Lofoten weather in January

In January, Lofoten sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 121 mm of precipitation across 17.8 wet days and about 1.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 2°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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Lofoten's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lofoten's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
121 mm
17.8 wet days
Daylight
1 h 42 min
11:21 AM – 1:01 PM
Cloud cover
75%
10th clearest
Wind
27 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.02 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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 2°C through the month.

A typical January day in Lofoten reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -3°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
120
220
320
420
520
620
720
820
92-1
102-1
112-1
122-1
132-1
142-1
152-1
162-1
172-1
182-1
191-1
201-1
211-1
221-1
231-1
241-2
251-2
261-2
271-2
281-2
291-2
301-2
311-2

How January really feels in Lofoten

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Lofoten weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 5th-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 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 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22575
32575
42575
52476
62476
72476
82476
92476
102476
112476
122476
132476
142575
152575
162575
172575
182575
192674
202674
212674
222575
232575
242575
252575
262575
272575
282575
292575
302575
312575

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Lofoten gets around 121 mm of rain and snow over 17.8 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 58% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days, and about 14 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15941
25841
35841
45841
55841
65841
75941
85942
95942
105942
115943
125943
135943
145943
155944
165944
175844
185845
195845
205845
215845
225745
235745
245745
255644
265644
275644
285644
295644
305544
315544

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 27 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 27 km/h on the calmest days to 28 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
127breezy
227breezy
327breezy
427breezy
528breezy
628breezy
728breezy
828breezy
928breezy
1028breezy
1127breezy
1227breezy
1327breezy
1427breezy
1527breezy
1627breezy
1727breezy
1827breezy
1927breezy
2027breezy
2127breezy
2227breezy
2327breezy
2427breezy
2527breezy
2627breezy
2727breezy
2827breezy
2927breezy
3027breezy
3127breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 0 hours at the start of January to 4 h 42 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
140.911:4312:38
151.311:3112:50
161.711:211:01
171.911:131:10
182.211:061:18
192.410:591:25
202.710:531:32
212.910:471:39
223.110:411:45
233.310:351:51
243.510:301:57
253.610:252:03
263.810:192:09
274.010:142:14
284.210:092:20
294.310:042:25
304.510:002:30
314.79:552:35

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 5.26 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
230.1Dim
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 Lofoten?

Our two travel scores rate January 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

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lofoten.

What to pack for Lofoten in January

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

In January, Lofoten sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 18 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Lofoten 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 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 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 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
January 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).