Murmansk climate
Murmansk (Murmansk, Russia) has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc). The average temperature over the year is 0 °C32 °F, and about 795 mm31 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Murmansk climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −916 | −156 | −1211 | 451.8 | 31 |
| Feb | −817 | −147 | −1112 | 371.5 | 28 |
| Mar | −425 | −1014 | −719 | 481.9 | 31 |
| Apr | 033 | −523 | −228 | 501.9 | 28 |
| May | 744 | 133 | 439 | 742.9 | 17 |
| Jun | 1355 | 642 | 948 | 953.8 | 2 |
| Jul | 1763 | 1049 | 1356 | 983.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 1458 | 846 | 1152 | 973.8 | 0 |
| Sep | 949 | 440 | 744 | 773.0 | 3 |
| Oct | 235 | −129 | 032 | 763.0 | 21 |
| Nov | −426 | −817 | −621 | 471.9 | 30 |
| Dec | −621 | −1111 | −916 | 512.0 | 31 |
| Year | 1763 | −156 | 032 | 79531 | 222 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 99% | 78% | 0.0 | 1:55 |
| Feb | 99% | 77% | 0.4 | 7:21 |
| Mar | 98% | 77% | 1.8 | 11:20 |
| Apr | 97% | 79% | 3.5 | 15:45 |
| May | 88% | 81% | 4.3 | 21:04 |
| Jun | 82% | 79% | 4.7 | 24:00 |
| Jul | 84% | 75% | 4.3 | 24:00 |
| Aug | 89% | 79% | 3.0 | 17:42 |
| Sep | 93% | 82% | 1.7 | 13:05 |
| Oct | 97% | 89% | 0.5 | 8:52 |
| Nov | 99% | 85% | 0.1 | 4:06 |
| Dec | 99% | 84% | 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 Murmansk is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 17 °C63 °F and a low of 10 °C49 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −9 °C16 °F and lows −15 °C6 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 25.1 °C45.2 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 795 mm31 in. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 37% of the annual total. The wettest month is July (98 mm3.9 in), the driest is February (37 mm1.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 82% in June to 99% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 75%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 1 km/h (1 mph) in July to 7 km/h (4 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 0.0 hours in December to 24.0 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in October–May, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in March, about 67 cm).
Best time to visit Murmansk
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are July: average highs of 17 °C63 °F to 17 °C63 °F with 98 mm3.9 in to 98 mm3.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −9 °C16 °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 Murmansk
- Winter (December–February) — highs −916 to −6 °C21 °F, lows −156 to −11 °C11 °F, about 44 mm1.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack heavy insulated clothing, thermal base layers, a warm hat, mittens and insulated boots.
- Spring (March–May) — highs −425 to 7 °C44 °F, lows −1014 to 1 °C33 °F, about 57 mm2.2 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.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 1355 to 17 °C63 °F, lows 642 to 10 °C49 °F, about 97 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs −426 to 9 °C49 °F, lows −817 to 4 °C40 °F, about 67 mm2.6 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 Murmansk compares
Of the 169 places in Russia covered by World Climates, Murmansk is the 149th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 24th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Russia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Oulu (Finland, Dfc), Kuopio (Finland, Dfb) and Nuuk (Greenland, ET).
Nearby places
- Oulu 550 km · 3 °C37 °F · 729 mm29 in
- Severodvinsk 572 km · 1 °C34 °F · 775 mm31 in
- Arkhangelsk 590 km · 1 °C34 °F · 813 mm32 in
- Kuopio 718 km · 3 °C37 °F · 883 mm35 in
- Petrozavodsk 801 km · 3 °C37 °F · 792 mm31 in
- Umeå 805 km · 4 °C39 °F · 816 mm32 in
- Jyväskylä 820 km · 4 °C39 °F · 807 mm32 in
- Naryan-Mar 828 km · −3 °C27 °F · 731 mm29 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Murmansk?
July is the warmest month in Murmansk, with an average high of 17 °C (63 °F) and an average low of 10 °C (49 °F).
What is the coldest month in Murmansk?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -9 °C (16 °F) and an average low of -15 °C (6 °F).
When does it rain the most in Murmansk?
July is the wettest month with about 98 mm (3.9 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 37 mm (1.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Murmansk?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are July.
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 137 m, while Murmansk lies at about 75 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.