Oslo in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Oslo sees average daytime highs around -1°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 194 mm of precipitation over about 31 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around -1°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Oslo's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Oslo's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- -1°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -6°C
- Precipitation
- 194 mm
- 31 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Oslo in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around -1°C.
A typical winter day in Oslo reaches about -1°C and drops to -6°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Oslo
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.
Oslo 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 | -2° / -7° | 72 | 10.9 | 10.5 | 6.4 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -1° / -7° | 52 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 8.7 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 4° / -4° | 54 | 8.2 | 7.1 | 11.3 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 9° / 1° | 55 | 9.1 | 3.3 | 14.1 | 2.0 |
| May | 15° / 5° | 77 | 11.4 | 0.8 | 16.7 | 4.3 |
| Jun | 19° / 9° | 95 | 12.3 | 0 | 18.3 | 5.5 |
| Jul | 21° / 12° | 100 | 12.7 | 0 | 17.7 | 5.9 |
| Aug | 19° / 11° | 112 | 14.2 | 0 | 15.3 | 5.6 |
| Sep | 15° / 8° | 89 | 10.8 | 0 | 12.6 | 4.3 |
| Oct | 9° / 3° | 94 | 11.7 | 1.4 | 9.8 | 1.6 |
| Nov | 3° / -1° | 92 | 12 | 6 | 7.2 | 0.0 |
| Dec | -1° / -5° | 71 | 11.1 | 8.1 | 5.7 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Oslo gets around 194 mm of rain and snow over 31 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 10 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 6 h 06 min in early December to 9 h 54 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 0.5 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Oslo?
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 Oslo.
What to pack for Oslo in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Oslo sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 31 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Oslo in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 4°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 60 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February 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) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 6 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Bracing |
| Feb | 3 | Bracing |
| Mar | 3 | Bracing |
| Apr | 6 | Bracing |
| May | 11 | Bracing |
| Jun | 15 | Cool |
| Jul | 18 | Cool |
| Aug | 18 | Cool |
| Sep | 15 | Cool |
| Oct | 12 | Bracing |
| Nov | 9 | Bracing |
| Dec | 6 | Bracing |
UV index in Oslo 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 Oslo peaks around July 15 at about 5 (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 4 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Level | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | Low |
| Feb | 1 | Low |
| Mar | 2 | Low |
| Apr | 3 | Moderate |
| May | 4 | Moderate |
| Jun | 5 | Moderate |
| Jul | 5 | Moderate |
| Aug | 4 | Moderate |
| Sep | 3 | Moderate |
| Oct | 1 | Low |
| Nov | 0 | Low |
| Dec | 0 | Low |
Where is Oslo?
Oslo sits at 59.9°N, 10.7°E, 26 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Lillestrøm, 18 km away.
Topography around Oslo
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Oslo.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Oslo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 169 m around an average of 41 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 535 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,381 m.
The land around Oslo is covered by artificial surfaces (47%), trees (29%) and water (21%) within 3 km, trees (63%) within 16 km, and trees (75%) 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 Oslo (59.9127°, 10.7461°, elevation 26 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.