Harstad weather in August

In August, Harstad sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 102 mm of rain across 16.1 wet days and about 17.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 14°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 19 h 42 min at the start of August to 15 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Harstad's 8th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harstad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
11th coldest
Rainfall
102 mm
16.1 wet days
Daylight
17 h 18 min
3:20 AM – 8:36 PM
Cloud cover
77%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Harstad is city in Harstad municipality, Norway.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,854/km²
people per km²
Founded
1904

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 14°C by the end.

A typical August day in Harstad reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 4°C warmer than September.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11610
21610
31610
41610
51610
61610
71610
81610
91610
101610
111510
12159
13159
14159
15159
16159
17159
18159
19159
20159
21159
22149
23149
24149
25149
26148
27148
28148
29148
30148
31138

How August really feels in Harstad

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.

Harstad weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -8°10815151.40.0
Feb-3° / -8°9414.214.76.70.0
Mar / -6°10115.816110.0
Apr / -2°7814.611.915.30.1
May / 88164.920.41.5
Jun13° / 9115.40.2242.9
Jul16° / 10°9914.8022.94.1
Aug15° / 10216.1017.33.8
Sep11° / 12117.11.112.92.2
Oct / 11616.96.98.60.4
Nov / -3°9515.210.93.40.0
Dec-1° / -6°1111615.200.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22773
32773
42674
52575
62575
72377
82278
92278
102080
112080
121981
131981
141981
151981
161981
171981
181981
191981
201981
211981
221981
231981
242080
252080
262080
272080
282179
292179
302179
312080

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Harstad gets around 102 mm of rain over 16.1 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 51% and peaks near 56% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
248
348
448
549
649
750
850
950
1051
1151
1251
1351
1451
1551
1651
1751
1851
1951
2051
2151
2252
2352
2453
2553
2654
2754
2855
2955
3056
3156

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19181
29271
39271
49361
59361
69361
79451
89451
99640
109640
119640
129730
139730
149730
159730
169730
179820
189820
199820
209820
219820
229820
239820
249820
259820
269820
279910
289910
299910
309910
319910

Wind in August

Winds average 9 km/h in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 10 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
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 19 h 42 min at the start of August to 15 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 282 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 2:08 AM to 4:22 AM, and sunset from 9:52 PM to 7:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
119.72:089:52
219.62:139:47
319.42:189:41
419.22:239:36
519.02:289:31
618.92:339:26
718.72:389:20
818.52:439:15
918.42:489:10
1018.22:539:05
1118.02:579:00
1217.93:028:55
1317.73:078:50
1417.63:118:46
1517.43:168:41
1617.33:208:36
1717.13:248:31
1817.03:298:26
1916.83:338:22
2016.73:378:17
2116.53:428:12
2216.43:468:07
2316.23:508:03
2416.13:547:58
2515.93:587:53
2615.84:027:49
2715.64:067:44
2815.54:107:39
2915.34:147:35
3015.24:187:30
3115.04:227:25

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.16 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0 kWh/m² to a high of 4.93 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 3.16 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Harstad?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Harstad.

What to pack for Harstad in August

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

In August, Harstad sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 9°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer. About 16 days see rain.

rain geara warm layer

Sea temperature near Harstad in August

The nearest coast averages about 12°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 12°C and coldest in March near 3°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr4Bracing
May6Bracing
Jun9Bracing
Jul11Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep11Bracing
Oct9Bracing
Nov7Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Harstad 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 Harstad peaks around July 14 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 14UV 4Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Low
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep1Low
Oct0Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Harstad?

Harstad sits at 68.8°N, 16.5°E, 1 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Lofoten, 102 km away.

KirunaBodøAltaMo i RanaLevi

Topography around Harstad

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Harstad.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Harstad has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 338 m around an average of 59 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 983 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,766 m.

The land around Harstad is covered by trees (47%) and water (34%) within 3 km, water (52%) and trees (25%) within 16 km, and water (45%), trees (21%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
338 m
16 km
983 m
80 km
1,766 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen
August weather nearby: Lofoten 102 km · Tromso 134 km · Tromsdalen 136 km · Kiruna 184 km · Bodø 191 km · Alta 294 km · Mo i Rana 294 km · Levi 357 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 Harstad (68.7983°, 16.5417°, elevation 1 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).