Harstad weather in January

In January, Harstad sees average daytime highs of -3°C and overnight lows near -8°C, with 108 mm of precipitation across 15 wet days and about 1.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -3°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 0 hours at the start of January to 4 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Harstad's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harstad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-3°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-8°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
108 mm
15 wet days
Daylight
0 hours
— – —
Cloud cover
77%
10th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.02 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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -3°C through the month.

A typical January day in Harstad reaches about -3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -8°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -11°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-20°-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-2-8
2-2-8
3-2-8
4-2-8
5-2-7
6-2-7
7-2-7
8-2-7
9-2-7
10-2-7
11-2-8
12-2-8
13-2-8
14-2-8
15-2-8
16-2-8
17-2-8
18-2-8
19-3-8
20-3-8
21-3-8
22-3-8
23-3-8
24-3-8
25-3-9
26-3-9
27-3-9
28-3-9
29-3-9
30-3-9
31-3-9

How January really feels in Harstad

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Harstad weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 4th-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32278
42179
52179
62179
72179
82179
92179
102179
112080
122080
132080
142179
152179
162278
172278
182377
192377
202377
212377
222476
232575
242575
252575
262575
272476
282674
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Harstad gets around 108 mm of rain and snow over 15 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 49% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 15 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14747
24747
34747
44747
54747
64847
74847
84947
94948
104948
115048
125049
135049
145049
155049
165050
175050
185050
195050
205050
215050
224950
234950
244950
254850
264850
274851
284851
294851
304851
314851

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January 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 January

Winds average 11 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 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
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 0 hours at the start of January to 4 h 18 min 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
170.711:4412:23
181.211:2712:41
191.611:1612:53
201.911:061:03
212.210:581:12
222.510:501:20
232.710:431:27
243.010:371:34
253.210:311:41
263.410:251:48
273.610:191:54
283.810:132:00
294.010:082:06
304.210:022:12
314.39:572:18

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.02 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 — January's 0.02 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
240.1Dim
250.1Dim
260.1Dim
270.1Dim
280.1Dim
290.1Dim
300.1Dim
310.1Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Harstad?

Our two travel scores rate January 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

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Harstad.

What to pack for Harstad in January

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

In January, Harstad sees daytime highs around -3°C and nights near -8°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Harstad in January

The nearest coast averages about 5°C in January — 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 January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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
January 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).