Harstad weather in October

In October, Harstad sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 116 mm of precipitation across 16.9 wet days and about 8.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 3°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of October to 6 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Harstad's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harstad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
116 mm
16.9 wet days
Daylight
8 h 36 min
7:21 AM – 3:57 PM
Cloud cover
73%
3rd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
0.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.4
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 3°C by the end.

A typical October day in Harstad reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to 1°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 1°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 6°C cooler than September and about 4°C warmer than November.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
184
284
383
483
583
683
773
873
973
1072
1162
1262
1362
1462
1561
1651
1751
1851
1951
2040
2140
2240
2340
2440
2540
264-1
273-1
283-1
293-1
303-1
313-1

How October really feels in Harstad

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 24 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
24
wind chill below the day's low

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

Harstad weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
23070
33070
43070
53070
63169
73070
83070
93070
102971
112872
122872
132674
142674
152575
162575
172476
182476
192377
202278
212278
222179
232278
242278
252278
262278
272278
282179
292179
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Harstad gets around 116 mm of rain and snow over 16.9 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 55% and peaks near 58% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1519
2519
35110
45110
55111
65212
75212
85313
95414
105515
115616
125618
135719
145720
155722
165823
175824
185826
195727
205728
215729
225730
235731
245732
255633
265633
275633
285633
295633
305633
315533

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October 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 October

Winds average 10 km/h in October.

Across October, 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.

051015151015202531
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
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of October to 6 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 264 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:21 AM to 8:27 AM, and sunset from 5:04 PM to 2:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.76:215:04
210.66:255:00
310.46:294:55
410.36:334:51
510.26:374:46
610.06:414:42
79.96:454:37
89.76:494:33
99.66:534:28
109.46:574:24
119.37:014:19
129.27:054:15
139.07:094:10
148.97:134:06
158.77:174:01
168.67:213:57
178.47:253:52
188.37:293:48
198.27:343:43
208.07:383:38
217.97:423:34
227.77:473:29
237.67:513:25
247.47:553:20
257.38:003:16
267.18:043:11
277.08:093:06
286.88:133:02
296.78:182:57
306.58:222:52
316.38:272:48

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 0.61 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 — October's 0.61 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.1Dim
21.1Dim
31.0Dim
41.0Dim
51.0Dim
60.9Dim
70.9Dim
80.8Dim
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.5Dim
190.5Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.4Dim
230.4Dim
240.4Dim
250.4Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.3Dim
300.3Dim
310.2Dim
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Harstad?

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

0.4
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Harstad.

What to pack for Harstad in October

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

In October, Harstad sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near 1°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 17 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Harstad in October

The nearest coast averages about 9°C in October — 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 October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October 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
October 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).