Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Finnsnes Norway

In Finnsnes, the summers are 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 16°F to 61°F and is rarely below 1°F or above 72°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Finnsnes for warm-weather activities is from early July to mid August.

The warm season lasts for 3.0 months, from June 7 to September 6, with an average daily high temperature above 54°F. The hottest month of the year in Finnsnes is July, with an average high of 60°F and low of 49°F.

The cold season lasts for 4.3 months, from November 10 to March 19, with an average daily high temperature below 34°F. The coldest month of the year in Finnsnes is January, with an average low of 17°F and high of 27°F.

In Finnsnes, 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 Finnsnes begins around April 14 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around September 13.

The clearest month of the year in Finnsnes is June, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 43% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 13 and lasts for 7.0 months, ending around April 14.

The cloudiest month of the year in Finnsnes is December, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 77% 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 Finnsnes varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.0 months, from August 31 to February 28, with a greater than 41% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Finnsnes is October, with an average of 15.0 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.1 months, from February 28 to August 31. The month with the fewest wet days in Finnsnes is May, with an average of 10.5 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 Finnsnes changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 9.0 months, from March 1 to November 30. The month with the most days of rain alone in Finnsnes is September, with an average of 13.4 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 3.0 months, from November 30 to March 1. The month with the most days of snow alone in Finnsnes is January, with an average of 6.3 days.

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. Finnsnes experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Finnsnes. The month with the most rain in Finnsnes is October, with an average rainfall of 3.9 inches.

The month with the least rain in Finnsnes is March, with an average rainfall of 1.9 inches.

Snowfall

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

The snowy period of the year lasts for 7.2 months, from September 30 to May 6, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Finnsnes is January, with an average snowfall of 17.4 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 4.8 months, from May 6 to September 30. The least snow falls around July 22, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

Due to its extreme latitude, Finnsnes 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 Finnsnes during 2024, the Sun is continuously above the horizon for 2.1 months, rising at 1:08 AM on May 19, and not setting again until 12:30 AM on July 24.

In the winter in Finnsnes during 2024, the Sun is continuously below the horizon for 1.5 months, setting at 11:39 AM on November 29, and not rising again until 11:37 AM on January 13.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Finnsnes 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 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.

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 Finnsnes, 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 Finnsnes experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.1 months, from October 19 to April 21, with average wind speeds of more than 8.2 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Finnsnes is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 11.1 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.9 months, from April 21 to October 19. The calmest month of the year in Finnsnes is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 5.3 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the west for 3.9 weeks, from May 17 to June 13 and for 1.9 months, from June 22 to August 18, with a peak percentage of 33% on July 18. The wind is most often from the north for 1.3 weeks, from June 13 to June 22, with a peak percentage of 32% on June 20. The wind is most often from the south for 9.0 months, from August 18 to May 17, with a peak percentage of 47% on January 1.

Finnsnes 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 6 to September 16, with an average temperature above 50°F. The month of the year in Finnsnes with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 53°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.1 months, from January 6 to May 9, with an average temperature below 41°F. The month of the year in Finnsnes with the coolest water is March, with an average temperature of 38°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Finnsnes 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 Finnsnes for general outdoor tourist activities is from early July to mid August, with a peak score in the last week of July.

The 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 Finnsnes for hot-weather activities is from mid to late July.

Methodology

For 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.

Definitions 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 Finnsnes typically lasts for 4.4 months (136 days), from around May 9 to around September 22, rarely starting before April 21 or after May 27, and rarely ending before September 2 or after October 12.

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 Finnsnes should appear around June 18, only rarely appearing before June 1 or after July 8.

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 2.6 months, from May 11 to July 30, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 4.3 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Finnsnes is June, with an average of 5.3 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 5.4 months, from September 29 to March 11, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.1 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Finnsnes is December, with an average of 0.0 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Finnsnes are 69.230 deg latitude, 17.981 deg longitude, and 46 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Finnsnes contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,240 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 87 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,537 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (5,991 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Finnsnes is covered by water (53%), trees (20%), and sparse vegetation (19%), within 10 miles by trees (47%) and water (20%), and within 50 miles by water (39%) and trees (23%).