Weather conditions
Despite of Svalbard being so close to the North Pole, the archipelago has a relatively mild climate compared to areas at the same latitude. In Longyearbyen, the average temperature ranges from 14°Celsius below zero during winter to 6°Celsius above zero during summer. The lowest temperature was measured in March 1986 at 46.3°Celsius below zero - the highest temperature was measured in July 1979 at 21.3°Celsius above zero. During winter Svalbard often has long periods with temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius below zero; add to that a wind-chill factor that usually seriously compounds the cooling effect of the low temperatures. During summer it is common with periods of fog. In terms of precipitation, Svalbard may be described as an ”Arctic desert” with annual rain- and snowfall at a mere 200-300 mm. The weather on Svalbard can shift very quickly and local variations are often considerable. Weather today: http://www.yr.no/place/Norway/Svalbard/Longyearbyen/ Weather - short term: http://www.dnmi.no/svalbard/korttid.html Weather - long term: http://www.dnmi.no/svalbard/langtid.html |
