Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Vadsø Norway

In Vadsø, 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 12°F to 58°F and is rarely below -4°F or above 69°F.

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

The warm season lasts for 2.5 months, from June 18 to September 3, with an average daily high temperature above 52°F. The hottest month of the year in Vadsø is July, with an average high of 57°F and low of 47°F.

The cold season lasts for 4.8 months, from November 13 to April 5, with an average daily high temperature below 32°F. The coldest month of the year in Vadsø is February, with an average low of 13°F and high of 26°F.

In Vadsø, 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 Vadsø begins around April 11 and lasts for 5.6 months, ending around September 30.

The clearest month of the year in Vadsø is July, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 40% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 30 and lasts for 6.4 months, ending around April 11.

The cloudiest month of the year in Vadsø is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 81% 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 Vadsø varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.7 months, from May 14 to November 4, with a greater than 22% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Vadsø is July, with an average of 9.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.3 months, from November 4 to May 14. The month with the fewest wet days in Vadsø is March, with an average of 4.3 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 Vadsø changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 7.1 months, from April 10 to November 11. The month with the most days of rain alone in Vadsø is July, with an average of 9.5 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 4.9 months, from November 11 to April 10. The month with the most days of snow alone in Vadsø is January, with an average of 4.0 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. Vadsø experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 6.9 months, from April 17 to November 12, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Vadsø is July, with an average rainfall of 2.6 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 5.1 months, from November 12 to April 17. The month with the least rain in Vadsø is February, with an average rainfall of 0.1 inches.

Snowfall

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

The snowy period of the year lasts for 7.4 months, from October 4 to May 17, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Vadsø is December, with an average snowfall of 5.4 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 4.6 months, from May 17 to October 4. The least snow falls around August 9, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

Due to its extreme latitude, Vadsø 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 Vadsø during 2024, the Sun is continuously above the horizon for 2.4 months, rising at 12:28 AM on May 15, and not setting again until 11:38 PM on July 27.

In the winter in Vadsø during 2024, the Sun is continuously below the horizon for 1.8 months, setting at 11:06 AM on November 24, and not rising again until 10:42 AM on January 18.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Vadsø 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 Vadsø, 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 Vadsø experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.5 months, from October 19 to May 2, with average wind speeds of more than 9.9 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Vadsø is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 13.1 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.5 months, from May 2 to October 19. The calmest month of the year in Vadsø is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.7 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the west for 6.0 days, from March 21 to March 27; for 4.1 weeks, from April 14 to May 13; for 1.5 months, from September 26 to November 12; and for 1.0 months, from November 20 to December 21, with a peak percentage of 38% on October 29. The wind is most often from the south for 2.6 weeks, from March 27 to April 14; for 1.7 months, from August 6 to September 26; for 1.1 weeks, from November 12 to November 20; and for 3.0 months, from December 21 to March 21, with a peak percentage of 37% on November 17. The wind is most often from the east for 2.8 months, from May 13 to August 6, with a peak percentage of 34% on June 19.

Vadsø 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 2.2 months, from July 8 to September 15, with an average temperature above 48°F. The month of the year in Vadsø with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 50°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.6 months, from December 28 to May 15, with an average temperature below 39°F. The month of the year in Vadsø with the coolest water is March, with an average temperature of 37°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Vadsø 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 Vadsø for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid July to early 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 Vadsø 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 Vadsø typically lasts for 3.9 months (119 days), from around May 26 to around September 21, rarely starting before May 7 or after June 12, 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 Vadsø should appear around July 10, only rarely appearing before June 24 or after August 1.

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 31, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 4.1 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Vadsø is June, with an average of 5.0 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 5.4 months, from September 28 to March 10, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Vadsø is December, with an average of 0.0 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Vadsø are 70.073 deg latitude, 29.749 deg longitude, and 7 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Vadsø contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 482 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 95 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (1,470 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (2,362 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Vadsø is covered by water (44%), shrubs (17%), and sparse vegetation (15%), within 10 miles by water (50%) and sparse vegetation (22%), and within 50 miles by water (34%) and sparse vegetation (22%).