The climate of Svalbard: when to go to Svalbard

The Svalbard islands are among the most permanently inhabited places on the northernmost part of Earth, they are located almost at the same latitude north of the extreme northern part of Greenland. The Svalbard climate is a very cold and freezing arctic climate, but partially tempered by the Gulf Stream. This warm current makes its influences felt mainly on the southwestern side of the archipelago. Here the sea is clear of ice for almost the whole year, while along the eastern and northern coasts the sea is frozen for 8/9 months a year.

The influence of the Gulf Stream is felt in an important way in the values of winter temperatures, which, along the western coasts, are higher by about 20 ° C compared to other places in Russia and Canada located at the same latitude. In winter the average temperatures vary between -20 ° C and -13 ° C, while in the summer months they vary between 7 ° C and 3 ° C.

Precipitation that occurs almost exclusively in the form of snow varies between values below 300 mm in the western regions and values above 1,000 mm in the eastern and southern regions.

Ice covers over 60% of the Svalbard territory. Snow falls every season of the year, and is present on the ground in the capital Longyearbyen between September and May. Fog is very common during the summer months, while the wind blows incessantly during the winter.

WHEN TO GO TO SVALBARD ISLANDS

Due to the cold Svalbard climate, the best months for a trip are between May and August. In these months the temperatures are acceptable and the sun never sets. Between April 20 and August 23 in Longyearbyen it is in fact possible to observe the phenomenon of the Midnight Sun. The winter months are the best for observing the Northern Lights.

Official page of the Norwegian weather service.

MIDNIGHT SUN AT SVALBARD ISLANDS

MIDNIGHT SUN AT SVALBARD ISLANDS
Place	from	to
Longyearbyen	20 April	23 August

POLAR NIGHT AT SVALBARD ISLANDS

POLAR NIGHT AT SVALBARD ISLANDS
Place	from	to
Longyearbyen	26 October	15 February

THE CLIMATE OF THE SVALBARD ISLANDS: CLIMATE TABLES

LONGYEARBYEN (3 meters)
Month	Average low (°C)	Average high (°C)	Precip. (mm)	Rainy days (snowy days)
January	-20	-13	22	2 (21)
February	-21	-13	28	2 (17)
March	-20	-13	29	2 (19)
April	-16	-9	16	3 (17)
May	-7	-3	13	4 (16)
June	-1	3	18	13 (7)
July	3	7	24	17 (1)
August	2	6	30	18 (2)
September	-3	1	25	14 (11)
October	-9	-4	19	5 (21)
November	-14	-8	22	3 (22)
December	-18	-11	25	3 (22)
YEAR	-10,3	-4,7	271	86 (176)