Lofoten weather in December

In December, Lofoten sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 144 mm of precipitation across 18.8 wet days and about 0 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to 2°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% 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 Lofoten's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lofoten's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
144 mm
18.8 wet days
Daylight
0 hours
— – —
Cloud cover
75%
12th clearest
Wind
27 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Lofoten is town in Vågan Municipality, Norway.

Density
1,992/km²
people per km²
Founded
1918

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 4°C in the first days to 2°C by the end.

A typical December day in Lofoten reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to 1°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -1°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
142
242
342
442
541
641
741
841
941
1041
1131
1231
1331
1431
1531
1631
1731
1830
1930
2030
2130
2230
2320
2420
2520
2620
2720
2820
2920
3020
3120

How December really feels in Lofoten

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Lofoten weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -1°12117.813.51.80.0
Feb / -2°10416.312.66.90.0
Mar / -1°1011713110.0
Apr / 76146.715.20.0
May / 6212.41.119.90.8
Jun10° / 6110.90242.2
Jul13° / 11°6810.8022.43.5
Aug13° / 11°9013.2017.13.4
Sep11° / 13716.5012.82.2
Oct / 16418.42.28.70.9
Nov / 15619.17.33.90.0
Dec / 14418.810.500.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22575
32674
42674
52674
62674
72674
82674
92674
102575
112575
122575
132575
142377
152377
162278
172278
182278
192278
202278
212278
222278
232278
242278
252377
262476
272476
282476
292476
302575
312476

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Lofoten gets around 144 mm of rain and snow over 18.8 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 61% and peaks near 62% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16230
26230
36130
46130
56130
66030
76030
86030
96030
106030
116030
126030
136030
146030
156131
166132
176132
186233
196234
206235
216236
226237
236238
246139
256139
266140
276041
286041
295941
305941
315941

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 27 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 27 km/h on the calmest days to 27 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
127breezy
227breezy
327breezy
427breezy
527breezy
627breezy
727breezy
827breezy
927breezy
1027breezy
1127breezy
1227breezy
1327breezy
1427breezy
1527breezy
1627breezy
1727breezy
1827breezy
1927breezy
2027breezy
2127breezy
2227breezy
2327breezy
2427breezy
2527breezy
2627breezy
2727breezy
2827breezy
2927breezy
3027breezy
3127breezy

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 5.26 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 Lofoten?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lofoten.

What to pack for Lofoten in December

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

In December, Lofoten sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near 1°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Lofoten 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 13°C and coldest in March near 4°C.

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

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar4Bracing
Apr4Bracing
May6Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul12Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep11Bracing
Oct10Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Lofoten 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 Lofoten 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 Lofoten?

Lofoten sits at 68.2°N, 14.6°E, 0 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Harstad, 102 km away.

Mo i RanaTromsoTromsdalenKirunaAltaBoden

Topography around Lofoten

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lofoten has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 599 m around an average of 66 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,033 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,332 m.

The land around Lofoten is covered by water (52%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, water (56%), grassland (21%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and water (67%) within 80 km.

3 km
599 m
16 km
1,033 m
80 km
1,332 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Harstad 102 km · Bodø 106 km · Mo i Rana 214 km · Tromso 235 km · Tromsdalen 237 km · Kiruna 239 km · Alta 395 km · Boden 408 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 Lofoten (68.2342°, 14.5683°, elevation 0 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).