to October 7. The least snow falls around July 20, with an average total liquid-equivalent accumulation of 0.0 inches.

Due to its extreme latitude, Harstad 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 Harstad during 2017, the Sun is continuously above the horizon for 2.0 months, rising at 12:50 AM on May 22, and not setting again until 12:41 AM on July 22.

In the winter in Harstad during 2017, the Sun is continuously below the horizon for 1.2 months, setting at 11:50 AM on December 2, and not rising again until 11:34 AM on January 10.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Harstad during 2017, starting in the spring on March 26, lasting 7.1 months, and ending in the fall on October 29.

We 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 Harstad, 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.

This 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 Harstad experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.3 months, from October 15 to April 25, with average wind speeds of more than 4.6 miles per hour. The windiest day of the year is January 23, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.3 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.7 months, from April 25 to October 15. The calmest day of the year is August 1, with an average hourly wind speed of 3.0 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Harstad varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the north for 1.8 months, from May 24 to July 17, with a peak percentage of 37% on June 21. The wind is most often from the west for 3.9 weeks, from July 17 to August 13, with a peak percentage of 31% on July 19. The wind is most often from the south for 9.4 months, from August 13 to May 24, with a peak percentage of 47% on January 1.

Harstad 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 2.4 months, from July 6 to September 18, with an average temperature above 51°F. The day of the year with the warmest water is August 9, with an average temperature of 54°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.4 months, from December 30 to May 11, with an average temperature below 41°F. The day of the year with the coolest water is March 19, with an average temperature of 38°F.

This 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 2.7 months, from May 11 to August 2, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 4.2 kWh. The brightest day of the year is June 16, with an average of 5.3 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 5.4 months, from October 1 to March 12, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.1 kWh. The darkest day of the year is December 18, with an average of 0.0 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Harstad are 68.798 deg latitude, 16.542 deg longitude, and 56 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Harstad contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,043 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 186 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,294 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (5,860 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Harstad is covered by water (34%), artificial surfaces (31%), and trees (30%), within 10 miles by water (51%) and trees (27%), and within 50 miles by water (44%) and trees (22%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Harstad, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 3 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Harstad.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Harstad 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 Harstad is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Harstad and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are: Evenes (58%, 35 kilometers, south); Andøya Andenes Airport (27%, 57 kilometers, north); and Bardufoss Airport (15%, 85 kilometers, east).

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Tables of the Sun, Moon and Planets , 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 aiports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © Esri, with data from National Geographic, Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, UNEP-WCMC, USGS, NASA, ESA, METI, NRCAN, GEBCO, NOAA, and iPC.