Best time to visit Longyearbyen

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 (?)
11211
PM2.5 air quality · on a typical day (?)
111112211111
On the worst 1 in 10 days, PM2.5 reaches this — and even higher
242234432223
April 8/10 feels -11°C (+2°C vs 1991-2020) · HCI 79/100
Day -7° · Night -12° 78% humidity 12 km/h wind 9 rain days (148h) 232h sun
Thermal 9
Sky 7
Rain 6
Wind 10

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

How is this scored? HCI / Steadman / CCI gate — full methodology and citations below.

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 Longyearbyen

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

  1. 1Svalbard Discover the Mining Settlement of Pyramiden5.00★ (1)8hfrom $1155
  2. 2Explore the Legendary Town of Longyearbyen5.00★ (1)3hfrom $284
  3. 3From Longyearbyen photo tour: Mysterious Barentsburg10hfrom $1155
  4. 4Svalbard Icebreaker Cruise and Arctic Floating Adventure7hfrom $464
  5. 5Private Shore Tour: Northern Lights Chase by Snowcat2hfrom $918
  6. 6Svalbard Summer Micro Cruise Private 8 Day Tour192hfrom $17405

Last refreshed 2026-06-29.

Similar climatesSaariselkä77% · Kiruna76% · Kuusamo76%

Other destinations with the most-alike year-round climate to Longyearbyen (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 Longyearbyen'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 -15–-9 -14 11 174 15.8 80% 14 0 — Quiet 4
Feb -15–-9 -14 11 203 18.5 80% 13 8 — Quiet 4
Mar -17–-11 -16 11 169 15.4 76% 12 128 — Quiet 7
Apr -12–-7 -11 9 148 16.4 78% 12 232 1 Quiet 8
May -5–-1 -5 10 153 15.3 81% 11 285 1 Quiet 8
Jun 3–6 3 10 151 15.1 84% 11 226 2 Quiet 8
Jul 7–11 9 11 158 14.4 80% 11 236 1 Quiet 6
Aug 6–10 8 14 179 12.8 83% 10 160 1 Quiet 6
Sep 0–4 1 15 220 14.7 86% 11 77 — Quiet 6
Oct -7–-2 -6 10 152 15.2 86% 11 21 — Quiet 6
Nov -11–-5 -9 14 229 16.4 84% 13 0 — Moderate 5
Dec -13–-8 -12 11 179 16.3 81% 12 0 — Peak 5

UV Index in Longyearbyen by Month

UV index in Longyearbyen peaks at 2 (low) in June, dropping to 0 (low) in December.

Best months in detail

April

8/10

-12–-7°C (feels -11°C) · 9 rain days (148h) · 232 sun hours · 78% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

May

8/10

-5–-1°C (feels -5°C) · 10 rain days (153h) · 285 sun hours · 81% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

June

8/10

3–6°C (feels 3°C) · 10 rain days (151h) · 226 sun hours · 84% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 2 (low)

Every month

Show the other 9 months in detail

January

4/10

-15–-9°C (feels -14°C) · 11 rain days (174h) · 0 sun hours · 80% humidity · Quiet crowd

February

4/10

-15–-9°C (feels -14°C) · 11 rain days (203h) · 8 sun hours · 80% humidity · Quiet crowd

March

7/10

-17–-11°C (feels -16°C) · 11 rain days (169h) · 128 sun hours · 76% humidity · Quiet crowd

July

6/10

7–11°C (feels 9°C) · 11 rain days (158h) · 236 sun hours · 80% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

August

6/10

6–10°C (feels 8°C) · 14 rain days (179h) · 160 sun hours · 83% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

September

6/10

0–4°C (feels 1°C) · 15 rain days (220h) · 77 sun hours · 86% humidity · Quiet crowd

October

6/10

-7–-2°C (feels -6°C) · 10 rain days (152h) · 21 sun hours · 86% humidity · Quiet crowd

November

5/10

-11–-5°C (feels -9°C) · 14 rain days (229h) · 0 sun hours · 84% humidity · Moderate crowd

December

5/10

-13–-8°C (feels -12°C) · 11 rain days (179h) · 0 sun hours · 81% humidity · Peak crowd

Frequently asked questions about visiting Longyearbyen

When is the best time to visit Longyearbyen?

April is the highest-scoring month (8/10 on the Holiday Climate Index). Typical conditions: -12–-7°C (9 rainy days). The top three months by score are April, May, June.

What is the worst time to visit Longyearbyen?

February is the lowest-scoring month (4/10). Typical conditions: -15–-9°C (11 rainy days).

When are crowds lowest in Longyearbyen?

Search-interest seasonality (Google Trends 2021-2025) is lowest in January and peaks in December. 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 Longyearbyen have good weather but fewer tourists?

April (climate 8/10, crowd index 0) and May (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 Longyearbyen by month?

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

What is the UV index in Longyearbyen in June?

June is the peak UV month in Longyearbyen, with a daily-peak UV index of 2 (low). Standard sun protection — sunglasses and light SPF — is recommended.