Svalbard and Jan Mayen weather by month
Average temperatures and rainfall across Svalbard and Jan Mayen, based on 30 years of climate data.
The average temperature in Svalbard and Jan Mayen is around -6° across the year, though it swings month to month and from region to region. The figures below show the monthly pattern for Longyearbyen.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 7°
- Coldest
- Mar
- -17°
- Wettest
- Nov
- 47 mm
- Driest
- Jun
- 18 mm
- Annual avg
- -6°
- year-round
- Rain / yr
- 418 mm
- 98 wet days
- Largest city
- Longyearbyen
- 2k people
- Cities
- 1
- with climate data
Monthly climate (Longyearbyen)
Average highs, lows and rainfall through the year for Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen's largest city.
| Month | High / Low | Rainfall | Wet days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -11° / -16° | 43 mm | 8.9 |
| Feb | -12° / -16° | 31 mm | 7.1 |
| Mar | -12° / -17° | 35 mm | 8.4 |
| Apr | -9° / -13° | 23 mm | 6.8 |
| May | -3° / -5° | 21 mm | 6 |
| Jun | 2° / 1° | 18 mm | 5 |
| Jul | 7° / 4° | 32 mm | 8.2 |
| Aug | 5° / 3° | 40 mm | 9 |
| Sep | 1° / -1° | 45 mm | 9.8 |
| Oct | -4° / -8° | 41 mm | 9.1 |
| Nov | -7° / -12° | 47 mm | 10.3 |
| Dec | -10° / -14° | 45 mm | 9.7 |
Climate in Longyearbyen
Full Longyearbyen forecastLongyearbyen is the largest city in Svalbard and Jan Mayen; its cloud cover, humidity, wind and sunshine are typical of the surrounding region.
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast through the year.
In Longyearbyen, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around February 23 and lasts for 4.9 months, ending around July 20. The clearest month is April, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 24% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around August 29 and lasts for 3.8 months, ending around December 22. The cloudiest month is October, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 92% of the time.
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Longyearbyen is typically calm, near 10 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 5.7 months, from around Oct 15 to Apr 5. The windiest month is January, averaging about 12 km/h (calm).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Apr 6 to Oct 14, with June the calmest month at about 8 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | calm |
| Feb | 11 | calm |
| Mar | 11 | calm |
| Apr | 10 | calm |
| May | 9 | calm |
| Jun | 8 | calm |
| Jul | 9 | calm |
| Aug | 9 | calm |
| Sep | 9 | calm |
| Oct | 10 | calm |
| Nov | 11 | calm |
| Dec | 12 | calm |
Best time to visit Svalbard and Jan Mayen
A 0–10 score combining daytime comfort, chance of rain and cloud cover.
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Longyearbyen receives about 1.9 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — dim — with a clear seasonal swing between 0.0 and 6.2 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 4.8 months, from around Apr 3 to Aug 26. The brightest month is June, averaging about 5.9 kWh/m² (bright).
The dimmest month is January, down near 0.0 kWh/m² — roughly 100% less than the June peak.
Where is Svalbard and Jan Mayen?
Svalbard and Jan Mayen sits around 78.2°N, 15.6°E. The marker shows Longyearbyen, its largest city, among 1 city with climate data here.
