Harstad in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Harstad sees average daytime highs around -2°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 313 mm of precipitation over about 45 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 0°C in early December to -2°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Harstad's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Harstad's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- -2°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -7°C
- Precipitation
- 313 mm
- 45 wet days
- Avg wind
- 11 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Harstad in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about 0°C in early December to -2°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Harstad reaches about -2°C and drops to -7°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
How winter really feels in Harstad
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Harstad weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -3° / -8° | 108 | 15 | 15 | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -3° / -8° | 94 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 6.7 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 0° / -6° | 101 | 15.8 | 16 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 4° / -2° | 78 | 14.6 | 11.9 | 15.3 | 0.1 |
| May | 9° / 3° | 88 | 16 | 4.9 | 20.4 | 1.5 |
| Jun | 13° / 7° | 91 | 15.4 | 0.2 | 24 | 2.9 |
| Jul | 16° / 10° | 99 | 14.8 | 0 | 22.9 | 4.1 |
| Aug | 15° / 9° | 102 | 16.1 | 0 | 17.3 | 3.8 |
| Sep | 11° / 6° | 121 | 17.1 | 1.1 | 12.9 | 2.2 |
| Oct | 5° / 1° | 116 | 16.9 | 6.9 | 8.6 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 2° / -3° | 95 | 15.2 | 10.9 | 3.4 | 0.0 |
| Dec | -1° / -6° | 111 | 16 | 15.2 | 0 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Harstad gets around 313 mm of rain and snow over 45 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 11 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 0 hours in early December to 8 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 0.2 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Harstad?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Harstad.
What to pack for Harstad in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Harstad sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -7°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 45 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Harstad in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 5°C across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 6 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Bracing |
| Feb | 4 | Bracing |
| Mar | 3 | Bracing |
| Apr | 4 | Bracing |
| May | 6 | Bracing |
| Jun | 9 | Bracing |
| Jul | 11 | Bracing |
| Aug | 12 | Bracing |
| Sep | 11 | Bracing |
| Oct | 9 | Bracing |
| Nov | 7 | Bracing |
| Dec | 6 | Bracing |
UV index in Harstad in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Level | Low | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | Low |
| Feb | 0 | Low |
| Mar | 1 | Low |
| Apr | 2 | Low |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 3 | Moderate |
| Jul | 4 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 1 | Low |
| Oct | 0 | Low |
| Nov | 0 | Low |
| Dec | 0 | Low |
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.
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.
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
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.