Best time to visit Kiruna

Re-score for me — drag the dial — every chart on the page recolours live for your heat limit 27°C
I'm comfortable up to 27°C feels-like
22° heat-averse 30° heat-loving

Default 27 °C is the upper edge of the Holiday Climate Index "ideal comfort" band (Scott, Rutty, Amelung & Tang, 2016). Above this, most warm-tourism travellers report measurable discomfort.

Saved to this browser. Changes update the strips below.
Recent · 2020-2024
Interest Google Trends 2021-2025 searches, not arrivals (?)
Day · avg daily high (?)
Night · avg overnight low (?)
UV index · On a typical day around midday, UV is about this (?)
1233321
On the sunniest 1 in 10 days, UV reaches this — and even higher
344
PM2.5 air quality · on a typical day (?)
333333333333
On the worst 1 in 10 days, PM2.5 reaches this — and even higher
435444454455
May 9/10 feels 4°C (+2°C vs 1991-2020) · HCI 85/100
Day 7° · Night -1° 62% humidity 16 km/h wind 9 rain days (125h) 288h sun
Thermal 10
Sky 8
Rain 7
Wind 10

Higher = better, including rain & wind (green = "doesn't hurt the score", not "lots of it").

Compare with another destination

Add as many as you like — stacked below the main strips above. Each row is just the recent-window score strip and (for beach destinations) sea-temperature strip.

Tours in Kiruna

6 top-rated tours via Viator. Booking links earn this site a commission at no cost to you. Map locations are approximate (centred on Kiruna).

  1. 1Kiruna Northern Lights Tour with Photographer4.97★ (816)from $214
  2. 2Kiruna Private Transfer from Kiruna (KNR) airport to central Kiruna5.00★ (2)30mfrom $105
  3. 3Private Romantic Walking Tour in Kiruna with Historic Church5.00★ (1)2hfrom $399
  4. 4From Kiruna: Aurora Snowmobile Adventure5.00★ (5)3h 30mfrom $105
  5. 5Snowmobile Adventure in Lapland: Guided Tour from Kiruna4.89★ (9)3hfrom $105
  6. 6Ice Hotel and Sami Camp from Kiruna5.00★ (8)4hfrom $157

Last refreshed 2026-06-26.

Similar climatesLevi94% · Rovaniemi92% · Kuusamo91%

Other destinations with the most-alike year-round climate to Kiruna (apparent temperature, rain hours, sunshine — matched within the same trip-profile). The ±N chip compares each match's typical score for the current month against Kiruna's. Based on the 2020-2024 climatology, not this year's actual weather.

Month-by-month

Month Temp °C Feels °C Rain days Rain h Rain h/day Humidity Wind km/h Sun h UV Interest Score
Jan -14–-8 -13 14 211 15.1 84% 17 14 Quiet 5
Feb -13–-7 -12 9 167 18.6 82% 18 63 Quiet 6
Mar -10–-3 -8 9 136 15.1 74% 18 162 1 Quiet 8
Apr -7–0 -4 10 144 14.4 68% 16 212 2 Quiet 8
May -1–7 4 9 125 13.9 62% 16 288 3 Quiet 9
Jun 8–17 14 11 132 12.0 52% 16 347 3 Quiet 4
Jul 10–17 15 17 221 13.0 62% 16 275 3 Quiet 2
Aug 8–15 13 13 168 12.9 67% 17 227 2 Busy 4
Sep 4–10 6 12 173 14.4 74% 17 135 1 Moderate 7
Oct -3–2 -2 13 180 13.8 86% 16 72 Moderate 6
Nov -8–-3 -7 10 138 13.8 87% 16 24 Peak 6
Dec -13–-7 -12 14 210 15.0 86% 16 0 Busy 4

UV Index in Kiruna by Month

UV index in Kiruna peaks at 3 (low) in July, dropping to 0 (low) in November.

Best months in detail

May

9/10

-1–7°C (feels 4°C) · 9 rain days (125h) · 288 sun hours · 62% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 3 (low) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 3 (moderate)

March

8/10

-10–-3°C (feels -8°C) · 9 rain days (136h) · 162 sun hours · 74% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

April

8/10

-7–0°C (feels -4°C) · 10 rain days (144h) · 212 sun hours · 68% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 2 (low)

Every month

Show the other 9 months in detail

January

5/10

-14–-8°C (feels -13°C) · 14 rain days (211h) · 14 sun hours · 84% humidity · Quiet crowd

February

6/10

-13–-7°C (feels -12°C) · 9 rain days (167h) · 63 sun hours · 82% humidity · Quiet crowd

June

4/10

8–17°C (feels 14°C) · 11 rain days (132h) · 347 sun hours · 52% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 3 (low) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 4 (moderate)

July

2/10

10–17°C (feels 15°C) · 17 rain days (221h) · 275 sun hours · 62% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 3 (low) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 4 (moderate)

August

4/10

8–15°C (feels 13°C) · 13 rain days (168h) · 227 sun hours · 67% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 2 (low)

September

7/10

4–10°C (feels 6°C) · 12 rain days (173h) · 135 sun hours · 74% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 1 (low)

October

6/10

-3–2°C (feels -2°C) · 13 rain days (180h) · 72 sun hours · 86% humidity · Moderate crowd

November

6/10

-8–-3°C (feels -7°C) · 10 rain days (138h) · 24 sun hours · 87% humidity · Peak crowd

December

4/10

-13–-7°C (feels -12°C) · 14 rain days (210h) · 0 sun hours · 86% humidity · Busy crowd

Frequently asked questions about visiting Kiruna

When is the best time to visit Kiruna?

May is the highest-scoring month (9/10 on the Holiday Climate Index). Typical conditions: -1–7°C (9 rainy days). The top three months by score are May, March, April.

What is the worst time to visit Kiruna?

July is the lowest-scoring month (2/10, capped by extreme heat). Typical conditions: 10–17°C (17 rainy days).

Is Kiruna too hot in summer?

3 months (June, July, August) trip the heat deal-breaker in our scoring: apparent temperature crosses the comfort cap, so even with clear skies and low rain the score is held down. Plan around it if heat tolerance is low.

When are crowds lowest in Kiruna?

Search-interest seasonality (Google Trends 2021-2025) is lowest in March and peaks in November. Interest tracks both in-trip visitors and lead-time planners, so treat it as a "destination is on people's minds" signal rather than literal arrivals.

Which months in Kiruna have good weather but fewer tourists?

May (climate 9/10, crowd index 6) and March (climate 8/10, crowd index 0) — shoulder months with above-average climate and below-median search-interest. Often the best value-for-weather trade.

What is the UV index in Kiruna by month?

UV peaks at 3 (low) in July and is lowest in November at 0 (low). Monthly peak values: Jan —, Feb —, Mar 1, Apr 2, May 3, Jun 3, Jul 3, Aug 2, Sep 1, Oct —, Nov —, Dec —.

What is the UV index in Kiruna in July?

July is the peak UV month in Kiruna, with a daily-peak UV index of 3 (low). Standard sun protection — sunglasses and light SPF — is recommended.

How high can UV get in Kiruna on the sunniest days?

Most days look like the monthly average, but on the sunniest ~1 in 10 days UV climbs higher than the mean suggests. June is the worst case: typical days average UV 3 (low), but the top 10% of days reach UV 4 (moderate) — and even higher. Months where the sunniest days routinely exceed the typical reading: May, June, July. Plan sun protection for the worst case, not the average.