Alta weather in August

In August, Alta sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 69 mm of rain across 12.6 wet days and about 17.8 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 20 h 36 min at the start of August to 15 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Alta's 8th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Alta's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
11th coldest
Rainfall
69 mm
12.6 wet days
Daylight
17 h 42 min
2:41 AM – 8:21 PM
Cloud cover
82%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
2.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

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.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical August day in Alta reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°C cooler than July and about 5°C warmer than September.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1169
2169
3169
4169
5159
6158
7158
8158
9158
10158
11158
12158
13148
14147
15147
16147
17147
18147
19147
20147
21137
22137
23137
24136
25136
26136
27136
28136
29136
30126
31126

How August really feels in Alta

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Alta weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-7° / -14°429.811.50.70.0
Feb-7° / -13°359.410.86.30.0
Mar-3° / -10°3610.111.910.90.0
Apr / -6°3610.811.215.50.0
May / 50137.321.40.7
Jun12° / 7014.21.2242.6
Jul16° / 7513.7023.54.2
Aug14° / 6912.6017.83.7
Sep / 5812.31.512.91.8
Oct / -3°5712.88.48.30.0
Nov-3° / -8°409.69.52.40.0
Dec-5° / -11°401011.400.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11981
21783
31684
41684
51684
61684
71585
81387
91387
101387
111387
121387
131387
141288
151387
161387
171387
181387
191387
201387
211387
221486
231486
241486
251585
261585
271585
281585
291585
301585
311585

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Alta gets around 69 mm of rain over 12.6 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 40% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
341
441
541
641
741
841
940
1040
1140
1240
1339
1439
1539
1639
1739
1839
1939
2039
2140
2240
2340
2440
2541
2641
2742
2842
2943
3043
3143

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19361
29361
39361
49451
59451
69550
79550
89640
99640
109730
119730
129730
139820
149820
159820
169910
179910
189910
199910
209910
219910
229910
239910
249910
259910
269910
279910
289910
299910
309910
319910

Wind in August

Winds average 8 km/h in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 20 h 36 min at the start of August to 15 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 318 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 1:15 AM to 3:49 AM, and sunset from 9:51 PM to 7:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
120.61:159:51
220.41:229:44
320.21:289:37
419.91:359:31
519.71:419:24
619.51:479:18
719.31:539:12
819.11:599:06
918.92:049:00
1018.72:108:54
1118.62:158:49
1218.42:208:43
1318.22:268:38
1418.02:318:32
1517.92:368:27
1617.72:418:21
1717.52:468:16
1817.32:508:11
1917.22:558:05
2017.03:008:00
2116.83:057:55
2216.73:097:50
2316.53:147:45
2416.43:187:40
2516.23:237:35
2616.03:277:30
2715.93:327:25
2815.73:367:20
2915.63:417:15
3015.43:457:10
3115.33:497:05

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 2.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0 kWh/m² to a high of 4.84 kWh/m² in May across the year — August's 2.75 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.1Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
122.9Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Alta?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

3.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Alta.

What to pack for Alta in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Alta sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Alta in August

The nearest coast averages about 10°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

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.

0°5°10°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun7Bracing
Jul10Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep9Bracing
Oct8Bracing
Nov7Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Alta in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 13UV 4Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Low
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep1Low
Oct0Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

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.

TromsdalenTromsoLeviKirunaNikelHarstadZapolyarnyyKovdor

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.

3 km
208 m
16 km
998 m
80 km
1,343 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen
August weather nearby: Tromsdalen 167 km · Tromso 169 km · Levi 248 km · Kiruna 265 km · Nikel 275 km · Harstad 294 km · Zapolyarnyy 297 km · Kovdor 394 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
Church of Norway 68%other Christian 4%Muslim 3%Roman Catholic 3%

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).