Harstad weather in December

In December, Harstad sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 111 mm of precipitation across 16 wet days and about 0 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 0°C in the first days to -2°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 0 hours at the start of December to 0 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Harstad's 8th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harstad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
111 mm
16 wet days
Daylight
0 hours
— – —
Cloud cover
77%
8th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
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 December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 0°C in the first days to -2°C by the end.

A typical December day in Harstad reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -8°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-4
20-4
30-4
40-4
50-4
60-4
70-4
80-5
90-5
100-5
110-5
120-5
130-5
140-5
15-1-5
16-1-6
17-1-6
18-1-6
19-1-6
20-1-6
21-1-7
22-1-7
23-2-7
24-2-7
25-2-7
26-2-7
27-2-7
28-2-7
29-2-7
30-2-7
31-2-8

How December really feels in Harstad

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
18 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Harstad weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-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 December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22377
32377
42278
52278
62377
72476
82377
92377
102377
112377
122377
132377
142377
152377
162278
172278
182377
192278
202278
212179
222179
232179
242179
252179
262179
272278
282278
292278
302179
312179

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Harstad gets around 111 mm of rain and snow over 16 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 51% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days, and about 15 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15244
25244
35245
45245
55246
65246
75246
85247
95247
105348
115348
125348
135349
145349
155349
165350
175350
185350
195251
205251
215251
225151
235151
245050
255050
264949
274849
284848
294748
304747
314747

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December 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%151015202531
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
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 0 hours at the start of December to 0 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
100.0
110.0
120.0
130.0
140.0
150.0
160.0
170.0
180.0
190.0
200.0
210.0
220.0
230.0
240.0
250.0
260.0
270.0
280.0
290.0
300.0
310.0

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

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 — December's 0 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.0Dim
20.0Dim
30.0Dim
40.0Dim
50.0Dim
60.0Dim
70.0Dim
80.0Dim
90.0Dim
100.0Dim
110.0Dim
120.0Dim
130.0Dim
140.0Dim
150.0Dim
160.0Dim
170.0Dim
180.0Dim
190.0Dim
200.0Dim
210.0Dim
220.0Dim
230.0Dim
240.0Dim
250.0Dim
260.0Dim
270.0Dim
280.0Dim
290.0Dim
300.0Dim
310.0Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Harstad?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Harstad.

What to pack for Harstad in December

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

In December, Harstad sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Harstad in December

The nearest coast averages about 6°C in December — 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 December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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