Alta weather in February

In February, Alta sees average daytime highs of -7°C and overnight lows near -13°C, with 35 mm of precipitation across 9.4 wet days and about 6.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about -8°C in the first days to -6°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 3 h 42 min at the start of February to 8 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Alta's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Alta's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-7°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-13°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
35 mm
9.4 wet days
Daylight
6 h 24 min
8:29 AM – 2:54 PM
Cloud cover
81%
6th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
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 February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about -8°C in the first days to -6°C by the end.

A typical February day in Alta reaches about -7°C in the afternoon and slips back to -13°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -17°C and 1°C. Set against its neighbours, February runs on par with January and about 4°C cooler than March.

-30°-20°-10°151015202528
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-8-14
2-8-14
3-8-14
4-8-14
5-8-14
6-8-14
7-8-14
8-8-14
9-8-14
10-8-14
11-7-13
12-7-13
13-7-13
14-7-13
15-7-13
16-7-13
17-7-13
18-7-13
19-7-13
20-7-13
21-6-13
22-6-13
23-6-13
24-6-12
25-6-12
26-6-12
27-6-12
28-6-12

How February really feels in Alta

Once humidity and wind are folded in, February averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 28 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
28
28 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in February is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Alta weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 11th-warmest and 12th-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 February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 83%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21783
31783
41882
51882
61981
71981
81981
91882
101882
111882
121882
131882
141882
151783
161783
171783
181684
191684
201585
211684
221684
231684
241684
251783
261684
271684
281783

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitationSnow

Alta gets around 35 mm of rain and snow over 9.4 wet days in February, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202528
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13338
23338
33339
43339
53339
63439
73440
83440
93440
103540
113540
123540
133540
143540
153540
163540
173540
183539
193439
203438
213337
223336
233236
243235
253134
263134
273033
283033

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, February lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100

Wind in February

Winds average 10 km/h in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202528
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 3 h 42 min at the start of February to 8 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 288 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 9:48 AM to 7:25 AM, and sunset from 1:33 PM to 3:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
13.79:481:33
24.09:421:39
34.29:361:46
44.49:301:52
54.69:241:58
64.89:182:04
75.09:122:10
85.29:062:16
95.39:012:22
105.58:562:27
115.78:502:33
125.98:452:38
136.18:402:43
146.28:342:49
156.48:292:54
166.68:242:59
176.78:193:04
186.98:143:09
197.18:093:14
207.28:043:18
217.47:593:23
227.67:543:28
237.77:493:33
247.97:443:37
258.07:403:42
268.27:353:47
278.47:303:51
288.57:253:56

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 0.32 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 — February's 0.32 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.52151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.1Dim
20.1Dim
30.1Dim
40.1Dim
50.1Dim
60.1Dim
70.2Dim
80.2Dim
90.2Dim
100.2Dim
110.2Dim
120.3Dim
130.3Dim
140.3Dim
150.3Dim
160.3Dim
170.4Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.6Dim
240.6Dim
250.6Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.8Dim
Planning a trip in February

Is February a good time to visit Alta?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

February is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Alta.

What to pack for Alta in February

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

In February, Alta sees daytime highs around -7°C and nights near -13°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Alta in February

The nearest coast averages about 4°C in February — 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 February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 0. 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
February 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).