Climate and average weather in Alta
In Alta, the summers are mild, showery, and mostly cloudy and the winters are frigid, snowy, and mostly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Alta typically varies from -14°C to 16°C, and is rarely below -25°C or above 22°C. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Alta for warm-weather activities is from early July to mid August.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 16°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -14°
- Wettest
- Jul
- 75 mm
- Driest
- Feb
- 35 mm
- Rain / yr
- 608 mm
- 138 wet days
- Daylight
- 0.0–24.0 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 65 m
- 70.0°N
- Clearest
- Apr
- 74% cloud
Alta is settlement in Alta Municipality, Norway.
- Density
- 1,604/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 2000
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Alta weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early July to mid August.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Alta, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 3.4 months, from June 3 to September 13, with daily high temperatures above 10°C. The hottest month of the year in Alta is July, with an average high of 16°C and low of 9°C.
The cool season lasts 3.7 months, from November 21 to March 12, with daily high temperatures below -3°C. The coldest month of the year in Alta is January, with an average low of -14°C and high of -7°C.
Days typically run about 6°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | -7 | -7 | -3 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 2 | -3 | -5 |
| Avg low (°C) | -14 | -13 | -10 | -5 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 4 | -2 | -8 | -11 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | -7 | -14 |
| Feb | -7 | -13 |
| Mar | -3 | -10 |
| Apr | 2 | -5 |
| May | 7 | 0 |
| Jun | 12 | 5 |
| Jul | 16 | 9 |
| Aug | 14 | 7 |
| Sep | 9 | 4 |
| Oct | 2 | -2 |
| Nov | -3 | -8 |
| Dec | -5 | -11 |
How hot and cold Alta really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -21°C (around January 31), with roughly 248 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) — 165 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | -7 | -7 | -3 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 2 | -3 | -5 |
| Air high (°C) | -7 | -7 | -3 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 2 | -3 | -5 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -20 | -19 | -15 | -9 | -3 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 1 | -6 | -13 | -17 |
| Air low (°C) | -14 | -13 | -10 | -5 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 4 | -2 | -8 | -11 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -7 | -7 | -20 | -14 |
| Feb | -7 | -7 | -19 | -13 |
| Mar | -3 | -3 | -15 | -10 |
| Apr | 1 | 2 | -9 | -5 |
| May | 6 | 7 | -3 | 0 |
| Jun | 12 | 12 | 3 | 5 |
| Jul | 16 | 16 | 7 | 9 |
| Aug | 14 | 14 | 6 | 7 |
| Sep | 9 | 9 | 1 | 4 |
| Oct | 2 | 2 | -6 | -2 |
| Nov | -3 | -3 | -13 | -8 |
| Dec | -5 | -5 | -17 | -11 |
Average hourly temperature in Alta
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 16°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -14°C.
Alta weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -7° / -14° | 42 | 9.8 | 11.5 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -7° / -13° | 35 | 9.4 | 10.8 | 6.3 | 0.0 |
| Mar | -3° / -10° | 36 | 10.1 | 11.9 | 10.9 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 2° / -6° | 36 | 10.8 | 11.2 | 15.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 7° / 0° | 50 | 13 | 7.3 | 21.4 | 0.7 |
| Jun | 12° / 5° | 70 | 14.2 | 1.2 | 24 | 2.6 |
| Jul | 16° / 9° | 75 | 13.7 | 0 | 23.5 | 4.2 |
| Aug | 14° / 7° | 69 | 12.6 | 0 | 17.8 | 3.7 |
| Sep | 9° / 4° | 58 | 12.3 | 1.5 | 12.9 | 1.8 |
| Oct | 2° / -3° | 57 | 12.8 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 0.0 |
| Nov | -3° / -8° | 40 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 2.4 | 0.0 |
| Dec | -5° / -11° | 40 | 10 | 11.4 | 0 | 0.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Alta gets about 608 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 6.1 months, from around Apr 30 to Nov 1, peaking in June at about 49% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Mar 3.
July is the wettest month by volume, with 75 mm over about 14 wet days; February is the driest, with 35 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 32 | 33 | 33 | 36 | 42 | 47 | 45 | 40 | 40 | 41 | 33 | 32 |
| Rain days | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 10 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 10 |
| Feb | 33 | 9 |
| Mar | 33 | 10 |
| Apr | 36 | 11 |
| May | 42 | 13 |
| Jun | 47 | 14 |
| Jul | 45 | 14 |
| Aug | 40 | 13 |
| Sep | 40 | 12 |
| Oct | 41 | 13 |
| Nov | 33 | 10 |
| Dec | 32 | 10 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Alta collects about 608 mm of rain across 138 wet days — roughly 51 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. July is the wettest month with 75 mm, while February is the driest at just 35 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 35% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 42 | 35 | 36 | 36 | 50 | 70 | 75 | 69 | 58 | 57 | 40 | 40 |
| Rain days | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 10 |
| Snow days | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 11 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 10 | 12 |
| Feb | 35 | 9 | 11 |
| Mar | 36 | 10 | 12 |
| Apr | 36 | 11 | 11 |
| May | 50 | 13 | 7 |
| Jun | 70 | 14 | 1 |
| Jul | 75 | 14 | 0 |
| Aug | 69 | 13 | 0 |
| Sep | 58 | 12 | 2 |
| Oct | 57 | 13 | 8 |
| Nov | 40 | 10 | 10 |
| Dec | 40 | 10 | 11 |
Snow in Alta
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Alta averages about 85 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Sep 8 to Jun 20 — about 9.4 months.
March is snowiest, with roughly 12 days of snow and an estimated 42 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 313 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 11 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 43 | 45 | 42 | 37 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 36 | 40 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | 43 |
| Feb | 11 | 45 |
| Mar | 12 | 42 |
| Apr | 11 | 37 |
| May | 7 | 24 |
| Jun | 1 | 3 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2 | 4 |
| Oct | 8 | 38 |
| Nov | 10 | 36 |
| Dec | 11 | 40 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Alta, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around February 26 and lasts for 3.4 months, ending around June 9. The clearest month is April, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 24% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around October 5 and lasts for 3.8 months, ending around January 29. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 88% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 14 | 17 | 22 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
| Cloudier (%) | 86 | 83 | 78 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 85 | 82 | 87 | 87 | 88 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | 86 |
| Feb | 17 | 83 |
| Mar | 22 | 78 |
| Apr | 24 | 76 |
| May | 20 | 80 |
| Jun | 16 | 84 |
| Jul | 18 | 82 |
| Aug | 15 | 85 |
| Sep | 18 | 82 |
| Oct | 13 | 87 |
| Nov | 13 | 87 |
| Dec | 12 | 88 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around May 22, brings about 24 hours of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 0 hours — a swing of roughly 24 hours.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 0.7 | 6.3 | 10.9 | 15.5 | 21.4 | 24.0 | 23.5 | 17.8 | 12.9 | 8.3 | 2.4 | 0.0 |
| Sunrise (AM) | — | 8:29 | 6:09 | 3:40 | 12:50 | — | — | 2:41 | 4:56 | 7:01 | 9:59 | — |
| Sunset (PM) | — | 2:54 | 5:04 | 7:14 | 9:57 | — | — | 8:21 | 5:47 | 3:23 | 12:26 | — |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.7 | — | — |
| Feb | 6.3 | 8:29 | 2:54 |
| Mar | 10.9 | 6:09 | 5:04 |
| Apr | 15.5 | 3:40 | 7:14 |
| May | 21.4 | 12:50 | 9:57 |
| Jun | 24.0 | — | — |
| Jul | 23.5 | — | — |
| Aug | 17.8 | 2:41 | 8:21 |
| Sep | 12.9 | 4:56 | 5:47 |
| Oct | 8.3 | 7:01 | 3:23 |
| Nov | 2.4 | 9:59 | 12:26 |
| Dec | 0.0 | — | — |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Alta averages about 2 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 1 and 4 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.2 months, from around Feb 24 to Jul 31. The sunniest month is April, with roughly 4 sunny days (gloomy).
The greyest month is November, down near 1 sunny days — about 62% fewer than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 2 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 3 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 4 | Gloomy |
| May | 3 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 3 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 3 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 2 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 2 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 2 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 1 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 2 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Alta, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in July, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 95 | 97 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 95 | 5 |
| Aug | 97 | 2 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Alta is steady company: average speeds sit near 9 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | calm |
| Feb | 10 | calm |
| Mar | 10 | calm |
| Apr | 9 | calm |
| May | 9 | calm |
| Jun | 9 | calm |
| Jul | 8 | calm |
| Aug | 8 | calm |
| Sep | 9 | calm |
| Oct | 9 | calm |
| Nov | 9 | calm |
| Dec | 10 | calm |
Best time to visit Alta
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Alta throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid August, Alta is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Alta for general outdoor tourist activities is from early July to late August, with a peak score in the last week of July.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | fair | poor | poor | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.0 | poor |
| Mar | 0.0 | poor |
| Apr | 0.0 | poor |
| May | 0.7 | poor |
| Jun | 2.6 | poor |
| Jul | 4.1 | fair |
| Aug | 3.6 | fair |
| Sep | 1.8 | poor |
| Oct | 0.1 | poor |
| Nov | 0.0 | poor |
| Dec | 0.0 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Alta rarely gets warm enough to lift this score — no time of year really suits hot-weather activities here.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Alta, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 16°C), the essentials are a warm layer and rain gear. In the cold season around January (highs near -7°C), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.
In July, Alta sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Alta
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 48 km away) is warmest in August at about 10°C and coldest in April near 3°C.
The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Bracing |
| Feb | 4 | Bracing |
| Mar | 3 | Bracing |
| Apr | 3 | Bracing |
| May | 4 | Bracing |
| Jun | 7 | Bracing |
| Jul | 10 | Bracing |
| Aug | 10 | Bracing |
| Sep | 9 | Bracing |
| Oct | 8 | Bracing |
| Nov | 7 | Bracing |
| Dec | 6 | Bracing |
UV index (midday) in Alta by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Alta peaks around July 13 at about 4 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 2 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Level | Low | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | Low |
| Feb | 0 | Low |
| Mar | 1 | Low |
| Apr | 2 | Low |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 3 | Moderate |
| Jul | 4 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 1 | Low |
| Oct | 0 | Low |
| Nov | 0 | Low |
| Dec | 0 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Alta
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 4.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended). Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 0 | 0 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 3.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 4.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Growing season
The growing season in Alta typically lasts about 144 days, from around May 16 to October 6 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from June 4 to September 10.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 52 | 96 | 100 | 99 | 83 | 35 | 12 | 6 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 31 | 30 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | 31 |
| Feb | 4 | 28 |
| Mar | 5 | 31 |
| Apr | 13 | 30 |
| May | 52 | 31 |
| Jun | 96 | 1 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 99 | 0 |
| Sep | 83 | 21 |
| Oct | 35 | 31 |
| Nov | 12 | 30 |
| Dec | 6 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Alta banks about 94 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 67 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 0 |
| May | 0 |
| Jun | 2 |
| Jul | 67 |
| Aug | 25 |
| Sep | 0 |
| Oct | 0 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Alta receives about 2.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — dim — with a clear seasonal swing between 0.0 and 4.9 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 5.4 months, from around Mar 23 to Sep 3. The brightest month is May, averaging about 4.8 kWh/m² (bright).
The dimmest month is January, down near 0.0 kWh/m² — roughly 100% less than the May peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Level | Dim | Dim | Dim | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | Dim |
| Feb | 0.3 | Dim |
| Mar | 1.6 | Dim |
| Apr | 3.5 | Moderate |
| May | 4.8 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.7 | Bright |
| Jul | 4.0 | Bright |
| Aug | 2.8 | Moderate |
| Sep | 1.5 | Dim |
| Oct | 0.5 | Dim |
| Nov | 0.0 | Dim |
| Dec | 0.0 | Dim |
Where is Alta?
Alta sits at 70.0°N, 23.3°E, 65 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Tromsdalen, 167 km away.
Topography around Alta
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Alta.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Alta has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 208 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 998 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,343 m.
The land around Alta is covered by water (39%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, trees (35%), grassland (26%) and water (25%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%), moss and lichen (23%) and water (20%) within 80 km.
Norway travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type C / F
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 91% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $94,594
- 2025
- Happiness
- 7.2 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 99%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 0.7
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 2.1
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- Very high
- EF EPI 613
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Alta (69.9689°, 23.2717°, elevation 65 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).