Longyearbyen climate
Longyearbyen (Svalbard and Jan Mayen) has a tundra climate (Köppen ET). The average temperature over the year is −4 °C24 °F, and about 682 mm27 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Longyearbyen climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −817 | −139 | −1113 | 612.4 |
| Feb | −917 | −138 | −1112 | 522.1 |
| Mar | −1014 | −154 | −139 | 542.1 |
| Apr | −622 | −1112 | −817 | 421.6 |
| May | −131 | −425 | −228 | 461.8 |
| Jun | 338 | 235 | 236 | 391.5 |
| Jul | 745 | 440 | 642 | 582.3 |
| Aug | 643 | 338 | 541 | 612.4 |
| Sep | 236 | 031 | 134 | 732.9 |
| Oct | −327 | −621 | −424 | 672.6 |
| Nov | −523 | −1015 | −719 | 642.5 |
| Dec | −720 | −1111 | −916 | 662.6 |
| Year | 745 | −154 | −424 | 68227 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 97% | 74% | 0.0 | 0:00 |
| Feb | 97% | 72% | 0.0 | 0:00 |
| Mar | 96% | 70% | 0.8 | 10:44 |
| Apr | 92% | 67% | 3.0 | 20:01 |
| May | 89% | 74% | 5.1 | 24:00 |
| Jun | 89% | 81% | 6.0 | 24:00 |
| Jul | 89% | 82% | 5.1 | 24:00 |
| Aug | 90% | 82% | 3.2 | 24:00 |
| Sep | 93% | 83% | 1.2 | 13:59 |
| Oct | 94% | 79% | 0.1 | 5:39 |
| Nov | 95% | 76% | 0.0 | 0:00 |
| Dec | 96% | 74% | 0.0 | 0:00 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Longyearbyen is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 7 °C45 °F and a low of 4 °C40 °F. The coldest is March, when highs average −10 °C14 °F and lows −15 °C4 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 18.5 °C33.3 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 682 mm27 in. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is September (73 mm2.9 in), the driest is June (39 mm1.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 89% in May to 97% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 67%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in August to 15 km/h (9 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 0.0 hours in January to 24.0 hours in May.
A lasting snow cover is typical in September–June, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in April, about 116 cm).
Best time to visit Longyearbyen
No month comes close to our comfort ideal here. The least demanding months are June, July and August (average highs 3 °C38 °F, 7 °C45 °F and 6 °C43 °F).
The most challenging month is March, which is cold, with average highs of −10 °C14 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Longyearbyen
- Winter (December–February) — highs −917 to −7 °C20 °F, lows −138 to −11 °C11 °F, about 60 mm2.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack heavy insulated clothing, thermal base layers, a warm hat, mittens and insulated boots.
- Spring (March–May) — highs −1014 to −1 °C31 °F, lows −154 to −4 °C25 °F, about 47 mm1.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack heavy insulated clothing, thermal base layers, a warm hat, mittens and insulated boots.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 338 to 7 °C45 °F, lows 235 to 4 °C40 °F, about 53 mm2.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs −523 to 2 °C36 °F, lows −1015 to 0 °C31 °F, about 68 mm2.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
How Longyearbyen compares
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Nuuk (Greenland, ET), Murmansk (Russia, Dfc) and Palana (Russia, Dfc).
Nearby places
- Murmansk 1,155 km · 0 °C32 °F · 795 mm31 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Longyearbyen?
July is the warmest month in Longyearbyen, with an average high of 7 °C (45 °F) and an average low of 4 °C (40 °F).
What is the coldest month in Longyearbyen?
March is the coldest month, with an average high of -10 °C (14 °F) and an average low of -15 °C (4 °F).
When does it rain the most in Longyearbyen?
September is the wettest month with about 73 mm (2.9 in) of precipitation; June is the driest with about 39 mm (1.5 in).
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 269 m, while Longyearbyen lies at about 1 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.7 °C3.1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.