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What is winter like in Norway?

Temperatures, snow, daylight and what to wear in a Norwegian winter.

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Short answer

Norwegian winters are cold and snowy inland, with January averages below −14 °C at Karasjok in Finnmark, while the coast stays around freezing. In the 1991–2020 normal, January averages −2.3 °C in Oslo and 2.6 °C in Bergen. Southern Norway gets six to eight hours of daylight, and much of the north has polar night.

Travelling in Norway in winter a round calendar wheel with four seasons shown as a snowflake, a leaf, a sun and a raindrop around a small mountain

Why

  1. Visit Norway says coastal winter temperatures usually stay around zero, while inland they often fall to between −10 and −20 °C, and some places can see −40 °C.
  2. MET Norway measured the lowest temperature of winter 2025/2026, −41.5 °C, at Karasjok on 11 January 2026.
  3. In most of Northern Norway the sun does not rise, or only briefly peeks over the horizon, from mid-November to the end of January.

Details

MET Norway counts December to February as winter, but Visit Norway notes that autumn can give way to winter as early as October. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, the fjords usually stay free of ice, and ferries run all year. Roads and mountain passes can close during heavy snow and strong wind, and Visit Norway treats October to April as the cold season for driving.

Tip

Wear wool next to your skin instead of cotton, add a windproof and waterproof jacket, and remember that wind chill makes it feel much colder than the thermometer shows.

What may differ

The west coast has mild, wet winters, with snow mainly in the mountains: Bergen's January normal is 2.6 °C with 256 mm of precipitation. Around Oslo, snow is common and average winter temperatures are just below zero.

Common misconception

It is dark around the clock all winter everywhere in Norway.

What actually happens

Polar night only affects the north, and in most places there it lasts from mid-November to the end of January. Southern Norway gets six to eight hours of daylight in the winter months.

People also ask

  • What are winters like in Norway?
  • What is a Norwegian winter like?

Sources

Information checked on 15 October 2026.

Travelling in Norway in winter
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